The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-11-17
Atthmcnd lllspa1th.
- -
n1-,-usn.y NOVEMBER Il. 1870,
Aa~.o,,,nre and Manufactures.

Agriculture and manufactures
wo called attention yesterday to the argu-
,,ert Of the Boston Daily Advertiser to
chow that the people Of Illinois and the
Northwest, who had more produce than
they could sell at remuneratire prices
should 60 to manufacturing in order t.
divert labor from farming, and thus hr'nA
down the amount of production more near
II to the demand for consumption. we
contendcd that people who had a plenty
nay, OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES not m"''
their occupations rs tillers OF the son w
take up the close, confined. ana '''.".,"
restraining pursuits OF manufacturers III ''.
mills and the shops: that therefore the "p-
mo, of Tho advertiser would be OF ht'fe
force with the free and independent farm
ers Of the Northwest; that they "o""
neither become manufacturers nor ao'o-
Gates for protection 10 New England man
uiacturcs. .,,
The ground thus taken is unasSaIlaole.
Man Is freest in this world when he Il
inst in the condition of those Northwestern
farmers. They come and they go when
they list, and they never fear want. Would
they give up their life of freedom and alum
dance to so to spinning within the narrow
walls Of the mill, inhaling its confined al
mosphere, laboring The stated hours, and
going and coming at the call Of the bell:
Why should they? The farmer has plenty
and is free and men go into the strict dis
cipline OF the mills, and part with much OF
their liberty in doing so. For what: For
a support-for something TO cat and wear.
AS the Illinois farmer wants nothing, he will
not deprive himself of liberty for what he
does not want
The farmer is the chosen man of God.
He enjoys life under circumstances most
favorable to his freedom and independence.
AID to his full development Of form and
manhood. His vocation employs all his
muscular force, while it con>trans not his
shape to unnatural curvatures and dispro-
portions, which most indoor and mill &C.
equations do. 1t is the natural and favorite
employment of man, and it is only when
the population presses too heavily on the
means of subsistence that it is driven to the
manufacture of fabrics to exchange for food
with those sections where food is in excess.
Now, it will be some time before the west
ern populations are driven to this eXpe-
pedient. 1t will come soon enough for
them. Come when it may, the people will
look back with regret to the days when
there was superabuGdancc and the farmer
was more than conSoled for the want of
market by the reflection that he and hi>
wanted nothing and his children were not
compelled to enter the mills to make q
living.
Happy is the society at this golden period
of abundance before the struggle oflife in the
mills Is forced upon them. Look at the COM
parison exhibited in the census Of 1860 be-
tween Massachusetts, and Illinois. MasSa-
chusetts, with population of ,230, $50, had
81 $3.50 paupers and 1872 criminals within
year. Illinois, with a population of ILL.,
951, had 4,6l5 pauperS and only criml-
nals-i. c., Massachusetts, had one pauper
for every t,renty.four, and one criminal for
every n'netysi Of her population; ana
Illinois had one .pauper for every three
hundred and sercnty.fce, and one criminal
for every t,ro thousand one hundred and
eight Of her population. This is indeed
the conditions, social and industrial,
which cause this contrast must be highly
satisfactory to Illinois. She should by
no means desire to hurry up the time
when, from density of population and
want Of food, her people will have to adopt
the pursuits, and be subjected to the social
packing of largely-increased numbers i'll
small areas, which cause the exhibit SO dis
advantageous to Massachusetts.
Manufacturing is indispensable. OF
course. 1t must be introduced at the pro-
per stage into every community whose con-
ditions are suited to it. The fabrics Of arr
and mechanical industry are indispensable
to comfort and the elegance of populous
and wealthy communities. They add I'M
mensely to national wealth and power.
But 1t is a great mistake to suppose that
those communities who make more bread
and meat than they can sell should there
fore become manufacturers. They arc al
the farthest point from any such necessity
and it Is pity that q community so stu
ated should ever be compelled to yield te
the necessity of giving up the field and tn,
plough for the loom and the spinning
jenny.
But suppose that Massachusetts in seek
ing to convert the Northwestern farmer
into protectionists by making them manu-
fscturers were gratitied; what then? Shs
would probably find the success fatal Il
herseH-destructiv to her own industry
AS the Baltimore american said of the ne
gro, Massachusetts would find that th,
western manufacturer was to her an ele
ment Of weakness rather than strength
Massachusetts, in short, would be better of
with only the incidental protection of all
dd vdIorem tariff, and the demand of the
West for her fabrics than she would be
with high protective tariff, and the West
manufacturing for herself.