Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-01-20
All Cotton.

We commend to the careful pcrusal Of our
planting friends the following article from
7hc Paper, ii Democratic sheet published in
littsburg, Pa, now that the season for 'pitch
ing at the new crop is approaching
ga sufficient number OF years have elapsed
since the conclusion of hostilities between the
States of the North and South to permit of a
calm survey Of the causes which contributed
to the result. The conqucrers were not made
SO by reason of their superior bravery nor, as
would first stappcar, from their numerical supc-
riority, although the latter aided them very
materially, but because the North was sec.
tion of mechanics and its adversary merely an
agricultural region.
"lt was not contest Of muscle against
muscle b 1t Of brains and inventive genius in
opposition to personal courage. The South
found few staples so productive of wealth
that it confined itself to the cultivation of
these, and allowed every other interest to
anguish. Its cities became only great ware
houses tor the storage Of cotton, sugar and to
hacco, and the pride Of the people swelled in
to undue proportions as they beheld the ship
ping OF the world at their crowded wharvcs,
eager to carry off, even to the uttcrmost ends
of the earth, the fruits of their fertile fields.
From this was begotten the f.ll,cious idea that
cotton was king, and that Ills sceptrc not only
syiycd the dcstinics of America, but that il
was not without force on the other side of
the Atlantic. This was very flattcrin. to
the vanity of growing people, still young
IN the family of States, and was sufficient to
d'zzlc thcir eyes with splcndor altogether
mcrctrIcious. The domination Of cotton
should have been source of pride to eycry
American. That pride, however, should
II rom al
fry The fact that it did become so, no per
SOD will deny, and to this we assign the sub
scquent overthrow of its worshippers.
"Whcn the war broke out it found the
States Of the South rich in cotton in sugar,
IN men and in money with an enthusiasm
amounting almost to insanity, aud dctermi.
n'tlon to achieve victory by the prowcss of
their arms. The North went into the con.
iIct with an earnestness as terrible, but with
everything the South lacked We had di
vcrsiiicd industry to back US we had iron
and coal and steel for the manufacture of
arms and munitions; we had corn and oats
tor tho cavalry, wheat and ryo for tho sol
dlcrs, and mills for tho manufacture of cotton
and wooen fabrics with which to furnish
raimcnt to orr men in the field. The South
had none Of these. IT'S truo, there we're iron
works in Virginia and in Mississippi but
these were crippled early in the war by reason
OF the blockade and mechanical poverty of
the South History furnishes no instance
where 100000 of people, equally united and
determined, have been subjugated. Had the
South pursued wiser policy in the past; had
it encouraged healthy Immigration and fos
torod manufactures, it would have been a
more formidable antagonist, and doubtless
would have protractcd the struggle indefinite
'y, even FIVE admit that under circumstances
victory was in its rcoch The lesson we dc
ducc FROM the failure Of the South, then. is
that, without blending Of industries. no
State or country can attain true greatness
When country can live within itself it is
independent, and not until then. Tho peo.
pie Of the South arc rapidly realizing this.
and from all parts we hear of new nanuactu.
ring enterprises. Georgia seems to have tho
lead MS yet, but Tennessee, with her rich min.
cra deposits, is putting on the arnor Of WI.
can and striding rapidly to tho front: while
Louisiana seems to have made up it's mind tI
send up its cotton into webs, instead Of balcs
as formerly. Tho mechanic is invited to &c
South andco operate with the planter. Thi.
invitation is being needed, too, and unior
"fintcrcsts is being formed that will eventu
ully give birth to greet social changes thorc
snd which cnnnot foil to bo productive o
much good % shc whole country"