Year: 1861

the South cannot raise her own provisions,
and will starve outright if the war be kept
up. The idea is born of Helper, and is on
ly type of class of ideas on this subject
by which the North is most industriously
deluding itself. The Census tables show
that the South raises more provisions per
man than the North, and nearly as much as
the great grain-growing region of the West
The statistics of the country also show that
the Eastern manufacturing free States con.
sumo an equivalent of all the surplus pro-
ducts of the Western free States; and that
the free-labor North, taken as unit, ex-
ports little or nothing abroad. The gold Of
California and about twenty FIVE millions Of
miscellaneous truck constitute the sum to-
tai of Northern expectations of Northern
growth and production. The surplus pro-
visions of the Western free States are near
ly consumed by the Eastern manufacturing
free States. The whole exports of the late
Union, with the exceptions we have stated,
went from tho South. If Western grain
went off from New York, it was but little
in excess of the quantities of Southern pro-
visions sent to Northern manufacturers. 1t
vas liberated by virtue of the receipt of
Southern provisions, and really represented
only an export surplus furnished by the
South. With the exceptions stated, the
whole expectation Of the late Union, a.
mounting to over three hundred millions
year, went from the South, Of which cotton
alone furnished one hundred and ninety
one millions. Besides the three hundred
millions sent by the South abroad, she sent
also to the North about one hundred and fifty
millions of dollars worth of produce, cotton
furnishing of course the largest item Of the
amount. Considering the North as for
eign country, the exports of the South, in
time of peace, are four hundred and fifty
millions year.


This is the largest expectation for the
ratio of population known in the commerce
of the world. If the surplus Of its pro-
ducts sent abroad measure the wealth Of a
country, then is the South, the number Of
its population being considered, the veal
thiest country in the world. Yetthe North
deludes itself with the belief that the South
is weak, poor, and on the point Of starva'
ton. A country purely agricultural; q
country of prolific soil and almost prurient
vegetation country with the best organ.
lied system of labor on the globe; a
country exporting four hundred and fifty
millions of dollars worth of surplus products
a year; that country poor, weak and stinted
for food What follies and stupidities are
sectional predjudice capable Of leading a
people into


This hallucination has its origin in the
fact that many of the Southern planters
contiguous to the great rivers purchase
their corn and bacon. They purchase be-
cause the same hand who would raise one
hundred and fifty dollars worth Of corn
raises four hundred aud fifty dollars worth
of cotton or sugar. The planter, therefore,
who purchases, and who increases to that
extent the product of his cotton or sugar
crop, nearly doubles the value of the labor
ke employs in the substitution.


But how fallacious is the inference, that
because a few Southern planters, on the
great highways, purchase corn and bacon,
therefore the whole South will starve, if cut
off from trade with the pork and corn rails
ing States of the Union! The very fact Of
war, and isolation from these latter States,
J at once makes the South the grandest pro-
vision growing region in the world. The
; very moment her sales of cotton are check
ed, that moment does she turn her unex'
ampled productive energies to the cutiva'
: tion of provision stufs; and from being an
exporter of cotton, sugar, tobacco, rice, and
naval stores, she becomes even q greater
grain. producing region than the great North
F west herself At any moment she chooses
such is the advantage which her labor
system gives ber-she can drive the North
west out of the markets Of the world.


In this aspect of the case, the blockade
f of the South will prove as serviceable to he'
, as prejudicial to the North. If the Soutt