New-York tribune., 1870-04-26
TILE SOTTH OF THE FUTURE.

The Free-Traders are unphilOsOphical. The
Free South is not what it was when few men
owned its soil and its labor, and never again
can be- Yet the vOtaries of foreign manufac-
lures cannot forego the hope of seeing the
South once more ranged under their banner,
as she was in the days of John Randolph, Cal
houn, McDuffie, and Rhett. The n. 7. Times
says:
"There question whatever that the Tariff reform
ers are going have the aid Of the South, which
once more beginning to make its strength felt in the
financial debates. 1t may be that THE TRIBUNE seeks
to persuade ITSELF under the operation Of the high Tariff
manufactures will eventually spring in great force at
the South in the time the first and dearest love
OF the South is Cotton. 1t has enormous advantage
en- advantage of which freedom OF trade rob it
over the rest Of the world and 1t is advantage which
Just makes the smallest farm as good as and indeed
far better than, god-mne To Cotton it WILL therefore,
for present. largely devote itself Nearly all the capital
and all the labor which Is flowing into the South,
culture There is nothing in which, with
little labor and little capital much be
made nothing, too, to which individuals or families
devote themselves with much comfort and little de-
rangement OF the family life We may, therefore, expect
TO the cotton interest grow at the South for
years to come as nothing else will grow and to find
larger and larger proportion Of the Southern people be-
come exceedingly sensitive to all burdens upon it, dis
Comments bu The Tribune
The high price of Cotton, which has stimu-
lated the recent efforts of Southern planters, is
based on the scarcity of the staple. During
the last four years, the crop has been increased
from Two up to Three Millions of bales. In
these four years, the aggregate product has
been about Ten Millions of bales against Five
Millions in the single year 1860. Had not the
War intervened, the yield of these last four
years would have been at least Twenty Mil
lions of bales, and the price from 10 to 70
cents (gold) per pound. II is the shortness of
supply which has nearly doubled the natural
price.
Now there are no other people on earth who
have half so much to gain by the growth and
diffusion of Manufactures at the South as the
Cotton-planters. If "ncarly all the Capital and
"all the Labor flowing into the South goes
"into Cotton culture" the downfall of the
price of Cotton is as certain as gravitatOn
Double last years crop, and you reduce the
price of the staple One-half, TO moral GER
tainty.
% But it is not true that the South is thus de-
voting her new capital to Cotton growing
On the contrary, she is rapidly expanding her
production of Sugar, and will soon quadruple
her present product if the Tariff is let alone
Corn, Rice, Pork, Tobacco and many other
Agricultural staples, are wisely receiving in
creased attention from her planters. And the
more they grow these, the better price will
they obtain for their Cotton.
But it will not be possible to keep the South
forever producing raw staples and exchang-
ing these for Metals and Manufactures. That
was the dictate of Slavery; it does not com
port with the wants and aspirations of a La
boring Class which, already free, aspires to DO