The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-24
"PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE"

trial improvements, &C., they are all-the product!
of accumulated wealth.
"PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE"
II is true that a few individuals with theil
scows and canoes can go along and pick up fey
nobues, and, perhaps, few tons of these phos
pilates, but can they develop the mines that lii
down deep in the water, and are to be realized and
dug up only by long iron arms which must go dowr
in the depths, driven by the power OF neyertirlne
steam2 Will the State, or will the Senate think
for one moment, that there is any great deposit
that can be dug III by individual capital alone
Perhaps this and that man who owns canoe
may pick up, as have said, few nobules and 9
| few TONS but is this the way for the State to de
velop and make profitable this important mineral
wealth. Is this the mode by which it can be
made availabef Who that Is familiar with the
springs that move the affairs Of men can advo
cate such an absurdity? No, let US be reasonable
let us look with the eyes Of business men upon
the development Of these mines, applying the or
binary rules Of business to the enterprise. In do.
ing this we shall, from whatever premise, what
ever principal, we start, travel to but the one
conclusion, viz: that capital must be invoked to
start, carry on, and finish the work, or the mines
must sleep and sleep forever.
GALL IS NOT GoLD," &C.
Look at the California gold mines. At one time
| it was thought that it only required individual
| effort to work the mines, but 1t has been found
| necessary to organize large companies, and to
accumulate millions in order to work them sue.
cessfully. It was only few days ago 1 had
placed in my hands an account Of the work neces-
nf ha
fornia. That account says that it cannot be done
except by the expenditure OF five millions OF dol
lars. The richest mine that has ever been discov-
cred in the world cannot be worked successfully
except by the investment OF capital to an amount
| really startling.
THE CHARLESTON REMoNsTRAScE.
II we wish to develop these phosphate beds; II
we wish to bring out these great deposits so that
the State can get any bene1t,we must place them
in the hands OF capitalists; yet here is remon-
stance from Charleston which says that 1t ought
not to be DONE lest 1t will hurt some poor fisher
man, some poor woodcutter: 1t is as preposter-
GUS to attempt to work these mines without capt.
tai as to attempt to move the earth with hand
spike. For woodcutter or fisherman to at
tempt to develop these mines would be as futile q
ALLEGED MOVING ARGUMENTS
/ think. Mr.. President, have demonstrated or
intimated the arguments which ought to move
the people Of the State in this matter, to give 1t
to somebody who will develop the mines or
beds Of phosphates by the proper investment OF
capital. What have we been doing up here at Co.
lumbia for the purpose Of building up manufacto-
resi We have given Messrs. Sprague Co. prop
erty which cost this State from one to two mil
lion OF dollars. 1t is believed that they will de-
velop this property; that they will employ large
number Of laboring men, which will benefit the
State, the city, and the surrounding section OF
country. Well, then, II a company with sufii.
cent amount OF capital will take hold OF this bu-
sness, where there are now from four to five or ff-
teen to twenty men employed, there will be five
hundred given steady employment with good
pay. Instead Of four or FIVE men stealing phos-
pilates belonging to the State there would be
five or six hundred men getting honest wages.
But capital will never go there unless there Is
some inducement or authority to do so. under
stand that senator's here are ostensibly legisla-
ting for the benefit Of the State. II we want to
realize anything from these mines, put the in
terest in the hands OF responsible parties Why ?
Because none but responsible parties can develop
the mines, bring the phosphates to the sur.
face, utilize them and make them fit for use
Leslie interrupting: Did you or anybody else
hear that any one made any claim 10 these
phosphates until this bill was introduced In the
SenateY Never. / never heard whisper Oh
such thing until this application was made
Nash, interupting: You say responsible par
tIes;n will You tell the Senate who are these re-
sponsible parties y Imean responsible men who
have the capital, and will organize the company.
do not care who makes up the company so
they will accumulate capital and devote 1t to this
interest, and become known TO the state. say
1t must be put In the hands Of responsible par
ties, in order that the State should realize any
thing from it. First, because none but RESPONSE
BILE parties can develop these mines; secondly,
none but responsible parties will send returns 10
the government
simply want to say, in conclusion, that II this
and that man, with his little canoe or scow, can
paddle about the streams here and there, picking
up at low tide few broken rocks, the State will
never realize anything from that performance.
But II, on the other hand, responsible men can oe
induced to engage in the enterprise and enter
into a contract with the State and pay the proper
royalty, then the State will get the benefit But
what astonshes me is that the senators from the
up-country will sit here and attempt to defend
what are called the rights OF the people living on
the banks OF the streams and digging the phos'
pilates from the beds at low tide from property
belonging to the state without any remune-
ration. Suppose happen to live near
nv friend from Marion and he showed me gold
mine on his plantation, or at least phosphate
bed. Now, If during the last year had been In
the habit Of going over to his land, carrying OH
his gold or phosphate, and he should at last wake
up to the fact and attempt to stop me, would
say to him, you have no right to this mine; pro-
pose to dig this mine myself; the people have
right to dig where they please because 1t Is o ma
tural deposit. and have just as good right TO II
| as you have This is the only argument used on
the other sds The State owns that land just as
| much as it owns this Statehouse, and has rlgh'
to receive the benefit Of it, These people VINO nae
been stealing these phosphates may howl anc
rroan but there is no answer to the argument
that the State owns the phosphates and that 1t Is
the duty OF the State to develop them in the best
possible manner.
PRESSURE.
There were seven propositions in the Courier o
day before yesterday, attempting to show why
the State should not undertake this business, and
every one is false from beginning TO end II iirs'
=. -, .,,o c+oto ,loae,rt own the DhOSphQteS-tnC