Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-11-20


! entertained OF the completion of the undertaking
! FREpERtcUsuu1a. Nov IG.-.Na,ruGrc
! lures IN the rown Hall on Saturday last wa
I held meeting of the people Of Frederick burg
! Falmouth aud the adjoining country. for the rur
pose OF irnuring into the policy of establishn.
I Manufactures at the Falls of the Rappaha mock
+. On motion OF Philip Harrison, Thomas Seddor
was called to the Chair, and YIN. y. GRAY sp
pointed Secretary.
MIR narrison then rose TO explain ]le objcc, o.
the meeting. lie exposed the OF those econ
omis,s who would persuade Virginia L,st as slave
labor is less profitable than free labor She being
slave holding State, could not enter into competi
tion with the Moth aud ought not therefore, TO n
tempt the establishment of manufactures. lie
said that, having the slaves, il desirable o
apply them TO the greatest possible advsnage-
and that ct the present prices Of grain, they were.
properly es,Glsted utterly valueless that our az
nual production falls far shor, of conslnp,ion
and that very large portion OF our income is .eu
abroad for manufactures.
I. a remedy for these evils he suggested ma
we should manufacture for ourselves-irom which
the following advantage. would flow: part o
that labor expended in agriculture would he
more Proti,ably employed the vomen, now al
n'osi usoess on farm or plantation, and children,
hitherto idle consumers, might be advaniageousy
engaged. That as we lessen the of sgricultu
raj labor in the same proportion do we decrease
the product OF that sort Of abOr-that the number
Of persons distracted from the cultivation Of the
soil does not diminish 'he consumption of grain or
of any thing else that the cultvstor can bring into
market, and by lessening the quantity produced
we enhance it's price ana Increase the value Of land
and slaves thus directly nezitting the farmer and
PLANTER, whilst he Is sgain Indirectly benefited by
increased activity of business generally conse
Guent upon stopping The ettIN Of enormous
sum as hiss been heretofore annually abroad 70
manufactures.
lie then proceeded 10 ilusi ate the benefits to be
derived from the proposei establishment, by cola
ting our condition with that of those places
which the system la. been adopted lie gave
sketch of the prosperity Of certain manufacturing
towns in the North. lie Showed that where some
Ave or STA years ego, the stroke OF the wooGnan'-
axe had never been heard, busy and dourshing vii
lagos greeted the eye OF the astoni<hed and
degh ed traveller and that where uiisersbe vii
lagos late with difficulty cOnrivsI TO exist, proud
cities now reared their stately dOmes, and shot
their glitierng spires towards the sky.
All this had been done by manufactures, and
why should not we go and do li!5e~ise2 we TO
whom nature has been so unsparioglJ bountiful-
we, situated at The highest point of navigation of
NOBLE river aIOrdirg almost bogndless water POW
er why, said Mr.. II shall not we avail ourselves
OF these incsiculsble advantages, aud rescue our
selves from impending aud otherwise unavoidable
ruin!
Col. Sionow then addressed the meeting. He
rose he said for the purpose of pressing upon the
attention Of the assembly some points on which
Mr.. Harrison had NOT, he thought, sufficiently
dwell He begged leave TO state that the time had
been when the abors Of the sgIicuIluTist in Va.
were richly rewarded; but that time had gone by
the stream of wealth which then poured in upon
The state mpelleJ by artificial csuscs- it grew
out OF the then condition Of Enrope, which the
pages OF history present no parallel, and which
viii not IN all probability again occur. The gsrn-
ers OF Europe yawned TO receive our grain. Now
however this extraordinary state of things had
ceased 10 exist snd with il had expired our PROS
perit5.
lie said that communities like individuals were
last aPproar IS bankruptcy, when their expenses
Exceeded IL income. Such was the case q Viz,
gina and 1t was the du'y OF every patriot 10 look
around him for .oDe mesBs by which the absolute /
Iuin now staring us in the face might be avoided
The establishment Of Manufactures presented the
only imaginable means by which this Gesideralunl
could be gained.
To The selfish lie sail dat although they might
not be sensible Of any becefit directly accruing To
themselves yet the prosperity of any community I
necessarily extended Us emily ening influence 10 ey-
cry individual N eniber of That community.
We regret that ~ neither Of these gentlemen
spoke irO:" notes, We are unable to give TO the
pubic more Ian ihe preceding mesgre sketch o
their reasoning, Tor which We have been obliged
10 rely on our own very imperfect memory
having been so negligent as not 10 tsSe single
note At Tie time
. Col SIorOw concluded his ,efy neat and for
chile address by presenting some fe.olutions which
were adopted mem con. and which we sbould have
been glad 70 publish for the benefit of other parts oil
he stale, but that gentleman 10 whom they were
lent Tor perusual, has cs.seI thtm OF with him no
'V'y can ten "hcTe' p. .4Teaa.