The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-27
THE ONLY HOPE FOR THEIR RE-
- LEASE
From the ThraldOm That Is sapping
Their Energies and Eating Up
Their Substance.
THEY MUST UNITE LIKE THE NE.
CHANICS
If They Would Free Themselves
From the Slavery by Which
Factors Profit.
CORRESPONDENCE or rHE ArPrAL.l

il is evident to all who are familiar
with the business interests OF the cot
ton belt that it is steadily and con-
stantly on the decline. The whole
country is in financial strait; but it
is only temporary; or, rather, the
country is onls going through the ten
years period hard times, due to
causes entirely different from those
producing the seady decline OF the
South. EveIywhete, a traveller going
North can tell from car window
when he crosses TIE cotton line. The
old red gully, the brier field, the sorry
fence and sQuahd cabin Immediately
changes to blue grass, good buildings
and Faces, good stock and every evil
dence OF comfort. And the better
living and the absence OF the mort
gege equally attest the greater linan-
cial prosperity. Nor is it caused by
want of labor in the South. More,
far more work is done by both males
and females in the cotton district than
north OF it. Once, this WIS not the
case. Once, the most wealthy country
mansions and the most wealthy farm
ing c!ass in the word were found in
the cotton South. Now, the poorest,
most indebted farmers are there; and
that, too, exclusive of the neRroes,
who are not considered in this state
ment. What direful influence has
wrought this appalling changer The
first thought is that 1t is the war;
which hal destroyed 30 m any mil ions
OF slave properly. But that hes been
long past; and besides, the wealth
producing quality OF the slaves, which
consisted in their laboring capacity,
still remain. II that alone had caused
the deprt ssion, IL would have ap-
peared more wildly Immediately
after the war aud would have faded as
time elapsed. The opposite appears.
And, too, Missouri, Kentucky and
Virginia, which lott their slaves,
would, in q like manner, have been
declining But they ara not. Was 1t
the favAges OF peace, in the form OF
reconciliation, that did itP II 30, the
border Ststss would show the same
decline Bvt they do not. Can 1t be
that that great crop which clothes the
world and entsIs the home Of every
civilized man; that crop which
onca const tuted the bulk of our
exports, and always was, and
now Is, the great money
crop OF tao country, is inherently
destructive? Certainly not; although
in every part of the South where that
is the almost exclusive crop, prostra-
ton, 20 utter abassment, has spread
all around. A curious spectacle i,
oil hn
finest and richest lands have fallen
the most, are covered the deepest in
mortgages, and in such portions the
decline Is grsates'. In the poorer
parts prosperity has lets departed, as
will appear by q comparison OF the
rocky hius OF Eist Tennes 90 with
ths level lands Of Yves, Tennessee ;
the rocky hills Of Northwest Arkansas
with the absolutely inexhaustible
lands Of Eastern Arkansas and West
ern Mississippi. North Georgia Ia
more prosperous than Southern Geor-
gia and South Carolina. The incom-
parable counties AT the mouth of the
BRACES, Texas, ara far behind the less
favored portions Of the came State.
Wonderful IL is that in the same gov
eminent, among The same people, the
greatest gifts Of God TO mana itch
soil, a genial climate, an abundant
rainfall and Astounding fertility
should always in the South be found
in sections.
WHERE sQUALoR AND ADVERSELY ABOUND
And that, too, whilst such soil pro.
duces lavishly all tie great products
OF the temperate zone, and to absolute
perfection that great staple by which
the world Is clad and which was once
crowned absolute king. Has come
Attila ,Iwho DO isted tast no grass ever
would grow where his horse trJd,
tramped out our life? Our conquerers
long since c ased to tramp out our
grass The people have had for years
complete control Of their State govern
ments, and still the decline goes stead
lily on. Is il Federal taxation that
prostrates our industries Doubtless
q war tariff does bear heavily on q
purely agricultural people. But il
bears equally heavy on the Northwest
and in spite of that they grow in
wealth and grestness. II cannot be
internal taxes, for We pay none, whilst
our border sisters pay enormously on
their tobacco and whisky and still
prosper. Our staple pays no interna
tax nor export duty, nor ia 1t taxed
abroad, but is highly priced every
where in the commercial world, whilst
other farm products, such as tobacco
are taxed enormously in most foreign
countries, and in some, pork is pro
hibited and beef is ie arded and de-
lsyed in Others But cotton has no
where any unIien1ly. legislation
Then II is not laws, NJ home or abroad
that cIushes our product.
The credit system has done much
very much, to produce the present
difficulties. But it prevailed (withou
the morigages) before the war, and, tC
a great extent, prevails in other sec
tons now without producing suct
cslamities rs now ailllct us. Genera
renting, instead of cultivation by The
owners, is damaging, But that pre-
walls all over Europe, and has beer
universal there for centuries. We
have seen that none OF these ia sufi
Gent to cause tle decline in the cottor
States. Nor are all of them combined
sufficient to cause it. The prime over
shadowing cause is the great produc
ton.
EXCESSIVE PLANTING
has carried our staple 60 low that /
cannot be proftably raised even in tn,
rich Mississippi lands or the blacl
lands of Texss, where fertilizers will
not be needed for centuries, much les
in the poorer lands needing lertili2ns
Cotton, from excess alone, has gon
below the bottom, and carried with
wool and other cloth making fiber
Whilst they are clamoung 70
increase of tariff we have IN
means of protection in GU
own hands, and none but our
ssiyes to blame II We fail, as we hay
seen that no where is our cotton de
pressed by legislation; nor is its uf
Declining. Now such crops are cor
sumed annually as would dwarf int
littleness those produced by our an
cestors when cotton was king and il
PRODUCERS we're reveling in luxury an
Ss-,ora;ro baronial hospitality an