The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-09
WHAT THE SOUTH WILL GAIN BY
ERECTING COTTON FACTORIES.
ORANaEBURa, s. O., April 6.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.

ORANGEBURd, 8. O., April 6.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS
Notwithsta nding frequent hints on the sub
ject of q factory, nothing has been done rela-
| tive thereto further than an informal meeting,
which was held over year ago by few Of our
citizens, at which there was d meagre attend
| ance on account OF bad weather, and COM
mlttee appointed to examine into the practica.
bility OF the scheme, and report at q future
time, which report, recommendatory of the
| project, would have been submitted had il not
been for the general supineness prevailing in
cdent to the disasters of 1857 But we regard
| it as supremely important that the subject OF
Factories" should again and henceforward be
| constantly agitated, and that our people who
are too long used to accustomed grooves"
should swing loose from the all-absorb-
ing idea. planting, and while they trim
the plough for plenteous crop, let
| them unite in forming companies for the man
ufacture OF the raw material, thereby inau-
gurating career of Southern independence.
giving employment to thousands OF manned
and destitute in our land, and retaining at
home that stream Of wealth that now, and for
half century has, flowed northward, enrich
ing that section to degree unparalleled in the
history of any people. 1t is folly and super
huous to enter into discussion relative to the
natural resources Of the two sections; any one
at all conversant with the geography of the
South must be already convinced that hers ia
the province which abounds in advantages of
water-power unequal,ed by the united world.
Tho rushing waterfalls Of Tennessee, an MUIR
muring streams ceaselessly coursing to the
ocean from the mountains OF our own State
-chide us with an inertness, which former
times may have rendered excusable, but which
ls standing reproach 80 long as such advan-
tages are neglected in the future. few in
contestable figures will go further to prove the
point than any amount Of argument based on
mere assumption, and quote from DeBow's,
January, 1867, on Southern Manufactures !"
"For instance, from one pound Of cotton YOU
may make four yards Of what is known. in
mercantile parlanoe, as four-1uarter brown
muslin; these four yards would be worth eighty
cents, and thus we see that the process OF man
ufacturing has added sixty cents to the value
OF one pound OF cotton. Hence,
we may take our two hundred and fifty thou
sand bales, worth $25, ,O00, 900, and if we Manu-
facture nothing but the most ordinary articles
we may increase its value to $50, ,OOO, ,OOO that
is, as much as was realized from our
former crop of one million bales" This
statement the author made in endeav-
oring to foster enterpise in Alabama and
she is gloriously responding, as also her sister
States. Georgia alone has in the course of
erection about ninety factories. What is the
aim of tho Southern people, at this critical
juncture of their (the states) life, but to rev 7e
her wasted pla:es and stand on solid founda-
tion Of securitya How is this to be best ac-
complished2 BY improving every advantage
and blessing placed in our reach bya benign
Providence. Crops Of cotton are made after
hard and anxious labor, and are needlessly sac
rifced for one half their value, and the mills at
Lo,oeu, employing thirteen millions of dol
lars and twelve thousand operatives, are only
few Of the numberless factories propelled to
success by the wasting tide OF indifference In
another letter we will give fresh figures on this
subject. QUELouEFoIs.