Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-12-24

without number, could be quoted, thOrugh
all our colonial and subsequent history,
where particular colonies or States en-
couraged by bouniies, certain branches of
agriculture, manufacturing, or mechanics.
The same principle is recognized in the
constitution and laws Of the United Slates,
where authors and inventors are allowed
for term Of years, the exclusive right to
publish, make, use, or Vend their works or
discoveries. Tariffs for protection 10 en-
courage home industry and home markets is
a recognition of the same principle in an
other form, oppressive and ruinous TO a
State purely agricultural, as Tennessee
to-day, but wall of protection to her
capital and indastFy, "a Gson Is. she becomes
a manufacturing State.
Capital and skill 10 the manufacturing
States now have all they can do, and
ample compensation for their use and
labor. They are well established, and have
their business appointments aud relations
in every direction. They have only to
keep the tried WAYS and beaten tracks to
realize their twenty-five to thirty per cent.
per annum. They seek no change, and,
least Of all, new and uniried fields, in
yolying an abandonment Of old friends
and customers and an experiment
on a fresh theater. Ia Tennessee,
they would be pioneers in a new order of
things, and the danger IL, that, for years,
they would have the usual experience Of
other pioneers-that of opening up the
way, at great expense of time and money,
for others to travel without hazard or loss"
The exemption ffom taxes asked for, is
no unusual privilege, when the public
welfare is 40 Clearly suggested by mea-
sure. That this is felt TO be the case, both
the public press, and the people generally,
as far as we can learn, unequiyocally de-
clare. And your committee do not hesi>
tate, themselves, to declare for it when the
memOrialists assure them that they will
invest two hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars for manufacturing purposes, within
this State, IN two years from their incorpo-
ration, or forfeit the exemption, az PROVE
ded in the bill accompanying this report.
Besides, the amount Of property which
such a corporation is likely 10 call into
being, year by year, will immensely swell
the resources Of the State, add largely TO
its revenue, and greatly increase the trans
portation of its railroads This property
will all be taxable, as it passes from the
hands of the company into the general cir
culation and ownership Of the community
liz this way the revenue of the State will
be increased, and not diminished by the
concession.
Your committee cannot dismiss this sub
iect without reference to the unprece-
dented condition the industrial interests of
Tennessee were left in at the close of the
a ri 6.
speedy and efficient action. Tennessee
came out of the struggle with her agricul-
ture her chief reliance hitherto,) thor
oughly paralyzed and PROSTATE, her manu-
factories, of which there wac some scat
tered demonstrations in our State, disman-
tied or demolished, with scarcely meohan-
les enough TO repair the shattered man
sions and farm-houses of our people. The
system of industry with which our wealthy
planters and citizens had grown familiar
and on which they had unwiseIy, vet
wholly leaned and relied for continued
support and prosperity, had all been swept
away, leaving them, if anything, only the
poorer for the lands and property they
owned, which they could not cultivate, for
want Of means and help. Meanwhile, our
labor is without any system, steady EN-
ployment, or diversified pursuit. IL has
no intelligent guides nor regulation in any
department of industry, but works wholly
at random, as hunger or want necessitates.
There are enough of hands and muscles in
Tennessee; we have az many of both az
the State of Massachusetts, bat the differ
ence between her people and ours, in this
respect, IL just the difference between a
drilled soldiery and raw yeomanry. They
are educated and disciplined for labor.
We are simply neither; they work with
system, and work perPetually; we have no
system, and work systematically.
These memorialists propose the intro
duction of Northern skill and educated la
Dor in the various branches of manufac.
turing in Tennessee. TO us, il seems a
timely inteTpOsltiOn at a most depressing
iunctnre Of our affairs, and, il properly en-
couraged, will revive our hopes, encourage
our people, and diffnse a spirit of industry
and wholesome competition in Tennessee,
that can but lead to prosperity and wealth.
Every mill and factory they thus equip
and man, in our State, will become a school
and college, where industry, systematic
labor aud practical skill will be gradually
taught our people. And we believe that
in ten years from such an auspicious COM
mencemsnt, Tennessee will take high rank
among the manufacturing States of the
Union, and become ropulous, prosperous
and wealthy State.
The bill reported, Incorporates mining
privileges with those of manufacturing. In
this State manufacturing and mining must
ever, more or less, depend upon one anoth-
H. 80 81 Il.
From the mines the manufacturer must
derive much Of his valuable mate.
rial, and, in some localities, all of his
motive power. We have not hesita-
ted, therefore, TO give them mining
along with manufacturing privileges, as a
necessary accompaniment to their enter
prise. We believe that the charter Pc
toned for by the memorialists, isdemanded
by the public good, and comes within the
spirit and letter Of the seventh section of
article eleven, in our constitution, giving
power 10 the Legislature TO grant such
charters Of incorporation as they may
deem expedient for public good"
To sum up. the following may be re-
garded ss the amount Tennessee annually
pays 70 Northern aud other manufacturers
and mechanics beyond her limits. These
items, though made with care, are, vet,
not, perhaps, accurate, though they are
certainly approximations. Assuming the
average cotton crop of Tennessee 10 be
100000 bales, and the price Is cents per
pound, our people realize for the raw ma
terisl, SlS, 100000. This manufactured in
the North, and elsewhere, ont Of this State,
and returned TO us in prints, brown and
hleached cotton cloths or fabrics of which,
four yards 10 the pound may be regarded
as a mean average, making an aggregate of
360,0J0,0O0 yards. This at Is cents per
pound makes the sum of $4,000, 600.
Now, il we deduct the cost of the material
we have $40, 500, 600, which is the sum paid
on the premium given by our people to
encourage the labor skill and capital in
other States.
This is the grand total Of the pre-
MUM paid by Tennessee TO the skill, in
dustry and capital Of other States. An
enormous sum yearly, extorted from the
taxable resources Of our people and ab.
sorbed in the wealth Of other communities.
| A commonwealth thus annually drained,
| can never be other than a pauper State,
whatever may be its native resources. We
| believe the time has come for the Legisla-
! iure Of Tennessee 10 make a bold move,
| and, not standing on trities, TO cut the gor-
dian knot OF our dependence on the labor