Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-02-01


Aggregate. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, ioo"io
The above exhibit is my thing hut agreeable to
the Southern States. The figures show TINT Of
moro than one billion i liars worth Of mannfar-
lures in 1850 the Sonthorn States have OIL about
one hundred and seventy millions, or one sixth "i
the whole Notwithstanding the Southern States
furnish all the raw material which constitutes tho
basis of domestic manufactures. the returns show
that she prefers send this material to the North
and buy it back in n manufactured State, nther
than manufacture it for herself.
The reason II it is that the South is nh asricnl-
tursL and producing sechou of the country, aud
that it has been considered to be cheaper Ia TIL
the soil and buy these manufacture goods thnn IT
is to make them in our midst. This, in great
many cases, is u mistaken idon. Especially Is /,
the case in regard to fabrics made Of Cotton.
Georgia has appreciated this tact, and al Int years
has gone TO manufacturing cotton goods very cS.
tensivelv. We would do the same thing III Nir'
gha, doubt not, If we raised n snheleneS oi
the raw material. So marked aud evident has
been our advance in manufactures Mi through
the Southern States. that the census OF SD VIII
show we venture l. say. mu'i smaller di,pro-
portion between the two sections than that we are
now considering.
In point Of tue; lhete i 40 reason why thu North
should manufac'uH eaay,tr- ior us. W. ha9s IN
tbe South 4 plenty Of ,ta.er ioGer, Nearly s''9y
Southern Safe i, h,sscl VIA abun liHe5 -!
this--the cheapest al all power log ,he d l,ips #
chinery We have fine climate, llcnty Il epe.-
gy, and n sufieiency of capital. The wages Il II
Dor are not SO cheap as at the North--and tha +
the only advantage they have over Us. Tic sag
walton wages upon which the factory girls aud
operatives of that section manage to exist, would
not suffice to keep ono of our slaves comfortably,
according to lac idea Of comfort, for two mJnthH
in the year.
But then, VIC have the raw material in our
midst-and, by manufacturing it ourselves we
would save the expense of double transportation.
We would save the expense of carrying it to the
North, and then of bringing i, back again in
manufactured state. Take it all and all, it is e,i
dent that the South can manufacture chtper than
the North. Still, however, unless it eau DO de-
monstrated that it would be more profitable to the
South to engage in manufactures than in planting,
we cannot expect very great advance in that
branch of industry.
Nearly every element of the raw material of our
domestic manufactures ia produced in the South.
Cotton of course is raised nowhere else. Hemp
nowhere else We raise wool equally as well as
in the Northern States, ard our Western States
furnish hides enough to enable us to manufacture
every shoe we may need in the Southern States for
both white and black Have we not, also, iron in
abundance in seve,a' of the Southern States p
Have we not salt? Have VIC not everything in
the shape Of raw material that the North has, and
great deal more besides! Yet, notwithstanding
all this, tue returns show TINT in 1850 the value
of Northern manufactures WAS just about six times
as great as those Of the South.
We have before indicated the reason--and that
is likely to continue in the Cotton States Of
the South. Capitalists find it profitable to
employ labor in raising cotton than in any other
pursuit. For this they concentrate all
their energies upon this alone. The steady adj
vance in the price Of cotton, and the almost abso-
lutte certainty that this advance will continue un-
til cotton attains price of twenty-fv or thirty
cents pound, will continue to keep the Cotton
States from embarkng largely in manufactures
simply for the reason that it is much more pro
stable to cultivate the soil for the purpose Of pro
ducing that article which is said to be the king
of Commerce.
But the same reason does not apply to tos
Southern States which not cotton producers
On the contrary, the inducement is made stronger
that such Southern States-and Virginia is one II
them-should begin to develop their mnnuf,ctu
ring capacities to the fullest extent. The truth
is-and we are sorry to have to admit tho fact
but the truth is, the high price of cotton in the
Southern States is draining our slaves out Of Vir
ginis rather faster than is comfortable TO our feel
ings We cannot expect it to be otherwise II
the price Of cotton will justify a Mississippi plan
ter in giving two Thousand dollars for a esro bow
there will be an inevitable tendency Of negro boy,
from Virginia to Mississippi leeause tw,
thousand dollars is so much more than i, thci
value, individually, here in Virginia A. long n
We cannot make our slaves as profta l. at an,
hing else, as the Mississppans can at maxim