The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-01-08
THE PROSPEROUS soUTn.
New York Sun.

Blessed with supersbundxnt harvests
ofall grains, snihaving a ready mark
ct for them at high prices, they are
making money, and the long looked
for revival Of business has taken place.
All business Is conducted on wealth
created by the producers. If the class
that produces wealth is in straitened
circumstances, all classed are straiten.
ed.
The unprecedented development Of
the northwest, the west, and the south
west, and the marvellous increase of
their population, have often been dis
cussed. But with snauimity that is
remarkable, our writers have over
looked the South, or regarding that
section as unworthy the attention Of
Northern patriots, they have scorned
70 give il the notice that should in
Justice be accorded to well deserved
prosperity. II may seem bold state
ment bat the section that has been
neglected by the Republican press of
the North is 70 day, and has been for
years, the most prosperous portion of
the Union, and its prosperity rests on
the most stable basis.
The Republican press of the North
Is SO habitusted to describing the peo-
pie of the South as riding up and down
their lonely roads, engaged in their
only occupation = except drinking
whisky in low barrooms-of shooting
and torturing colored Republicans,
that many thousands of worthy men
in the North really believe this to he
true. II, as the Republican press
claims, the people of the cotton belt
did nothing but loaf in groggeries, and
organize and institute ''nigger hunts"
they would all starve to death. There
is an old saying that by bis chips you
can Judge workman. 1t is also true
that by tie cotton bales you can Judge
of the work done by a people. Last
year the people of the cotton belt
found time to raise over 1000, 600
bales of cotton for export, besides sup
plying the United States. 1t is OBJ
jected by the Northern Republicans
that this work, at least the greater
part of it, is done by the colored race.
Why not! Do the owners of the farms
outside of the cotton belt do all the
work that is done on them2 Do not
all of them employ labor and super
wise it? Because man happens to be
black, and works in a cotton field, he
is entitled to no more credit for sim
ply working than is an Irish, German
or American farm hand who works in
the corn6elds OH the lean soil of New
Hampshire OF the rich prairies of
Kansas. Because the landless labor
ing class of the South raise cotton
under the intelligent supervision of
men who own land, it is just to call
the landowners cruel, oppressive, and
murdero:s, and deny them credit for
she work done. To read some articles
written bv a Northern Republican
about the labor done on Southern
plantations, one would be led to be-
lieve that the hiring of a man to work
MAS the diabolical invention of dew
fish Southern Democrat.
Southerners are represented as ha-
ting the North with deadly hatred.
Ifthis vas so they would buy no goods
from Northern importers. They ex-
port much cotton and could import
merchandise if they wished. What
say the statistics? There were impor-
ted into the United States in 1878,
merchandise, coin, and bullion to the
value of S466, S72,S47. Of this val
uation bus $50, 128,811 entered the
six Southern ports of Baltimore,
Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, New
Orleans and Galveston. The direct
imports through the Custom houses
situated in the ten cotton States were
sl4. 100, 1873. The exports from the
same ports were s143,2S2 839; or
they exported $500, 092, $50 more than
they imported. 1t is safe to state that
the balance of trade last year was at
least 500, 600, 600 in favor of the COT
ton States.
The presen: year has been the most
prosperous ever known in the South.
No: only have the Gotten States made
a large crop, estimated by competent
authority at 100000 bales in excess
of Lust year, but the price obtained is
larger. The crop of 1878 brought all
average of seven cents per pound.
This year; picking Is selling for
eleven cents per pound.
1t must ne remembered, when judg-
ing of the probable future of the cot
ton States, that they constitute the
only extent ofcotton lani in the world
where the plant can be profitable cul-
tivated; that where cotton cloth is
once used by people, it is never
abandoned; and that rs long as the
human race increases or trade devel>
opes, there ia no such danger rs an
over production of cotton as there is
of wheat. Ali countries can grow
breadstufs. No other country can
grow cotton. The machine recently
invented ny Mr.. Clement, of Mem
phis, must also be taken into consid>
Grafton. This machine is so simple
that the stupid labor used in the South
can manage it without difficulty.
The invention enables the planter to
spin, at small expense, the raw cotton
into threads. Il is said to clean the |
seed more thoroughly than the old |