The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-11-20
War and Cotton.

War and Cotton.
The war has already affected cotton to
the extent of 6 or cents, and In case II
should become general throughout Europe,
q further decline may be expected to an
extent nearly as great, if not fully so. The
immediate consequence of this would be
very disastrous to the South, but its ulti-
mate result might be somewhat different.
With cotton down to ten cents our planters
could still make a living, for labor would
have to accommodate itself to the price,
and labor being lower, all OF most of the
expenditures of ordinary subsistence
would be diminished thereby. Bricks and
lumber, corn and sugar, everything in
which the price of labor in the United
States is an important constituent part,
would be by SO much the cheaper. In this
way our Industries would still go on, and
though there would be less money, there
might be as much abundance Of real COM
fort.
In fact the price of cotton might be main
tanned by N Finishing it's production and
the labor thus set free could be devoted to
other objects as prod uctive of wealth as
cotton ought to be. A great war creates
demands of its own. We read daily of I'M
mense supplies of arms and other mum
tons of war manufactured in this country
aud shipped to Europe. Provisions of GER
tain kinds will also be in demand. Ships
will have to be built and in many unfore-
seen ways our people will be called on to
give their peaceful alliance to one or
another of the contestants. This will all
give remunerating employment to labor.
So that we need not fear much in
either contingency. If labor is cheap, al
most everything else will be cheap; while,
if every thing commands high price, it
will be because labor of all kinds is in
great demand and is we'll remunerated. If
in certain occupations, such as cotton rails
ing, there should be prospect of inferior
remuneration, their field of operation
would be reduced until an equilibrium
should be obtained.
AS to more remote results, how would
the war affect our cotton interests? In
case of our cotton being forced down to
very low rate, say ten cents, the India pro-
duction would become non-remunerative
and would have to be abandoned. Thus
American cotton would regain its old SUI
premacy and become king again. Then,
too, while the European market for the
raw material would be, to a great extent,
closed by war in which England France,
Italy and Germany should be involved, the
general market for manufactured goods
would still be very cons iderable. This
would stimulate manufacture in our own
country, and factories would he started at
the South which would be able to survive
an ensuing peace. This would diversity
our employments, ard our sources of
wealth, while giving us independence of
those countries whose internal or external
relations are now subject of SO much i'm
portance in our markets.
Adversely is not without its advantages;
and although the European war has already
caused immense loss and Inconvenience at
the South, though it's extension and con-
-tinuance would Ger tainly be cause of
grave anxiety to our people, advantages of
very substantial nature might eventually
ensue from it. Even in the matter of cot
ton, where it now finds our weakest point,
our hands might be eventually strengthen
ed by it's effects. While we then sincerely
pray that general war may be averted, we
ought not to be unduly apprehensive of its
influence upon our welfare.