The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-05-06
The paitg Sunrual.
EVANSVILLE, IND.
Manufacturers.

Manufacturcrs.
The Indianapolis papers make many and
very laborious efforts TO account for the fact
that their city fails to make any advancement
asa manufacturing point. The advantages of
the place are skillfully and persistently pa
raded before the public, and yet no one
seems to pay that attention to it which the
press Of the city thinks it deserves. The
Locomotive, in q recent article, attributes the
slowness ofits manufacturing growth to the
fact that houses and grounds can not be
purchased at fair rates. 1t says:
We are satisfied that there are plenty of
men, with means sufficient to carry on
good business, who would like TO locate
here, if houses and grounds were furnished
them to operate in, at fair rates; but the
cost Of buying grounds and erecting build
iugs would absorb the means of many be-
fore they get ready to go to work. We can
name twenty men in this city who have the
grounds now unoccupied, and only an ex-
Psnsc, that, if they would erect buildings,
would find ready occupants, who would
eventually purchase and help largely to
build up our city. We are satisfied. if this
was done, twenty establishments of this
kind could be put in operation within
year, and we say this from letters we have
seen from parties at n distance on this sub
jeci. We have the point, that is admitted on
all hands, but to buy, build, and then stock
a shop with machinery and materials neces-
sary to carry il on, requires more capital
than most men can command. There are
many that can stock the shop, and carry it
on. who could not do so if they had TO buy
and build. We ask our property holders to
look at this thing calmly and deliberately,
and see if they cannot make safer invest
ment, with certain returns, that will benefit
them and the city Mt the same time. We
are satisfied they can, and we are also sat
isfied that this is all that is needed to make
our city all we expect and desire it should
be.
We apprehend the high price of property
in that city, is not the main reason why
manufactures do not rapidly increase. The
truth is, they are not sustained, even after
they get started. Foundrys, Rolling Mills,
Furniture Factorys, and Barrel machines
have all, in turn, been completed to with
draw from that city on account of made
quate support. This too, after getting fair
IL under Roadway Being handsomely sit
uated in the center of the State, and enjoy
ing the additional advantage of being the
capital, it has attracted mauy-who like
moths about a candle-have had their wings
badly scorched and have left it poorer, but
wiser All that systematic putting could do
for indianapolis has been done, and yet as
manufacturing point, it is inferior to many
of its sister cities, making far less preten-
sions.
The progress Of manufactures in our city
Is in striking contrast with those at the
capital With one exception-and only one,
We believe-every department of mechanics
that ever got fairly going here, has been
maintained and, in the great majority OF
cases, the proprietors have realized handsome
competencies 1t is true most of our eStab-
lishmentS were begun on a small scale, but
they have grown with the growth and
strengthened with. the strength of our city.
Most of our mechanics, and even our day la
bOrers have homes of their own, for which
they have paid out of their savings. Every
year adds TO the number Of manufacturing
Establishments, and vet all are amply sus-
tanned Grounds for building purposes are
sold on reasonable terms-a large portion q
them being disposed of at public sales-af
fording opportunities for mechanicsof indus.
try and skill, even if their capitals are small
to 90 into business on their own account
with every assurance that, by industry anC
economy, they may acquire comfortable
homes, and build up a business that viii
ever make fair returns for the money anC
labor invested An inquiry into the history
of orr :aachiniSts and manufacturers viii
bear us ont in all that we say Their sue
cess affords stronger arguments for the ad
vantaEes of our city as manufacturing
point, than any mere newspaper paragraph