The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-02-25
Sa(mIlottsoll Snttlljgenter.
The South and the Next Cotton Crop.

Ine appToach vi VIZ ''"i'i'S3 '0 "
the South, and the policy to be pursued
with regard to the next crop, are matters
OF more than local interest. In fact TO
the whole community, North and South,
everything connected with tho cotton
crop of 1869 is q subject of tho highest
Importance Nor is the interest confined
to cur own country. The cotton manu-.
facturers ard consumers Of Europe, and
the cotton producers in India, Egypt and
and fotherplaces will fndtheir industry Sc
riously affected for good or i'll by the pros
poets and result of the coming season.
stking. Cottoa,n' for q dethroneo monarch:
still exercises decided and positive infu-
ence in the world; and this inf1u once seems
to be5increasing rather than diminishing.
At no former period havo the prospects
of this staple elicted q deeper or moro
general concern. -,
The action, therefore, of the South in
reference to the new crop is OF the hrst
Importance. No backward. sep should
be taken, but the samo Intelligent course
which has produced such remarkable re-
suits the past year should be continued
the coming season. 1t has abundant1y
demonstrated the vitality of the South
and the possibility of raising cotton moro
successfully by freed labor than by slave
labor. Ali that is needed now is that the
lessons of the past three years be not lost,
in1order that the South may retain the
vantage ground it has gained, and enter
upon a new career of social and industrial
development and prosperity.
AT the close of the civil war the single
element of labor was about the only means
remaining in the South of recovery from
the industrial prostration in which that
section was left. But even this resource
was sadly deficient. The freedmen wcro
badly demoraiizcd, insubordnate and pre-
tentious; and, ut the same time, the white
population was exhausted, angry and
Jealous. All classes were utterly broken
down in spirit, while there was no money
or credit anywhere. In this extremity
the planters turned 10 cotton as their on
" hope. Prices had been high, and it
was thought that they would continue so,
and. on the basis of the then ruling rates.
contracts were entered into and plans
made for the year. 1t is scarcely ncces-
sary to repeat disasters of that and the
succeeding seasons. The resuls of the
policy pursued was, that during the win
ter Of 1866, cry of famine arose from
the most fertile districts Of the world, and
the little remnant the war had left ap-
ucared to have been lost. Relicfwas sent,
and the danger passed away, leaving a
severe experience, which has resulted,
however, in the greatest good to that sec
tion of odr; country, enabling them, in
fact to raise crop of cotton ut about ten
cents, per pound, and to sell it at more
than twenty cents. Over two hundred
and fifty millions of dollars will pass into
the South from cotton alone this season,
placing the planters in position of COM
parative independence:
In tracing tho causes Of the success OF
1858, as contrasted with tho disasters Of
the, preceding years, we find the clcarcst
indications OF what should. be the policy
of tho South in the immediate future.
Failure at first was not the result of de-
fcient crops, but rather of the acts of the
freedmen and the planters themselves.
Capital, to be sure, was shy and distrust-
full. and could only be obtained with diff
Guilty and at high rates of interest or on
extremely unfavorablc terms. Labor,
also, was demoralized, In very many
cases the freedmen, having newly tasted
the sweets of liberty, refused to work, or,
if they worked, it was with q great lack
of energy and efficiency. They could not
see the necessity for work, and it required
sthe. bittor hardships of the winters OF
1861 to bring them to their senses
The planters, too, needed a certain kind
of experience. They had seen cotton at
high price for a long time, and conclu-
ded it was to remain so. Consequently
they bid high for labor and put into the
ground nothing but cotton. When, how
ever. they began to market the staple, as
prccs had fallen to decidedly low level,
it was found that it did not return them
the cost of raising it. Corn and wheat
they had neglected, and it was the bitter
experience they then passed through as
d consequence of this neglect which show
ed them its folly and led them to wiser
course the past season. Thus suffering
and identity of interests brought all
classes together as they never before had
been, showing the freedman if he would
eat he must work, and the planter, that
he could not now depend upon cxorbitant
figures, but must hire his labor so that he
could raise his crop alta reasonable figure,
and must give upa portion Of his time
and land 10 food products. If this crop
of cotton had cost as much as the pre-
vious ones, or if the South had raised no
food, they would have been compelled to
force the staple upon the market to get
themselves out of debt or to provide the
necessities OF life, and very little benefit
would have resulted to them from the inl-
proved rates. On the contrary, the plan
ter is now clearing over ten cents per
pound and the South is making millions