The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-08-15

in the cultivation of cotton. They ship
that cotton to New Orleans, where it is
sold and the proceeds appropriated to
the payment of the cost of cultivation.
The planter has purchased certain sup
plies, consisting of pork and cotton
goods. The pork is purchased in the
West, the cotton goods from the East.
When these are paid for, the planter
finds he has nothing left from the sale
Of his crop. 1t appears then that your
people are working for the profit of
their Northern brethren. If you 90 in
to foreign markets to purchase at Il
lower rate than you can buy them at
home goods similar to those manufac-
tured in New England, you are forced
by protection laws to pay a duty which,
i'll the end, makes your foreign pur-
chases as dear as if you had bought
them at home. You annually raise four
million bales Of cotton, for which you
receive three hundred and twenty mil
lions of dollars, most of which goes in
to the pockets Of Northern manufac-
turcrs and Western pork packers. Sup
pose that instead Of grumbling about
the high rates of taxation, you We're to
turn your attention to manufacturing,
what would be the result? In a few
short years a large fraction of the pro-
ceedS Of the sale of yOur cotton crop
would remain in the South, and be dis
tributed among the people; and when
public improvements are needed, YOU
will have capitalists at home to furnish
the money, and there would be no fur
ther necessity for looking to Northern
bankers for it.
at has been ascertained that over
three hundred and fifty thousand work
people are engaged in the factories of
England, and beside these 4 vast popu-
latiOn derives a livelihood from the
manufactures OF cotton, wool, fax and
silk, such as the hand-WeaVers. the
framework knittcrs, the lace makers.
lace runners, muslin sewers, etc. |
think it may be safe to affirm that up
ward of one-eighth of the population of
England is actually employed in manu-
features and probably not more than
O~ne-sixteenth in agriculture. If we
consider, moreover, how much greater a
mass OF production a labOrer, whether
young or old, is equal to in power
driven manufactures than in husbandry.
the wonder is that your people have not
long ere this turned their attention to
manufacturing. With such Il demand
for labor as the adoption of this indus
try would create, You could draw to
NOu IH lIUllCSU dlIu utility pODJLldIlOll
from Europe, and thus gradually create
a power that would more than counter
balance any political influence. But
you do not turn your attention to these
subjects. Your time is occupied in la
menting the loss Of your old luxurious
life and in vainly clinging to your old
traditions. You seem to forget that
a great war has been fought, during
the tendency of which YOUR country
progressed a century"
Hostility dear sir, you talk of erect
ing factories as if this was the home of
the tabled gods, and our citizens 80
many Vulcans who could rear the grand
est structures in a night. Where is the
money to come from for all this We
are an impoverished people"
Guest-"1t takes no more to build
and u a tirst-class factory than it
does to purchase and run one of you1
tirst-class sugar estates. / was on a
plantation a few days ago, where the
machinery alone cost yer seventy five
thousand dollars, and the proprietor
told me- that it required over thirty
thousand dollars to raise his crop.
Where does this money come from 2
If parties can be found to advance q
sum like this upon al uncertain crop, il
strikes me there should be no difficulty
in finding merchants who would will
ingly advance like amounts toward the
erection of a cotton mandatory.
"These, sir, are my views on yOul
situation. These are necessarily crude
but | think will bear the test of analy,
sis. I will add that it has long been a
matter of surprise to foreigners that the
South with her rich lands and well
: watered country has not freed herself
from the shackles Of New England AND
+ become a manufacturing country. Il
+ she will only turn her attention to il
now and exert her brains and energies
+ great and sovereign us she was before
l the war;