The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-09-16
Aithmolrd 1ispatth,
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER ls, 1863,
Manufacturing.

4tAtbAAUt<lS SNA AAAE
Sundry dear friends of ours are much
given to attempts to douse the ardor of the
Richmond people by telling them that they
needn't hope for such thing as an active
commerce-that their city is not fitted by
proper outlets to the sea for the business OF
a foreign commerce-but that, being highly
adapted to manufacturing, they may expect
great things in that line This hall pa
tronizing half depreciating opinion should
in no way concern the people OF Richmond
They know we'll enough that their CITY mus
become a very powerful manufacturing
town. and az to what else she may De IS as
thereafter may be-" If she should In
.;ro have n commerce, she viii get 1t In a
legitimate and fair manner, and NOBODY
should complain. But suppose she should
not-whv, the thrift and growth that will
come of manufacturing would be quite sut-
ficient 10 satisfy any ordinary ambition for
increase of wealth and population.
Let us consider the subject. Recurring
to an illustration presented in these columns
few days since, We will take the Tredegar
Works for example. At present they en-
ploy 500 artizans. Let us suppose that the
families and those employed in washing,
sewing, and cooking for these number four
to each man, and we have 5000: and
adding to these the 500, we have four thou
sand people supported by the employment
afforded by the Tredegar Works. Now, take
the capital invested in those works, and
devote it to the wholesale dry goods trade,
how many people will find employment IN
selling, packing, &C., in the business thus
established !, Shall we say tyhy? There
would not be as many, but say that num-
Der, and give three to each, and you will
have t,oo h,tndred persons!
First, then, consider comparative demand
for food, clothing, and houses of the arti-
Fans and the dry goods employees: -Four
thousand to tpoo hundred-i. e., t,oenty TO
one. The business of manufacturing gives
taeIt times as much demand frfhe pro
duce of the farmer, and for groceries,
clothing, and houses, as the business Of
merchandising-the amount of capital In
each being the same. And, therefore, we
may Justly assume that the business Of
manufacturing will increase the growth Of
:. city in the same relative proportion.
Secondly. The manufacturer converts
raw material, dug out Of the earth here at
home, into his fabrics, thus enhancing the
raw material to the extent at least of the
cost of the labor expended upon it. This
whole value is an addition to the wealth of
so is the labor and wien converted into
money that is added to our capital. On
-tle other hand, the importing merchant is
engaged in selling the fabrics Of people
at q distance--outside our own State-and
the money that pays for them leaves the
State and goes to foster the industry Of
alien communities. So that the manufac-
turer il a constant contributor to the wealth
Of the community of which he is mem
Der, and the importer is ever diminishing
that wealth by RENTING the means to pay
Tor his importations.
For these reasons, in the matter of bene-
iiceucc to city, the manufacturer is inf
nitely more useful than the importer and
this city, if confined to one class and per-
mittcd to choose which ehe would have,
would Individually take the manufacturer.
But Richmond may have both ; and
though it is idle now to dispute the matter,
she will, in due time, have her share Of
commerce as well as manufacturing. The
importer is necessity in all commercial
communities, and will be important to us.
He will have field for occupation here :;
ar.l is generally found where the field is.
Our friends, in combining Richmond to
one class and giving her the manufacturer,
remind us Of the sailor returned from long
cruise, with his pockets full of wages, who
chartered hack in which to 90 up town,
and triumphantly seated himself on top of
the vehicle. \ sick man appealing to be
taken up, JACK was too generous to deny
his plain,ive request, and cried out, "Stow
him away in the hold, but don't let him
I" come on dcck.'