The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1848-05-10
From the Charleston Mercury.
COTTON MANUFACTURES AT THE
~, SOITFH-No s.

Next to the profitable investment OF capital
and Inc proper application of labor, aud scarce
~ secondary i'm importance, is the most prohsa.
ble mode Of disposing OF the proceeds. Hence,
when agricultural products have been gathered
from the fied, it becomes desirable to bring
them forward to a good market, TO transport
them in the cheapest manner, and to dispose OF
,bem to the best advantage. In all this, not
aaly the asriculturalist himself, hut the mer.
chant and the capitalist, are deeply Interested
They are interested because every dollar OF ao'
ditional value given to any product adds 30
ra,ch to the aggregate Of wealth gives addition
al stinulous and extent TO business, and opens
new fields for the profitable investment OF cap
iial. Let US suppose, for instance, planter
from the interior with bis crop Of cotton in the
Charleston market. Suppose its market value
five thousand dollars. The merchant purcha.
ses the article and ships it 10 New York. In
this case the planter obtains his profit on the ag.
ricul,ural process, and the merchant obtains his
on the purchase and sale, and this is the last oi
il until its arrival in New York. Then the
sh;y owner of New York takes bis share for
freight. The New York merchant takes anoth
er share for his profits. Again, it is transpor.
ted to some manufacturing establishment. and
saddlcdtfus with another tax. Finally the ma
nufacturer takes it in hand. and, ny means OF
the process through which he passes 1t, makes
about as mach prof, as all the rest. Thus the
cotton sold forr FIVE thousand dollars in Charles
ton reaches al length to the value Of some mt
teen or twenty thousand, and at least two.thIrd$
cf tho increase is so much wealth absolutely
created. Suppose now again, that, instead oil
shipping this crop of cotton 10 New York, the
purchaser in Charleston should stop it there,
and on tb. spot manufacture it into cloth; is It
not perfectly evident that in that case all the
subseuuen Mt items of profit would be retained in
Charleston, aid that the purchaser would add 10
his commissions the cost OF freight and insu-
rance, the commissions Of the New York mer'
chant, and the profits of the Northern manuiac
turer1 How can it he otherwise, seeing the
Northern manufacturer can realize such hea
w profit on the article, after having purchased
il with The price increased by the amount ot all
intervening charges on the first cost? This is
a fair view Of the subject, and it strikes me that
under such circumstances it would be almost
snadness to doubt that the manufacture OF cot
ton in the seaport of cotton growing country
could be prosecuted to much greater proht than
in any Northern State.
Surprising cotton arriving at Charleston mar
ket to the value of million OF collars, in
given time.. After having passed through the
routine above named, il has assumed the value
Of some three millions. Of the increase, mer'
chants and others of Charleston retain only the
profit resulting from the purchase and sale: The
reu,ainder-every dollar of il-goes abroad:
1, might lust as well be retained at home, and
would constitute no mean addition, from time TO
time. to the wealth of The community. Should
the people of New England turn their aiten
ton entirely to the business OF producing hay
and grain, and, after having retained enough tor
their own consumption, transport the balance 10
market 10 be sent abroad, they would DO very
much as the Southern people do with their cot
ton. But this is not their way. They export
no grain in its original form, and comparatively
but little hay. They convert them into butter
cheese, beef pork, &C., the greatest proportion
Is consumed at home. A portion is retained
tor domestic use, and the balance goes to feed
the manufacturing, mechanical and business
population. Why should not the people Of the
South copy this example! Why should they
not manufacture their own material, and open
home market for domestic produce that It would
require every cultivated field to SUPPLY is
i,azzarding nothing to say. that they would rea.
Iize degree of rapidity in the increase of basi.
ness and wealth Of which their history records
no parallel. &. I.J.
Tbe enormous number of two Thousand be.
ings were left deed in the streets Of Berlin, al:
teribe fight Of the 18th and 10Th OF March.