The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-06-03
VOLUME 4.---NO. 40.
Immigration.

The cotton crop of the current year does
not promise to be any larger than that of
the past year, ifindced, so large. The plan
tefs stimulated by the high prices, are
trying to increase the production, but the
difficulty lies in the scarcity of laborers.
This scarcity is owing to two causes:
First, the black population under the in
fluehce of the social revolution through
which they have gone, are, diminishing in
numbers, and there are, in consequence;
fewer laborers OF this race than there were
in 1860. Secondly, field work is distate:
fal to them, and they prefer to congftgate
amount of white labor has heretofore been
devoted to the production of cotton and
other field crops in the South, and, there
is not much hope of largely increasing the
amount OF our agricultural labor by any
other means than immigration. But
whilst we are in want of field laborerss
our section stands equally in need of good
lnechacics and manufacturers. The i'm
portation of sufficiently Of laborersnto
cultivate the entire cotton lands of the
South, and the consequent production of
full crop, would result in a decline in
the price of our great staple. The manu-
facturers Of the North and of Europe
could then supply themselves with the
raw material at low figures, and would
hail with delight the return to the ancient
condition of things. But 1t is very ques-
tionable whether, with heavy production
of cotton, attended by low prices, and
return to the old plan of obtaining pro.
visions from the Northwest; the South
would be any better than at present. An
increased cotton crop is not the great
deSiderdtum Of our section. What we want
is the production of more grain, fruit and
manufactured goods: ~ -
The historian; Macauley, in tracing out
the causes of England's prosperity, attri5;
utes her rapid improvement in the mechan-
ic arts, during the last Two hundred years,
in great degree, to the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes That Edict granted re-:
ligious federation to the Protestants of
France. It's revocation by Louis XIV.
exposed them to all the horrors of q cruel
persecution. Thousands of them made
their escape to England: Among these
were great number of tie finest mechan-
les of Europe. They contributed largely
to the improvement of their adopted
country in many arts, and richly repaid
the generous hospitality with which they
had been received. So, in more recent
times the Northern and Eastern States
have been built up, by the influx of skilled
mechanics from Europe.
What we need here in the South,
chiefly, is manufacturing and mechanical
population, with sufficient capital to give
a permanent establishment TO panufactur-
ing. industry. We should have been-glad
to have seen small appropriation made
by the General Assembly, at its recent
session, for the collection and dissemination
of. facts illustrative of the manufacturing
resources of our State. If the capitalists,
of New England, OF Ola England, of
Switzerland and other countries could be
made to understand the advantages they
would enjoy here, the delightful climate.
the magnificent water-powers, the corve-
nience of obtaining the raw material, the
proximity of the marlet, and the cordial
welcome which would be extended to
them by the people, they would not be
long in finding their way IN this country:
There can be but one objection raiseds
The people of the South are not manu-
featuring people, and it would therefore
be difficult to obtain skilled labor heres
This is true, but the difficulty can be met
and easily overcome. Let the capitalist
come and bring his skilled labor with him.
He can afford to pay them more here than.
where he now operates, because manutac-
turing IS more profitable here than else
where.-Carolina Farmer