The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-05-19
COTTON MANUFAcTURE.

The report of the Commmittee on Cotton
Manufacture being called for, was read by Col.
J. B. Palmer, as follows:
The Committee on the Manufacture of Cot
That it has been. contended for years, by our
most sacacious statesmen, that it was not the
nolicy of the South to export its cotton In the
lint. EGas' y
BENJAMIN Franklin, writing from London,
said aHere in England it is we'll known and
understood, that whenever manufacture Is
established, employing a number OF hands, it
raises the value of lands oil about" Andrew
Jackson, in 1924, advocated, In private let
ter. the taking "from our, agriculSure 6OOooO
men. women and children, to be employed in
manufactures" Lord Goodrich; in the House
of Lords, speaking of France, said: If it were
freely to admit our manufactures it would
speedily be reduced to an agricultural, and,
therefore, poor nation, as all must be that de-
mend exclusively on agriculture" Washing
ton entertained similar views.
While these opinions have been stated by
many. most of our people have either consider
ed Il entirely impracticable for us to understand
the general manufacture of our leading staple,
or thinking it practicable, have considered the
ner;od when it would be accomplished 80 far
IN the future. as to demand no attention from
|
them. -,
the proposition, that it not only can but will be
done at an early day.
First among the advantages possessed by the
South over the North for manufacturing cot
tnn. and one that it will never cease to hold, Is
that it is the place of production Of the rd,om'a-
terial, 1t would be no more unnatural to trans-
port the crude ore of Pennsylvania to distant
States for manufacture, than it is for us to con-
tinue to send abroad our lint cotton. The
Southern manufacturer saves the freight and
other charges on bagging, rope and other waste:
This waste, amounting to fully one-elghth OF
each BALE can be manufactured into paper at
the South more cheaply than at the North, and
is consequently more valuable, though 1t costs
far less here than there. Reclamation on false
hacked or damaged cotton, is with us, easy and
direct and we save the burdensome Northern
CHARGES for storage, insurance, brokerage, &C.,
and The loss from repeated sampling thefts.
More or less cotton can always be purchased
in the lint, thus saving, to that extent the loss
bv bappinp and rope. Freights on manutac-
tHred goods are less than on bulky and hazard
Gus bales of raw cotton.
Another advantage is to be found in our cli-
mate. Fire for heating purposes Is only re-
quired for from one to three months OF the year,
according to localities. We have an abundance
of unoccSupied water power in every Southern;
State. We have also inexhaustible coal
beds, easy of access. Wages are comparatively
low. The mildness of the climate, the abun-
dance of lumber and the cheapness of land,
enables manufacturers to provide operatives
with inexpensive but comfortable houses and
large garden plats. The expense of living
must always be less here than at the North.
The winters being mild and open, we must ever
] be able to produce our provisions more cheaply