The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1848-04-12
From the Charleston Mercury.
MANUFACTURE OF COTTON &c. IN
TIE SOUTH,

Were all men agrcnltnraliSts there would
be no such thing as wealth. except as to the
value TO each man Of as much of the pro-
ducts of The earth as would serve his own
purpose. So, if portion of mankind would
become carpenters, to the exclusion OF all
other mechanical arts and so OF every other
calling. great redundancy Of labor would
be left unappropriatcd and unprodnct'vc.
There would b. merely mutual exchange
of one commoduy for another, Just TO sup
ply the mutual wants Of the parties as TO
those commodities. A further creation OF
those commodities would be useless, because
lllcy could be applied to no valuable purpose;
and for the creation or production "t these,
comparatively, bu, lAllc lai,or would be re-
quircl. consequently the excess would be
lost. But from time 10 time new dIscovc-
rlcs are made as to the actual wants OF
man. Inventive genius is enlisted to con-
trivc means TO supply these wants. The hn-
man desires and the human mind, being ever
ON the Stretch as actual wants are supplied.
artificial ones are created. and which de-
mand new means Of supply. Hence. all
that we call advances in civilization, progress
in society. and Improvement i'll the arts. For
all these, labor is dcmandcd: and so much
as will meet this demand Is distracted from
agriculture. the primitive employment "i
man. Thus, the number Of Iaborcrs IN the
field is from time to time diminished; and
those left become fully employed, because
they not only have to feed the nseIves, but
TO supply the wants Of others also, by whom
they arc rcmrIncraicd wilh that with which
they cannot supply themselves. And thus Is
wealth created, and which displays itself IN
every form over tho face OF a civilized land
with an industrious and cnt,rprSlng Popula.
ton. In improvements in agriculture, IN the
taste and comfort of dwellings. in the mag
nifcencc and architectural beauty ot public
Offices. and towns and cities, in manulac
lures, steamboats,, railroads. ships, Nc. and
in the increase of the comforts. luxurIcs and
cIcgancics Of life; not forgetting by any
means the advances of literature, science,
and moral philosophy. by means of scmIna-
rcs of learning and public schools, which no
community that has learned to understand
its true interest, will ever fail literally and
chccrluliy to support.
The foregoing remarks being true, and
they are believed TO be SO. It follows that
proper distribution of labor, and It's proper
and ludicious application, are necessary to
render it the most productive. That Is to
say, in each and every department the Snp.
Div must be in the ratio of the demand. ii
too great proportion be appropriated to az
riculturc. it must be withheld from some 9TH
or departments. Then, if it be made to
weld its greatest amount OF product, that
product will become superintendent, and
command but low prices. while the product
or products of some other department or
departments, necessary to the agricuituralIst,
will be enhanced in price. II, on the other
hand, with tho over supply of laborcrs, the
agricuIturaist slints the amount of labor to
be performed, or applies the whole without
economy to curtail the amount OF product
so much of tho labor rs the deficiency rep,
rcscnts is wasted. Thus, if man should
employ twenty hands to cultivate certain
tract of land, to produce Il certain quantity
of corn, when, with onc-halt the number
with proper management, he might produce
an cqua! quantity, he would waste the labor
of ten hands, which would become ot no
possible use to him or any ono clse-lab"r
which, if proftably mpIoycd, would serve to
Increase his own gains and to enhance the
aggregate wealth of the community. The
cans,antlv increasing wealth Of the Northern
and Eastern States, and the prosperity ma
nifest in all their numerous cities. towns, VII
lages, and farming districts. arc doubtless at
trbutabIc, not to any natural advantages OF