The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-07-16
How the south has Neglected its OPP
p0rtunities.
From the New York SUM-


The Southern papers are strongly advocat-
ing the establishment of manufactures in
their section. Their remarks upon this sub
ject are generally interspersed with bitter al
lusions to New England, which imply that
their project is instigated, to some extent, by
a vindictive desire to cripple the manufacture
ing business of the Radical nest; but, at the
same time, I'VE hope they will continue to urge
this matter upon their people, until they SEE
cure the end for which they are laboring.
The South ought now to be just what New
England is, in respect to the manufacture of
Southern products. The wealth which has
been showered upon New England ought,
naturally, to have allen upon the South; and
there it would have gonu had not the labor
system of the South interposed to prevent it.
Is there any natural reason why the cotton
planter of Mississippi should travel t. New
England thousand miles-to buy his cot
ton fabrics? Is there any reason why these
fabrics should not be manufactured where the
raw material is produced7 No. The South
has every natural advantage that New Eng
land has for manufacturing purposes, and it
needs only the energy and ambition of New
England to reap the fruits of its advantages.
But the advantage of the South, as COM
pared with New England, in respect to the
manufacture ofcotton goods does not stop with
equality: 1t has two very natural advanta-
ges that New England has not. In the FIRST
place. by manufacturing into fabrics the cot
ton which it produces, the South would save
the heavy expense that now falls upon New
England fer the transportation of the raw
material. Cotton is bulky commodity, and
the coss of its transportation is necessarily
heavy. Again, the transportation of the
manufactured goods from New England to
the South would be saved, which is another
important item. But there is a still greater
advantage on the side of the South. The cost
of the labor that Is required to convert the
cotton into fabrics depends. in great meas
ure, upon the living expenses Of the opera
tiyes. These expenses, in New England, are
comparatively heavy. The products of aeri-
culture in that section are very light, for the
land is poor and barren, and it is necessarily
supplied to a great extent by the Western
States.
The South being fine agricultural region,
can produce Its own farm products, and can
furnish them to operatives much more cheap
ly than can be done in New England. Why,
then, should not the South make its own cot
ton goods-its own manufactures generally
for that matter? The only difficulty that we
see is in respect to capital but the Southern
States eau borrow all the money they want,
and they might encourage manufacturing en-
terprises by State aid. If the movement
were once started. the difficulty about capital
would soon be obviated, for capital would
naturally be attracted there. There is no
doubt that the South would be greatly bene-
fried by embarking in manufactures and,
as the interest of the South is the interest of
the whole country, we hope that the move
mcnt in question will meet with general en-
agensnt