The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1845-04-25

70 me tJFtuttHy ~ tNNOttS""S 1OtttH
Manufactures in South Carolina, BY
William Gregg .-CoNTINUED.
CHAPTER V.
Surely there is nothing in cotton spin.
ming shat can poison the a,u osphere {.
Ssulh Carolina, Why not spin as well j.
plant cotton The same hand chat a,icsds
The gin may work q carding machine
The girl @ho is capable OF making thread,
on country spinning wheel, may do the
same Nith equal i4ct.,ty, on the hrostle
frame. The woman who can wrap tho
thread and weave it, on common loom,
may soon be taught to Co the saue, 90 the
poutr loom, aud so with oil the depcrl.
menIs. from tie raw cotton to the cloth,
experience has proved that any child,
white or black, OF ordinary capacity, may
be taught. in a few Is, to be expert in
any part Of the cotton laeiory; moreover,
all oveTseers who have experience in the
matter, give q decided preference 10 blacks
as operatives
There are many reasons Why blacks
should be preferred: two Of which may be
adduced. Frsl-You are no, under the
necessity Of educating them, and have.
/ therefore, their uninterrupted services from
the age OF eight years. The second ie, that
when you hay7 our mil filled with export
hands, you are moi subjected TO the change
g Inch is constantly taking place With vhl,es
In the Northern States, these are Inconvenl
ences Of 10 small moment. Ia Massachu
sets, the lass forbid the employ meut OF
persons under fourteen years OF age, unless
the employer can show a certificate from a
school master, stating that The individual
has been a, school three months in the
year. The teaching Of new bends and the
constant change Of operatives, are evils So
rIously ielt end ia the summer season,
when il Is desirable to fambe in the coun.
try, many eastern factories have one third
Of their machinery standing idle for The
want of hands While on this pait Of my
SUI Jet, would ak, must we stop at the /
ctlJrt to prove the capacity Of blacks for I
manufacturing Shall We pass unnoticod
the thousands Of poor, ignorant, degraded /
white people among US who IN this land Of
plenty, live in comparative nakcducss and
starvaIionl Many one is reared in proud
South. Caroline, from birth to manhood,
who has never passed moalh, in which he
has no, some part of the time, been sin!ed
for meat. Many mother is here, who I
will tell you that her children are but scan.
lily supplied with bread, and much more
scanty with meat, and II thcy be clad with
raiment, it is q, the expense of
their scanty allowance Of food. These
may be startling statements, bot they are
nevertheless true, aud if not believed 10
Charleston, the members Of cur Lsgsa
tuEe, who have traYs!sed the State, IN cleo.
Pioneering campaigns, can attest their truth.
1t IS only necessary to build a manulac.
turing village Of shanties, n healthy 10
cation IN any part OF the State, to have
crowds of these poor people around you,
seeking employment al half the compensa
lion given to operatives az the Nofth. II
is indeed painful 10 be brought in contact
y it'll such ignorance aud degradation; buI
on The other hand, il is pleasant 10 witness
The change. which soon takes place in the |
condition OF those, who obtain employment. !
The emacia,ed, pale.faced children, soon .
assume the appearance Of robust health, and
heir taltered garments are exchanged for :
hose suited 10 a better condition; II you :
iisit their dwellings, YOU w!l find their ia.
lies supplied with wholesome food and on I
he Sabbath, when the females turn out in
heir gay colored gowns, you Will imagine !
eurseii surrounded by groups Of city bellies, !
How easy would il be for the propuelors Of
'uch establishments, With only small ..
share Of philanthropy, TO make good Use OF !
he school fund in aNelioratinE the condi-
ion of this class Of our population, now but !.
tito elevaied above the Indian OF the for. u
ST. The cause of this degradation and
overly will hereafter be noticed il is an "
Interesting sui jact, and one that ought to I
ngage the attention Of every philanlhro
list and christian. Lis, perhaps, not gen
rally known, that there are tpentg nine o
souSaaa white persons in this State, above P
he age Of twelve years, who can neither y
cad hor write-thIs is about one IN every u
We Of the white population. Il
That we were behind the age in agricul- q
arc, the mechanic arts, industry sud enter, b
rise. is apparent to all who pass through 4
ur State our good city Of Charleston ?
peaks language on this subject not to be Il
,islaken she has lostl000 Of her popua ?
on, according to the census Of 1910, While y
er sister cities have doubled and quadru, o
led theirs she has had, for thirteen years \
re advantage Of the auih-Carolna Rail I
.oad, which under ordinary cHcumsian
IS should have doubled The number Of her c
opulatIon. How does she now stand Pre- c
ieely where she stood twenty years ago, a
nd, Blu, for the two CONGREGATIONS which 1t
wept off many Of her old houses, she would et
sMontgomsry an English manufacturer, after i,
residence of sigs years in this country lin his Z
reatse on the Cotton Manufactures Of the u.
tstes compared with Great Britian,l says +" If 0
ls experiment of slave labor succeed in facto- n
es as is confidently expected, the cost of manu-, :
ring tbs cotton into cioth will DO much less
iers ~. 81 than any whers else, so that il will .
OF be surprising if in the course Of few years. u
lose Southern factories shoule manufacture Il
,arss cotton goods, and sell them in the public u