The daily gazette., 1881-12-28
MIR. rILDEN ON THE SOUTH.

l
LETTER IN ANSWER TO AN INVITA-.
TIoN TO THE ATLANTA COTTON Hx-
POSITION.
The following is the letter Of Hon.
Samuel j. Tilden written in reply TO
an invitation from the managers to
attend the Atlanta (Ga.) cotton expo.
sition
Gentlemen / have had the honor
TO receive your resolutions inviting me
to visit the international cotton ex,
position as your guest, and designating
Messrs: Robert Tannahill, John II.
lnman and M. B. Fielding af special
committee to communicate them to
me. ! have also had the honor of a
personal presentation OF a copy of the
resolutions at the hands OF those gem
tlemen, accompanied by Gov. Colquitt,
the president of the exposition, and
Gen. Gordon.
"It is with much regret that feel
Obliged to deny myself tho great plea
sure rendered me with such distins
guished courtesy. 1t would delight
me to interchange friendly greetings
with the citizens whom 1 should ex-
pect 10 meet at Atlanta, and to avail
myself of so favorable an opportunity
for observing with my own eyes the
elements Of industrial growth which
promise future of marvellous pros
perity to the Southern States. Above
all. l desire to contribute my influence
however inconsiderable, toward en-.
couragipg a movement to organize in
vestigation and intelligence concerning
subjects of vast interest, not to the
South alone, but 10 our whole country
aud the world.
~ may venture to hope that the
public spirit which created and has
sustained this exposition is not ex-
hausted, but that the signal success of
this first essay will induce similar
efforts, attract increasin: public atten-
tion 10 them, and secure for them
wider cooperation and more Lerfect
development.
"The last time l visited those
Islands which were the homes of most
of our ance stors l realized what a
benefaction it was that had set IN
these heavens a sun which is generally
radiant and sometimes blazing. 1t is
what climatologists call the upward
curve in the hourly and daily tides of
heat, which makes our 450, 900, 900
bushels of wheat a sure crop, which
ripens our 1,750, 900, 900 bushels of
corn, and which enables us to grow
5000, 900 bales of the best aud cheap
est cotton.
"The invention which separates by
machinery the fibre of the cotton from
the seed gave new comfort TO every
hreside. Better clothing at less cost
was boon TO mankind. The fact
that one half of the present cotton
crop is the product of white labor has
dispelled the illusion that the Cau-
casian race had been excluded by
Providence from their natural share
In so important culture, aud assures
in the future an ample supply OF labor
from sources OF indefinite extent This
result derives momentous importance
from the fact that the actual culture of
the cotton Is now applied to less than
one-thirtieth part OF the lands embraced
in the cotton belt.
"The development of your agricul-
tural industries will soon be followed
by manufactures. A mature commu-
nifty, while it is enlarging the positive
volume Of its external commerce, in-
creases the proportion of domestic
manufactures which enter into the
local consumption.
''The advantages of a superior
adaptation of climate, soil and other
spontaneous bounties of nature, and of
typographical contiguity to the market
are Legitimate protection TO the local
industries, founded on the greatest
productlveness of human labor In sup
plying the wants of man, and upon the
utmost saving in the cost of Transport
tation between. the producer and
consumer. 1t contrasts with the arti-
ticial devices of legislation, always
unskillful and often perverted by selfish
greed, which generally have the effect
of diminishing the productive power
of human labor, just as If the soil were
rendered less fertile or the climate less
genial by act of Congress, in order to
enable the deluded beneficiary to make
some profit out of enterprises otherwise
unremunerative.
"The South is rich in natural Ca
pacities Of production as yet mainly
unappropriated. To utilize these
capacities is beneficent process, Its
results may come, not SO fast or 80
soon as some may hope, but l predict
that when they do como they will in
their magnitude transcend the antici-
pations Of the most sanguine. Your
fellow citizen,
SAMUEL ]. TILDEN.