Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-27
manufactures, worth :hirty-four millions OF

~ 49,
snurc,uacy in manufactures is naturally at tht
S,r;h. More than half Of tho cotton factories
!, his h~emispherc are within her limits, anc
more than two thirds Of the Invested capita
belongs to her. Her annual purchase of cotton
on an average Of years, is t.e hundred thou
sand bales, Tor which she pays twenty-five
millions of dullars when the prs;e is ten GEMS
the pound. Her mills turn out tne.twelitE
part Of all the cotton goods that are made III
the world. And then the report enters INC
an elaborate argument to show that the fash,
ionable prevailing doctrine OF the South ina
they who coutro! the cotton VI the wo,ld, con,
troll the affairs Of the world, is fallaciuus. ahu
that it is the manufacturers Of cotton iaDrics
who control the commerce Of the world. lha'
is what they say, sir.
The report proceeds: "In the history oi a
nation, an hundred years is & brief space, lo'
It barely marks the extreme limit OF human
life. Bat within a century the cotton manu-
facture in England was in its infancy. NotA'
ing else, nos, in the whole range O. the lAauS,
try of man. equals it in magnitude. hngiano
commercially considered, is pre- eminent among
the nations of Europe, principally, BECAUSE NIX
moves twenty millions Of cotton. spil'dits; De
cause she works eight huadrcd and hIty 'nli'
lions pounds Of the raw material in a year De
cause OF the three hundred millions OF dollars o
fabrics and yarns annually made. and o. ohehuh
dred and rinety millions annually eSpor'eu; ~
point of value, she makes and rrI"S one MAJ
ri all the cotton goods manufactured III LIZ
world, and hence yields A mo!e,y oil the Po"e'
which cotton gives il the infringement o. 'p'
worlds affairs .
They further refer to the Influence o. COLO,
BIZ stating: We have referred to i'i'erpo"'
and TO Bremen and Hamburg, to Illustrate TN
wealth. to be acquired in the transport sho INC
forage of cotton, and TO several countries II
Earopr, and To England especially, TO slaclda''
the wonderful, social and political ni'iue'c'
sh!ch tho making aud vending t! cotton con
fers upon nations.
There is what these people say: That then
present proSpcrity-their prospects III t'e III
ure-arc wholly Dependent; upon the success
of their eT mtS 10 manufacture Tor as large !
por.ion of the world rs possible, cotton, woo
and leather. :AId, 1T this eeTy instant, Wits
they are thus declaring ,nelr purpose 10 ouiic
M their uoYer, to swell their Importance, anc
increasc their wealth, thus gaining greater
power TO str. he 1t your iutrrrsls-a po"ef'o o.
acquired by keeping open 10 tue ia,ses' Poss'
tie extent, the largest markets 'oT llei 1''lo"'
1uo!, and leather ianrlc'-l say, atthis instant
.shiie all this is seen, tie people ol 'iFeih'a as
asked whether they will smp2ri These eoous' OF
whether the, will cripple that anisie pow: oy
proper ard lawful means. i'ev can hafuiS
hesitate, in view Of Ri! the 'stt', 10 Choose lhe
latter alternative. They have ms many "hlso
people az we have nos. lie: Tho present con
iition Of things continue, and they VIII nave
two.foid advantages; OF, 10 Use another expires,
Sjup. they strike two blows At your industrial!
interests. As their manufactures increase ours
will diminish. because Of the Imposs!oilIty
Of our competing with them. They nave al
ready driven your mechanics from your midst.
LIE, them 90 on, year after year, ana soon We
shall he left without u trad:Saian o! any kIaa,
and reduced to a condition OF entire dependence
on the North. They are so:ns on your
white Labor out, while applying themselves
vigorously to the task Of driving yoar black
labor from your midst so that, win powerful
force, they are striking double flows ~ You
Ia view Of this determined purpose 10 CRUSH
the South, IS toe Virginia Assembly 10 hesitate
whether they will make tie most stringent q
forts TO check this dangerous state OF 'nihsS'
and to restore the old condition OF peace =
Iris Gun onls be done by assuming i position
of independence. and thus inspiring tina; regard
which the opposite coalition never orgsts. II
IS only by being Independent. tim: We Gun COM
msud the RESPECT Of Il lurrcenary horde like
those who oppose us.
Sir, we are told that Virginia does not
the power; that a Virginia market Is Il
most insignificant and contemplate thing, not
worth the efforts OF i wise and Statcsman'tlSc
pol cy !u strike a. SIR, you haze an Al
Gitor who, for tns TrSt iims IN my Gnhwicdge
Of your public documents bsS laoured through
the details Of his tli:e and given us one OF
sLa mos. valuable" statistical documents that /
have seen. Particularly Is 1t important at tnis
lime, when We are undertaking 10 reach Out
on this great design. Why, sir, our Auditor
tells Us, upon the basis Of your tax returns,
that ycur merchants annually sell for consGmp
ton in the St1te. forty two millions collars
worth Of goods. Recellect what read 20 you
from this book, (:Ailsot's History that thr
withdrawal OF a market with q capacity 81
sixty f:e millions Of dollars worth OF manu-
Inc,ured fabrics, Frustrated the whole inGuStri
interests Of England. Sixty i've 'ai!lions
dollars annually, was the capacity el Inc
American market in 1911, ard tie wlthdTa"al
that ;parket from the consumption OF Brush
produced the degree Of distress which
nave already described to you.
Now, sir, we sell lorty.tTo millions Of dol
AIRS worth of goods in this State annually
" here does that came from! Sir, this
amount does not embrace the direct i'm
oprtatiops. Small MS they are, they do not
into the forty-two millions, because
.hey arc expressly exempted By your
from taxation; so that tie forty
millions is the amount OF goods not direct
" impnrtcd from abroad. The sales Of all your
merchants who sell more than $4,000 worth
Of goods annually, amrurt to twelve millions
uf dollars. Of course this includes the whole
class Of wholesale merchants, as no wholesale
merchant sells less han $40 600 per anuutn.--
This, however, embraces all that they sell to
merchants in North Carolina and Tenressee.-
These estimates are based upon the tax re
turnS and they are always under the mark
by at least 25 per cent, inasInuch as the mer-
chants themselves tx their w estimates, so
that the excess which We will allow Tor that
purpose, will equal the amount Of double sales
bv wholrsair; so that We can fairly assume
that the amount Of goods sold in this State an.
rualiy is rot less than fmty millions OF dol.
lars. And if you allow $50 per cert profit, i.
will leave you about thirty millions of dollars
as your annual purchase from oihcr States for
consumption in this State. There is Your mar.
ket, sir. | attn putting it io*er than the gen
y no presented The estimates ui"n which
mine arc, ia n crea, measure, Gascd. aiu put
ting il ten millions under bis. But, sir, | put
it where it can safely be put, and assume that
you annually expcnd beyond the limits Of this
Commonwealth not less than thirty millions oil
dollars ia merchandise consumed in this Com
nov tell this House. that shere is the ca
pacity Of your markets. 81 600, 0oo-yes, $50.
900, 600 carried every year he! ond your State.
Your exports from the State are $50, ooO, ooo.
The exports, according to al sound writer's on
political economy, are the measure Of imports
your exchanges and bank returns show
YOU that there is over that amount OF nier'
camille transactions between this and other
States. 81 TINT assume you have not u mar