The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-02-16
Home Man ufatssr

We are glad to see that our people are be-
ginning to pa.ronize home artzans. But a
short time ago nearly all our boots and shoes
were brought from the East, and It was
thought necessary to send our hides and
leather to Massachusetts,. where there are
persons admirably skilled ia making leather
articles for tho feet tcortk a very small sum
Of money. Now, however, our citizens have
ascertained by experience that it is true econ
omy to buy their boots aud shoes of man
who don't keep leather splitting machine.
and OF one who will not BE- afriad to look
his customers in the face, manufactures in this
line have greatly increased. A similar change
he's occurred liz regard to furniture. We
now End no advantage in sending all our
lumber to Cincinnati re be sent back again
in the shape OF furniture.
We need just such change in regard to
the great staples of dry goods 1t now re-
quires all our surplus pork, beef and -four
that is sent to the East. to pay for these arti-
clcs, brought here from the New England and
European manufactures, aud still the bal
ance OF trade is against us. Oar wool is
mainly sent East. to be manufactured and
sent back to us by persons who require US to
send them food to live on while doing the
work. While we have a constantly increas
ing population who desire WORK and can get
little nothing to do, while we nave cheap
lands and cheap food, plenty ef fuel and wa
ter power, we are told that we must fold
our hands and still let people of distant States
and countries amass wealth by doing our
work for us-tbat it is not time yet for Yves
tern manufacturers to succeed. They assume
that labor is too high here. or that tariff is
indispens sable, or that manufactures will
build themselves up here, when tire ri hs
lime comes. withou. any agency or trouble
OR our part.
Nov to tariff, in TIE first place, there
is very little probability that we can obtain
a really valuable tariff for tie protection Of
our manufactures, on account OF the great
conflict Of supposed real local or sectional
interests; secondly, capitalists would not +n-
vest largely in manufactures, based on their
belief in the feasibility of tariff. if we
could even get the best one for the purpose
tina, it WAS in the power Of human wisdom
to devise on the account of the instability of
all our laws, and especially ssch as relate to
commerce they would fear that by the time
their factories were ready for operation,
and at the very moment their infans estsb-
lishment required the nourishing care of the
Government. the popular tide, instituted and
led on by few designing demagogues. per
haps in the employ of manufacturers of for
eign countries Or their agents i'll this couu-
try, would lead 10 the abolition of the tariff,
and leave our manufacturers in worse con.
dition than before. Thirdly there are GER
tainly many kinds of manufactures which
do not require protection duties. or at least
do not no. require any higher duties than
would ordinarily be necessary for the reve-
nue.. Heavy cottons and heavy woolens Ger
tainly prosper here now, without a tariff of
special protection for these fabrics.
Then there must certainly be some advan-
.age in having goods made near the place Of
consumption. The wool of tie West. for
instance. is now mostly purchased by agents
OK SpSSUiatoiSp nv SCs SolAtii'SSoh, Al -
shipped TO a commission house liz New York, |
which of course makes u commission, sold !
By broker. who gets commission, bought |
by a manufacturers agent. who also gets .
commission 1t is then manufactured by |
New England man. who expects to make a
profit, sent to a New Y ork commission house, !
which gets 3 commission. who sells to
iobber. who makes pro6.. aud he sells to
Wholesale merchant. who makes . profit, |
and he again 70 retail merchant Of whom |
the Consumer makes his purchase. and
who. in this region at least. generally sells
a. q profit. Now, We think that Western
manufacturer. who buys all the wool he
wants from his neighboring farmers. and then
sells his cloths to the consumer direct or to
the retail merchant. has such . decided ad-
vantage over the Eastern manufacturer. work
ing under the Disadvantages above stated.
that he can afford to pay q little more for Is
Dor. and then beat the Eastern nan /, profits
Then manufactures build up towns This
has built up our own city of Richmond, and
made her prominent inland city Of the