Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-09-06

FARMERS may go nome and be thankfu
if the-- have food and clothing. an,
have settled up their bihs and presery
ed credit enough to go through tn
per cent mill another year.
/ wish [ had time to show you how
all the commercial, manufacturing ant
speculating world have formed theil
schemes, shaped the laws and united
IN harmonious shrewdness to gather
the profits Of cotton planting in the
South. ~
| tell you to-day. [ care not what
seasons may come, what large crops
you may raise, still, under existing
conditions, you will ever grow poorer
who produce cotton, and they will ever
grow richer who handle it after it is
produced, Without a great change the
Southern States are destined to become
so many plantations, practically owned
by the Northerppe people, and the South
ern people SO many hireling slaves to
work them! And in this condition
you will reap scarcely the wages, and
not half the respect, you accorded
your former slaves. And yet the very
reverse of this fate is within your
power. Under the present policy the
next generation Of Southern people
will become the poorest, the mostpow-
eriess and the most contemplate of
earths inhabitants. While, under a
wise policy, the. next generation of
Southern people may become the rich
est, the most powerful and the most
respected of living peoples. Which
destiny will we choose?
But, you ask, how can this better
destiny be secured? | will tell you.
First-Make cotton your surplus
crop! In these FIVE words lie the
Sampson locks of your future power.
Make your own fertilizers by resting,
cropping, grassing and manuring your
lands. Thus you become independent
of the guano merchants. Raise your
own provisions. Thus you become in
dependent of the provision merchants.
Your cheapest and safest line of
transportation runs from your own
fields and hog to your own barns
and meat houses With no debts for
your supplies, you will need no accom-
modation credits at two per cent. per
month. Thus you become independent
of brokers and cotton factors and lien
merchants. You can then sell your
own cotton, at your own time, to your
own chosen buyers, and for your own
price, and will get your own money.
None of these things can a cotton
planter do who plants on credit and
borrows money to buy his provisions.
But, you say, the Western States can
raise provisions so much cheaper than
we can that we can make more money
by making cotton and buying from
them. This is the teaching of figures
and greater lie was never taught.
Now, l affirm, it is cheaper for you
to raise your own provisions than to
have them brought from the West,
and given to you at the nearest depot
free of all cost and charges ! How is
this? In the first place, if we raise
five millions of bales of cotton we will
get no more money for them than we
would get for half that number. Then,
out OF the same amount realized. you
pay for raising the five million, just
double cost OF production! Half the
labor and supplies employed in raising
five million bales of cotton could be
employed in raising supplies without
reducing the value of the cotton crop
one dollar. But half this labor would
raise more than you needed for sup
plies. You could employ much of it,
also, in enriching your lands, and i'm
proving your property in many ways.
Then you would come to the end of
the year with your cribs full of corn,
your smoke-house full of meat, your
family full of smiles, yourselves full of
independence, and your pockets full
Of money for investment. And how
would you invest it? In cotton-fac-
tories on the waterfalls which God
sent all through your country to run
spindles. This would make you indie
pendent of Old England and New
England, Then, also, you would mine
your own iron and make your own
implements of husbandry, and this
would make you Independent of Penn
sylvania founderies and Massachusetts,
workshops. In word, every improve
ment would be built up in your own
country, and all the profits of these
would go into your own
pockets.
Go on as you are now going, making
cotton your chief crop, and slavery is
the doom of your children and your
children foreverl A people |
who depend ON other people for food |
and clothing, are and must be slaves.
Make cotton your surplus crop, and
your wealth, independence and power
will multiply as surely as the years in
crease.
But you say there is great obstacle
in the way of raising our supplies.
The freedmen will destroy them before
they can be gathered. l admit the
full force of this obstacle. The negro,
as race, prefer to live by idleness and
theft, rather than by labor. When
The present generation of negroes
Eho acquired their disciplinary habits
in slavery = shall pass away, the
alluded to will increase with
every future generation. This brings
is face to face with a great problem.
And | say here now, if there is not
sufficient craftsmanship in this country
% devise laws which shall compel the
negro to quit stealing and go to work,
hen the best thing we can do is to
pack up our children and hunt another
country. / would give the negro every
light to which he is entitled under the
avs, but he Is entitled under no law
% become the destroyer of his neigh
Dors property, nor to keep the white
ace of the South in poverty and bond
lga.
The first thing to be done is to Sc
,ure home government for home affairs.
This is our right and our necessity.
We must get control of our own labor
md regulate our own industry. Mas
'achusetts and New York can not do
hese for us wisely or well. With
State governments for State affairs,
very other good will follow. Without
his every evil is inevitable.
Well, go on and tell how we are to
nave this great boon of self government
or our own affairs. / will 1t can
,nly be obtained by securing proper
of the Constitution of
he United States as now amended,
liking the proper limits of the Federal
ind State governments. This is the
yreat york of the country, and it must
De done in the next four years and it
must be done at Washington.
Now, my friends, take breath and
listen to me, for | want you tocompre-
lend the biggest idea of the age, and
me which holds in its keeping the
'uture of yourselves and of your chill
lren for veal or for woe What does
he Fourteenth amendment mean?
Does IL mean that citizenship of the