The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-05-27

THURSDAY MORNING, MAY 81, 1859.
The Production OF Cotton,

Tne Ff0uuct10n Oh SottOu,
The necessity Of encouraging an increas-
ed production of cotton in the South is now
forcing itself upon the minds Of those OF
the North who take comprehensive view
Of the commercial situation. They see that
the balance Of trade is constsntly against
the United States, and that only the contin-
ued expectation Of United States bonds pre-
venting an outgo Of specie which would
embsrrsss the whole country, If it did not
cause the long looked for crash, and they
desire to stimulate the production Of cotton,
so that there may bs staple to export and
make payments with when the demand for
bonds is at an end. The South, on the other
hand, is not disposed to strive for enor-
nous crops Of cotton. A moderate crop,
with: high prices, win pay the planter bet
ter than IN excessive Drop, with low prices;
and it il moreover useless to sscribe the
Smallness Of the orsps Of the last four sea-
sons to any lack Of energy and enterprise
among the Southern people. The New
York Shipping List for instance; recon-
msnds 60 thorough organization Of labor
''and the preservation Of ordsr,' suggest
ing thst,ths South could have done moro
than It has done. This Is an old story; but
it is % well 70 point out again the ciroum:
z,.uus1wuIuHA AnI MAKE It 'Impos5ibIe, ror
many years 10 come, 70 make crops Is large
Is those Of before the war. .-....
The labor. available for the cultivation Of
cotton has bssn reduced by the excessive
mortality among the nsgroee, BY the indis.
position Of many Of the negroes to work at
all, and by the general refusal Of the col
ored women 10 work in the fields. The
mortality Of the negroes in Charleston is
between twice and three times ss great as
The mortality Of the whites. In, the city
the freedmen have better opportunities Of
protecting themselves than In the country,
where the nc rtality is stlesst as great ss
it is in the towns. In this way the ayaila-
BILE labor is diminishing. every day; nor is
the gap filed BY the children and boys
growing up, 70. in consequence Of the little
care taken Of them, the negro children die
like sheep. Their parents have no love for
them, and in too many cases look upon their
death as the quickest means Of being rid
Of troublesome responsibility. The wo-
men, far more uuruly and hard to manage
than the men, think work disgrace, and
will do nothing save perhaps in the picking
season, when they may be tempted BY the
offer Of money down to work for few
days or weeks. It Is the usual calculation
that one-third Of our labor has been wholly
Lost, and this 10 borne out by every fact that
comes to our knowledge.
Assuming, then, that the limit Of produo-
ton is The quantity Of cotton that can be
picked in the season, there is no good
ground for believing that the cotton crop
Of this State, with our present labor
system, can exceed 100000 bales, or
that Of the whole South exceed 2,50O,OOO
bales. And this is with the understand.
ing that every effort must be made to
increase the yield to the acre, and that
fertilizers shall be largely used. This is
the policy In South Carolina, where the aim
this year is not to increase the area in oul.
tivation, but to increase the yield per sore.
There is no disturbing element whatever in
the State beyond the soheming and plotting
Of the Radical politioians-white and ool-
ored. We preserve order because it is to
our interest TO do so, and now, according
to the testimony Of the New York Times,
there is less crime and violence in this
State, in proportion to its population, than
in any Northern or New Eoglsnd State.
When the miserable advsnturers who now
control our local affairs are killed BY the
popular ballot, We shall increase our pro-
duction' Of cotton to some extent, because
the freedmen will then give up all idea Of
living oy stealing, and will buckle down to
their work. The negro members Of the Leg
islature, and the various negro officials, will
return to their forges and barber shops
make horse.shoes instead of laws, and
shave ehins in place Of splitting hairs.
The thousands who now hope and pray fer
'jes one leetle offs" will find in the hoe |
their most effsctual weapon, and draw their !
per diem from the plough. This will swell |
the production of cotton in some degree;
but one thing only can make large crops Of
all kinds certain, and that is white immi-
grafton.
II the North is In earnest and does feel \