, 1860-07-14
THE CITY.

Why arc &here no Cotton Willis In
Chicago Il
Edit7ra Pzsss md Tribune:
1hiA question has often passed through ny
mind, aud, for the time, was satisfactorily
answered by The reply shst capital has always
found ready demand at high rate Of interest,
upon good securities, without taking the risk Of
supply and demand Of tho market for manufac~
tured goods. This cannot always be, Tor, rs
the community becomes more wealthy the NUM-.
ber Of borrowers will become relatively fewer,
and capital must se<E Investments; then, the
query will be: How can thht beat be nader
And this should be accompanied Win tue tnr-
ther one, What will be for the greatest interest
of tha city9 To this, would reply most em-
nbst;cs1lv. Tho manufacture Of staple cotton
goods. Ia
use or sell to advantage; either saves or brings
ua money. but, in the manufacture Of such
goods as require no great ply Jscal strength OF
particular skill, much more is done; fmPzoy-
n<nt il found for class Of people who can DO
nothiog else; and in large cities this aho1dsthe
means for thousands to live By their own en-
erpies. who would otherwise become public
buytheu. either in the aims.house OF prism.
If. in Chicago, there were two or three cotton
mills, giving employment to several hundred
persons, We should not see SO many vagr2nt
children about the streets taking their
lessons IN vice, and 50 oner or later to be-
come inmates of our Reform Schools or
prisous. Their parents would then hare an
interest, a vital one, in placing them At work !;
for. by that means better subsistence for
themselves as well as for their children ceuld
be obtained. Instead Of The doubtful, scanty
pit,ance gained by street gatherings, and petty
ihests, weekly stipend would be had which
~.
has, for certain class Of people, charm. and
they 8ill work At it with kind Of pride. while
they would consider any other labor which they
could obtain as degrsding.
T1s I.s regulations Ut suca works are salutary,
aud tend 10 produce good habits; for it il we'll
understood 1ha. without being punctuul and
faithful, their employ ment will be lost.
Upon the principle that aations and cities
should aid and foster rtioular branches Of 1u-
dustry-were it not for the precedent, and i'm
possibility Of drawing line where to eto2-I
would advocate that the city should in some
way become interested in starting something Of
! this kind, believing thst, although it might
show an outlay for which there would be no
immediate and remunerative return. the amount
would be much mo.e than balanced bE the in.
direct benefits derived theretrom. Pittsburgh,
| With population not near IS great as that Il
Chicago. has, bellere, five cotton mills. which
sell al honse, to the West and Southwest. all
| the goods they can turn ont. Some Of these
use, Tor stock and wages. twelve or fifteen hun,
dred dolarsa day, hich aggregate largely at ,hs
| end Of the year. Several Of them have built
themselves up from. small beginnings. and
made nauy persons rich; even now The Eagle
MlI; which has from time to time added build.
inX to building and several times turned out
! smaller ior larger engine, is putting in rev
| one Of still more power, and otherwise improv.
ing III facilities. This change is ali to be made
| in the short space Of two weeks, and any delay
after that subjects the contractor 10 hexEy Del
diem penalty. This. however, wil1 n1t meet The
daily loss to The proprietors. to say nothing oi
that accruiug to the employed aud dependents
many Of wGom are hanging about, au4iously
| the delay may be protraeted, which iflong would
| subject them TO want. 1t is by stoppages ol
this kiud. particularly Il prolonged, that the
real benefit Of such al establishment in com
muuity can be realized
Il is true shat the business Is not always
pa!ing one, land what bu. iness is y but by TAI
the greater part Of the time it not onty pays, but
| has the advantage o' Chicago; n hie the Iattel
would hare the advantage Of a greater market
AZ compared with any manufacturing town u
New England, Chicago has decidedly the adEau
tage; we cun get the raw material, labor and
fuel cheaper-the latter much cheape~-&uG
"nlle u1nuF es1aDl&Sumeht8 tDefe are Obliged tE
send agents through all the country aroun,l, ant
| even into the British Provinces, TO procure Ia
borers, aud send to US for their bread aud mea
| to feed them, We hare an abundant surplus n
! home. And, furthermore, we would have
| market at our own door and be on. own sales
men no transportation to Boston OF New Yoii
| Of our goods, ttere to be stored, placed in tb.
hands Of 3 commission merchant, his commits
! sions, inhurauces, carriages. DC, to pay, ant
then the freight from there here to get into tht
market with US, where jobber's profit mus
finally be added.
Really, with all these advantages, It appears
to me tha. the business may be successlull,
eutered into, making profits which should sat
isfy even Chicago capitalists, and bring theil
| Investments much more under their contro
than If made in railroad or other similsr stocks
Ii the really wealthy, who are the great tel
| payers, such Of them as are always 20 ready Il
contribute to phi!anthrople object, and such
too. a. are not quite so ready. would take
view Of the subject. even Though it might be
little selfish, think many Of them would giEs
it their aid; and if they had rather not b'
troubled With direct interest in the way q
stock, they can lend their money in moderct,
amounts, md only to IN extent which will b
safe, upoa bonds, ut rate OF interest TO Ia
Jth'D len per cent. as to induce some who har,
| less means, and want q business, to embark !.
| this. B.