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

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.
otwithstanding frequent hints on the sub
ject OF a factory, nothing has been done rea-
tive thereto further than an informal meeting
which was held over year ago by few OF ou1
citizens, at which there was measre attend
ance on account Of bad weather, and COM
mlttee appointed to examine into tho practica'
bilily of the scheme, and report at a future
| time, which report, recommendatory OF the
| project, would have been submitted had it not
been for the general supmeness prevailing in
cident to the disasters Of 1867. But we regard
i. as supremely important that the subject ol
"Factores" should again and heIceforward 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 o plenteous CROP, let
them unite in forming companies for the man.
ufacture of the raw material, thereby in lu-
gurating "a career OF Southern independence,
giving employment to thousands OF maimod
and destitute in our land, and retaining at
home that stream of wealth that now, and for
ing that section TO degree unparalleled in the
history of any people. 1t is folly and super
fiuous to enter into discussion relative to the
natural resources of the two sections: any ona
at all conyersant with the geography of f.hs
South must be already convinced ths. helH s
the province which abounds in advantages o'
water-power unequaled by the united world
The rushing waterfalls Of Tennessee, an muir
muring streams ceaselessly coursing to the
ocean from the mountains or our own State,
chide US with an inertness, which former
times may have rendered eXcusable, but which
is standing reproach so long as such adyau-
tages are neglected in the future. A 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 fur yards Of what is known. in
mercantile parlance, as four-luarter brown
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 s25, ,0OO. 900, and if we manu-
facture nothing but the most ordinary articles
we may increase its value to $50, 600, 900, that
is, as much as was realized from our
former crop of one million bales" This
statement the author made in endeav-
oripg to foster enterprise 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 the Southern people, at. this critical
juncture OF their (the States) lfe but to revi re
her wasted places and stand on a solid founda-
ton of security? How is this to bo best ac-
complisheG :? BY improving every advantage
and blessing placed in our reach by a benign
Providence. Crops Of cotton are made utter
hard and anxious labor, and are needlessly sac
rifced for one.half their value, and the mills at
Lo,oeA, employing thirteen millions OF dol
lars ard twelve thousand operatives, are only
a 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.