The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1852-11-10
CONTINUED.

Sris, out o' employment, ana whose con-
dition would be greatly ameliorated by
employment i'll factories : There is moth
ing repulsive or dis honorable, | know, in
such labor, and their employment in the
manufacture of fine fabrics, would proba-
bly, be proita bic to the employer, and GER
tainly beneficial to them. 1t is a notori-
Gus fact that almost every tool requisite
for plantation use is manufactured at the
north. Our Cotton is returned to us
through merchants with an increased val
uc of many hundred per cent, and thus
our wealth and capital flow in an uninter-
rnptcd channel to build up and sustain
the greatness OF New England. All this
might be retained among us if proper
views of economy were adopted. AS to
the demoralizing tendency of factories, i,
is needless to speak, as the condition of
South Carolina, must, from the nature of
things, be always different from England,
from which country most of the arguments
against factories have been drawn Some
few of our citizens have lately invested
capital in Manufacturing which will GER
tainly be conducted with superior skill and
management to former efforts in our state,
and which promises to remunerate them
for their enterprise and public spirit. Our
factories send cotton yarn to the North,
and the factories of Georgia have made
handsome dividends. We arc pleased to
see that one of the most enterprising and
intelligent gentlemen in Fairfield, Mr.. ID.
Mccullough, has erected a factory Mt.
Dearborn,) at Catawba Falls in Chester
District, and hope that his success will in
duce others to make similar efforts When
our State is intersected in all directions bv
Railroads, there would be great improve
ment in Agriculture. The cotton interest
will be deminished, and grain Of eve cry de-
scription will be raised. Then merchant
mills will be erected and our capital will
beinvested accordingly. 1t cannot be dis
puted, that the continuation of Cotton
planting has been rather the result of ne
cesi;y than choice. Cotton was the only
product which could be conveniently trans
ported to market, although for some ime
past means of Carriage had been possible.
A writer in the Southern Quarterly Re-
view, forcibly observes, That "the con-
struction Of good Roads, is the best evi.
dence OF the emergence of people from
a state of rudeness ; and their improve
ment always keeps pace with national
progress, in numbers, wealth, industry and
science" And he speaks of railroads as
connecting the extremties of our widely
spread Republic, and binding our popuIa
ton in links stronger than iron, promo
ting our intercourse, facilitating our COM
merce, and developing all tho sources of
our genius and wealth" 1t is matter of
surprise that the upper Districts of our
State have so lately become sensible of
the great advantages of railroads. They
will develope the hidden wealth of our
iron and lime regions, and render toealhy
sections Of the State, hitherto considered
nearly Oatueless. The low-countrv plant
er has but little trouble in transporting
to market-living near the ocean, and the
streams being generally navigable. His
Cotton will always sell readily, and his
Rlce will never overstock the market
His lands too, will increase in fertility and
value, by attending to the wise suggestions
and advice Of Mr.. Ruffin. But the up-
country farmers are entirely dependent
upon internal improvements for their pros
perity in future. One thing is reduced to
an absolute certainty: We can never
improve our lands materially, until the
culture of cotton is in great measure a.
bandoned. This staple requires attention
almost the Whole year, and consequently.
we cannot devote much time to reclaiminc
our farms. No plan of manuring can be
prosecuted to any extent, and ditchine
and draining must be imperfectly conduc-
ted. AS the lands are improved and en-
rlched, less will be required for cultivation.
And as An gL!e writer on the sources Of
national wealth remarks, " the first item
in a nations wealth is cultivated land
Before this every other species of property
dwindles into insignificance, and strange
as it may seem, the greatest investment
in this country, the most costly production
OF human industry, is the common fences,
which divide the fields from the common
highway and seperatc them from each
other. No man dreams that when com
pared with the outlay of these nnnretnnd-