Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-04-28

a Few words nom MAN OF Expe'
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IA ths Editor Of the Lcdror: m
vour oo,rasnondent Manufacturar "
49, ~. g, : 80 saon M assignino rAasot,s
a. ttbs want az factories beinx oIeratei
IN this c;tv He has given somtk Quite
,,,,,a,t onss In themselves. bnt has NOT.
= ~ bnmhle view touched the real one
viii assert as n general proposition.
th.t our natural facilities are unsur-
nasso5 Nv anv other points so far ms the
raw materials are concerned; all the
crnde elements that enter into textile.
6berous or metallic articles, have been
sbowered on us and around us with a
lavish nrofnsion. Our central position,
natural Accessibility and genial cline,
comh;p;ng with the eheap. raw materials,
naturally propounds the question to
every reilectinr mind. why don't we
mannfaetureY,. and your correspondent
has attempted the answer in a few lines.
Now. have no quarrel with him nor his
answer were Il definite enough to
reach the root of the evil. Irather thank
him for that much; that is bringing the
subject before the people IL is the
people who must and win right the
wrong, and not the money kings of any
community. Besides, we have no right
to dictate 10 any moneyed man or men
how they shall invest their means.
Money is power, il is true; still, money is
priyate property. and is to all intents
and purposes the servant Of its owner
as much SO as horse, and you and
have no more right to claim the use of il
from any party than we have to claim
the use of his horse, and whenever we
growl about usurious interest or extor-
tons we err. We are all, in this country,
upon par. | envy no man because he
has more money than |, or because he
has succeeded in life better. But to the
point: Convince any man, or body of
men, that it is his or their interest to aid
such and such enterprises, and you will
find no trouble in commanding their
money, talent, influence and sympathy.
The practical education ofthis people has
been aside from the professlons) purely
of mercantile ard planting charac-
ter, having but few practical mechanics
to the manor born, and scarcity of
skilled labor that is almost marvellous,
yet easily accounted for when you con-
slider the purely pastoral character of orr
people. But the war has changed all
this state of things and wheaecer the
,r0r is ouer we will begin to have new
country. Enterprise will spring up, fac
tories will be erected and fostered by
sympathy as wellas legislation; and that
dogma will be exploded that you cant
live as cheap here as you can at the
North, and moneyed men and capitalists
will be seeking investments for their
surplus means. A great error is COM
mitted by great man. good men
in engaging in mechanical operations
and manufactures who have no prac-
teal knowledge of the industries they
are carrying on, and have to depend
exclusively on others for all their prac- |
teal information. All this is wrong.
Persons proposing an enterprise OF any
kind should always avail themselves OF |
the advantage of skilled person in the |
art that they propose TO pursue, and
make it to the interest of the skilled
man to join you. A large majority OF
the best practical mechanics in the world |