The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-17
OUR GREAT STAPLE.
Cotton in the Future--Its Production
and Consumption.

The following letter, which we copy from the
Memphis Avalanche, contains views IN regare
to the position and prospects OF the South as
affected by the cotton crop, which will be foun6
full of hope and encouragement for our people
and eminently worthy the attention OF every
thoughtful reader:
MEMPHIS, March %, 1869.
The chief wants Of man are food and ciotn-
;no and that country is most favored wnlcn
can produce these in the greatest abundance
and at the least cost. Judging by this rule,
the Southern OF Cotton states OF tne Union
possess advantages equaned IN no o'ne1 sao pa,
Of the world Besides teing able to produce
food enough for a dense population, they pro-
dnce that staple which clothes more people
than apy other fabric. So unlver sal has be.
come it's use that it is the leading arlcie OF
the worlds commerce, and 1t oulds aDa =
freights more ships, sinks more MINES, anu
erects mora factories than any other product
of the earth. Nothing is SO intimately inter-
woven with the prosperity and progress OF our
whole Union as cotton. The increase IN It's
production has been wonderful, growing from
about 1OO Zoo bales in 1900, to 5SS7 0oO IN lo60.
But there was a Cemand for this rapidly
growing production !; for, in 1857, two-thlrds ct
fhe vast commerce of Great Britain were based
mon Che growth of American cotton and, IN
1860. the Southern States turnlshed her wlth
eighty per cent. Of all the cotton she mann1ac-
tured. An idea may be formed OF the value
she places on our cotton, when it is known that,
during the war, the prices In Liverpool ran up
to 81 S3 per pound. ..o
Hnited States alone, we shall conclude that
'sGotfon ia still King" In 1900, the factories
of this country consumed N0o0 paies Oh 4oV
pounds each (; in 1860, 1,0A. .00o Dales.
The capital invested in manufactures IN,
creased thirty per cent. from 1850 to 1860, and
is now estimated at $3.50, 600, 900. During that
neriod. the consumption OF the raw material IN
creased fitty-6ve per cent. These 1acts all Plo owe
the constantly growing demand for Southern
cotton, and hence its production has been
highly stimulated during the past tn1tIy years.
Its Consumption seems to have no limits, for
improved machinery and expanding commerce
an tend to introduce it into still more general
I,se. But it's production has limit, and that
il measured by the number OF hands engaged
in it's culture. Before the war, nineteen
twantieths of these "hands" were the negro
slaves of the South, and the crop OF 1850 was
the largest ever raised. Until the war the
growth or our slave population was nearly as
rapid as that of the whites; the latter beng
about three and one-third per cent and that
of the former about three per cent. per annum;
and under the old system Of. trained labor tne
Increased production could be safely estimated.
IN few years more the South would have
grown ten million bales, while the North would
have monopolized the cotton commerce OF the
world.
All This has been changed. 1t was proclaim
ed that the labor Of the tree negro would orlne
the price Of cotton down TO tnree ceG.s a amd PEI
pound. It has gone up to twenty-five and
thirty cents; and fout millions OF contenteo
.lsborers have been converted into communl'
tv Of idlers. yaerants, politicians and paupers.
Summer, Greeley and Phillips, in attempting 70
piay the role OF Washington, jefferson, WEB
ster and Clay, have mistaken fanatlclsm ior
craftsmanship.
The day will never come cyain when five mil
lion bales of cotton will be raised BY the ne
sroes of the Southern States, though the de-
nand is not likely to abate. The vast sums IN :
vested in manufactures will demand that the
looms and spnners shall still run. Where shall
the cotton be found? In India and Egypt the
nroduction is falling of. though greatly stimu-
lated during th, war. In the former the popu,
ihticn s. so dense that famine is threaten ed
wherever too much labor is diverted rom the
production OF food. The manufacturing world,
old and new, thus anxiously looks to the South
erp States Of this Union as the cnlef source
manship has reduced this supply one-halt and
trebled the price. Let Us look at some tacts,
and see to what conclusions they will lead:
In 1880 (see abstract census, p. lSl) there
we're, s $4,000 slaves in the Southern States;
f.15O,0OO beng in Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina. Kentucky and Missouri. This LEFT
2soO,O00 in the cotton States. One-haiI OF
these. or 1,4OO, 900, were between the ages OF
is and 60; and no planter will say that he ever
had more than halls his negroes in the cotton
field. From this /, ,4O0, 900 must be deducted,
house servants, mechanics, and negroes III
cities, towns &C., not engaged III producing
cotton. It is not probable therefore, that we
ever had $4,000 slaves thus employed. u
they averaged four bales to the hand-men and
women. old and young-the production would
be about as much as the large crop Of 1861
This was under system Of labor thoroughly
trained and under the most industrious ana
energetic management. Then there were rev
more than half the /, 800, 600 former slaves can
now be found in the field. Thousands have
- sought the haunts Of cities and towns; and the
females seldom work.
It is at least pretty certain that not more
than 8O0,0 900 negroes can be counted, to-day,
as field hands, and the general estimate does
MOI exceed two and a half bales to the hand;
Put it at three. the crop would then be ,4OO,O
bales. Add 200 900 for the production of white
labor. and ne havo crop of 3 GOO, ,OOO. Can 1t
exceed 8, ,OOO, 900 bales I confess it does not
seem that the present labor system OF the
South can reach that figure, save IN an extra
ordinary season. 1t may be done !; perhaps
1000, 600 bales may be reached if we neglect
food /; but would not that be paying rather
dearly for the extra million bales Year by
wear, food is steadily advancing in price,
There are thousands here who remember when
they could buy corn at twenty to thirty cents
and wheat at fifty cents per bushel, and
pork at four or five cents per pound OF
Twelve dollars per barrel. What are the
prices now Double and treble what they
were wears ago. There is a powerful
agency producing this. From 1840 to 1850
the increase OF our country population was
about thirty per cent, that Of the cities up
wards OF eighty per cent. In 1870, our cit.
nonnlatiop was one in eleven Of the whole po
nnIation. In 1868 it was ons in nearly ever,
Ave. In other words, our food producers ar
ranIdly becomlns less numerous as compared
w;fb the whole population, and hence the opin
ion that food will not tall much in prices
Great Britain slaughtered one million less hog
last winter than the winter before; @ and IN
Northwestern States 800 goo less: ln 1905 IN
corn crop was sixty millions OF pusneis les
than the crop of 1860, eight years ago. ne
member, too, that every year We are re
ceiyine about $50 600 souls from Europe
who seldom produce food the year they al
" rive but are constant consumers Zoe
this look like a fall in the price OF 1000
with facts Ike these can our people tnlnl
Il hest to raise four million bales OF cottol
and buy their food from the Northwest
A ANAL crop OF cotton will bring NOR
money than a large one. The five mhllol
bales of 1860, at ten cents a pound, brouSn
but $3.50, ,060, ,0OO The crop Of 1868: estimated
at $500 600 bales, at an average of % cents
will bring $2S7 $780, 600. 1t is then evident that
half crop will bring more money than very