The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-09

on their hands, which they cannot tun N
profitable account. Now all this sccrpes to
our advantage in manufacturing direction.
From population thus circLmstanced, work.
efs IN mills and factories can always be drawn
III abundance, workers OF frst-Iate quality.
anu all the more valuable because less liable
" oe ufawn Off to other ayocations. Maine
furnishes very great nnmber of their hos,
!" the manufacturing establish
menus o' the New England States. besides
supplying d considerable part of her own de-
nianu, ana yet, small proportion of her
a'anao'e iorce In this direction is mt IN act-
uai USE As a people we are driven t.o,r ,ho
exclusive prosecution Of agricultural or o,hor
out-of-door home industries, by si,n,lar
eessity to that which has compelled the Swiss
TO matchmaking and other small handicrag,s
The Swiss have little cultivated land: tbav
have no mineral wealth, or other natural re-
sources. Accordingly they have betaken them
selves to an employment in which their disa-
bilities are least felt, and in which their ewes
and hands can enter into an equal contest
with the eyes and hands OF the rest of the
world. 1t Is in virtue OF a correspondent ne
cesSity that shoemaking is coming to be prose
euIed to such extent amongst US, and machine
sewing, and other indoor crafts. Now we are
uo' punched down to the bare work of our
nands' IKE the Swiss, because we have, in ad-
dition 10 our land and lumber, these magni6-
cent stfeams traversing our domain, which
are able to do ten-fold the work all our ores-
ent human population now DO, il they ara
suffered to have a chance.
When we have invested, or are about in
vesting, scores of thousands of dollars in our
experiments for the luitherance OF agriculture.
shall we hesitate at afew thousands on an er-
pertinent in behalf OF manufacturing?
Lastly, taking everything into the account.
what other State can compete with us IN the
line of effort in debates Take, for example,
that one Of the Southern States whose nat
ural capabilities for manufacturing are by far
the largest, and are really quite unusual,
namely, Georgia. In point of slope, number
OF streams, aggregate volume Of rainfall,
waterfalls, anu perhaps some other points,
Georgia is fully on par with US. But, on
the other hand, she has no lakes, serving as
vsst reservoirs Of supply; we have them BY
hundreds, and already in connection with our
rivers. Our rainfall is more evenly djstrib-
uted through the year, and in particular our
evaporation in summer is far less; and by
consequence our streams for a double reason
are more constant, as well as relatively to the
amount OF rain more 1oluminous. The Geor-
gian can work on his land ten months of the
year, and the high temperatures associated
with his abundant rain supplies, invite to
agricultural labor, and abundantly reward IL
when conducted with skill. Our growth sea-
son is but little over half as long, and our ag-
sregtae of production not much above the
same proportion, upon land of equally good
quality equally well titled. Who, then, can
prosecute manufacturing labors to relatively
the best advantage, the Georgian or the citi-
zen OF Maine9 Who has the strongest in
ducements to enter into these labors, and
stand by them? Who can with the greatest
facility compact his populations along the
water-courses In villages and cities, wherever
cataracts set water-wheels in motion?
MI. Editor, your correspondent has urged
this at probably an annoying length. He begs
leave to say that in whatever he has said, he
has no private "axe to grind" or personal
purposes to accomplish. He has no land, no
water-power, and no capacity to take part In
the proposed survey. He hopes only that our
legislators may be able to see the matter in
the same light as himself, and may as wise
men devise liberal things. W. WELLS