Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-06-18
THE NEW SOUTH.

which our people Hau W so'"SSA
against the radical regime, the New
York Herald makes the following en-
couraging representations regarding
her future: !,
sIn the general progress that the
South has made since the war the
growth of it's cotton industry appears
as the most striking, promising and
significant. The greatest cotton crop
known in the days of slavery was
that of 1880, which footed up more
than four million eight hundred and
twenty thousand bales and exceeded
any preceding crop by a hundred
thousand bales. But since tie war
the yearly production has steadily
and rapidly increased until the crop
of last year reached the unpreeedent-
ed figure of 5,757,397 bales each OF
which was twenty pounds heavier
than the bales Of the greatest ante
war crop. The aggregate yield Oh
this great staple during the fifteen
years following the war was larger
bv ten million bales and more valua-
BILE by nearly seven hundred million
dollars than dunEs the fifteen years
| preceding the war. The crop OF the
present year will be the largest yet
raised, and is expected to amount to
more than six million bales. There
are yet no signs of any arrest
of this onward movement, and there
is every indication that the future
will bring forth crops that now would
seem marvellous.
ssBut more significant than this ex-
traordinary progress in the culture OF
cotton ia the advance made by the
South in its manufacture. Since lo7o
the capacity of Southern mills has
increased from eleven thousand tc
more than fifteen thousand looms
and from four hundred thousand tC
seven hundred thousand spindles
Within the same period the con
sumption of cotton has more thar
doubled. 1t was forty-hve mllllol
pounds in 1870 and in 1880 it had IN
creased to more than one hundred
million. The census returns SHOW
d that during the past decade the sout]
: has made more rapid strides in cot
e ton manufactures than either TIN
: country at large or New England
e the great centre Of the industry /
n America. The progress that it ha
a made and promises to make
suggests the very important INCUR,
whether the South has not at last ST
y out upon that course which in tim
u must lead to the achievement OF on
II of the great possibilities that natul
~ has put within its reach. That tn
" American cotton crop should be SCI
raw to English mills and returne
~ manufactured to cisatlantic market
~ is as abnormal and unnatural as thu
water should run up hill. The 81
~ premacy which England now holds
- the manufacture of cotton must sool
- er or later-so far, at least, as Ame
4 lean cotton is concerned-be tran
20 terred to this country, where 1t pro
! erly belongs. The time may be dl
q tant, but its coming is inevitabl
Nv The consumption of cotton by Anne
10 lean mills is steady and rapidly i
a. creasing, and will continue SO to
crease until the entire crop is man
featured in the United States.
ma "While this supremacy may ii
is pass from old England to New Ell
is land it is a question whether 1t "
90 not then shift from the latter to t
It Southern States. To this ascends
lor cy New England has no peculiar rlt
inc or claim. The South has natu
of advantages which New England
On not, and it can acquire all the adv'
on tages which New England has.
red climate is favorable to the manu-
ON ture of cotton, and it has abunda
md of water power and fuel. Machin
air. and skilled labor can be import
nit while capital and enterprise must
op- forthcoming when the advanta
lille that undoubtedly exist are seen
up appreciated. In addition to til
considerations the great coming
Al. n,