The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-22

tho locks already nearly completed, Is capable
OF conveying In steamboats, several millions Of
tons annually. Weexpect, therefore, To be able
to supply with the best kinds Of coal, the cities
OF the Atlantic coast and the steamers Of the
ocean. There are also in some places lying i'm
medately above the coal, large deposites of rich
iron ore. In the production Of iron, either free
or slave labor can be obtained at 40 to 30 cents
per day. This labor, when employed in raising
coal and iron in the vicinity of Pittsburg, in
Allegheny county. costs not less than one dollar
per day. Provisions also are abundant and
cheap. When, therefore. in the CT Sc above stated,
the labor employed in making ton of iron in
Pennsylvania costs S45, the same would cost
with us only Sb22,5O. We might. therefore,
when the Pennsylvanians were making nothing,
realize profit OF S22 per ton.
do not, however, regard the calculations Of
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr.. HAMP-
TON, as entirely accurate. Still | have no doubt
that we should be able to produce iron cheaper
than they are doing in lis State. The iron, too,
when thus made, could be transported to the
ocean Tor less than 81 per ton. II Is obvious
therefore, that our State might put forward a
demand for high protective duties, with as much
show of justice us Pennsylvania does. | trust
however, that her people will be satisfied with
the existing rates, highly protective as they are
North Carolina has also, not less than fifty cot
ton factories, most Of which have been built
within the last four or five years. | think she
is in advance of any Of the Southern States in
this branch of busineas. Whether | am right
or not, in entertaining this opinion. the returns
OF the late census when completed will decide.
IL is believed by many that the South cannot
compete successfully with the North in manu-
featuring. 1t being supposed that We have not
the capital to spare to such investments. Let
us look for a moment at the elements of manu-
featuring capital An important one is water
power, and North Carolina has more than enough
Of this to move all the machinery now existing
in the world. 1t may be had, too, in most of
the localities, at price merely nominal. Tim
Der, stone, and all building materials are also
equally cheap North Carolina, though not
great cotton State, also produces five times as
much probably, as she or any one Southern
State is now manufacturing. She can, too, Oh
tain easily an additional supply from South Car
DINA, by means of three railroads connecting
her with that State The cotton now produced
by her, is cheaper, probably, by one cent in the
pound, than the same article at Charleston. 1t
is also cheaper at Charleston, by three-fourlhs
of cent, than in New England. Our manu-
featuring establishments, therefore, can obtain
the raw material at nearly two cents in the
pound cheaper than the New England estab-
lishments. Provisions are also only half rs dear
with us. Labor is likewise, one hundred per
cent cheaper. In the upper parts of the State,
the labor of either a.free man or slave includ-
ing board, clothing, &c, can be obtained for
from sslIo to $3.50 per annum. This costs at
least twice that sum in New England.
The difference in the cost Of female labor,
whether free or slave, is even greater AS we
have now population of nearly one Million we
might advance to great extent in manufacture
ing before we materially increase the wages of
labor. We have, therefore, all the elements of
manufacturing capital much cheaper thin the
North, except the machinery, and this We shouts
be able to obtain at the same price, There is a
sufficient surplus capital among US for its pur-
chase. Two years since, our Legislature i'm
posed tax on money placed ut interest, when
ever the individual had more than s. 900 above
his own Indebtedness. 1t appeared that there
were more than l5,OOO,0OO so lent If, as |
think it is probably true, that there is as much
now outstanding in smaller sums there is not
less than thirty millions of capital in this cond-
ton. Much Of this sum might at once be in
vested in manufacturing. The other Southern
States are doubtless in similar condition. Our
Southerners have abundance of money to ex-
pend for purposes Of business or pleasure. We
shall, therefore, think, at no distant day, work
up large, if not the greater portion of our cot
ton into manufactured fabrics. Should this
opinion of mine be well founded it is obvious
that no duties which we could impose, would
long enable the New England factories to sus-
tain themselves in competition with u.s. They
would find it their interest to 90 into such finer
fabrics as we would not produce for some time
TO come, or into new employments. have no
apprehension that people so intelligent, cncr-
getic, and e,terprising as they are, will fail to
find means of sustaining themselves in comfort
and prosperity.
II / object now to the imposition of high
protective duties for their immediate benefit, it
is because regard such line of policy as ad-
verse to the general interests of the country
admit the advantage Of manufacturing establish
ments to all classes Of persons in their vicinity.
but they must be such establishments "a can
sustain themselves without the aid of heavy bur
thens imposed on other interests. Few persons
appreciate the entire amount of the bur,hen
which our system has imposed on the county.
This has arisen very much from the circumstance
which formerly had occasion to advert to, that
there had been great gradual decline in the
prices Of all manufactured articles. This has
prevented complaint among our people, because
they did not know that the reduction in the
prices of these articles has been even greater in
other countries than in our own | have also
thought that the opponents of the protective
system erred. in endeavorng to represent it as
Southern and Northern question, thereby giving
adventurous strengths to the manufacturing in
terests. The Northwestern Safes suffer in the
same manner, and to similar extent with those
of the South.
To make this manifest let us look for n mo-
ment at the practical operation of the system
Last year the government received about forty
millions in duties. Remember that this sum.
however. was paid by the importers When
they sold to the wholesale dealers they received
on their whole expenditure, including the duties
paid, profit Of from seven TO ten or more per
cent When the wholesale merchant sold TO
.he retail dealer, he received n similar profit.
When the retail dealers, sold to their consumers
their customers they added usually not less
than fifty per cent. on the whole cost to them
1t is obvious, therefore, that by the time these
goods came to the hands of the consumers of
the country generally, they were, in consequence
of the forty millions paid to the government,
nh nd In ,-,l 10,