The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-09-07
man that ever spoke the common mother
tongue of England and America.
Our Situation.

I A few years ago, large portion Of South
Carolina was desolated by the results OF the
civil war, and now We are experiencing all the
evils of partizan government, administered
with view to the accomplishment of partiZan
purposes. Our cities were plundered and
burned: our land was made desolate, and our
people reduced to poverty. To-day, strangers
rule over US, and to heighten our misery and
riyet the chains of our bondage, we are in
many particulars, dependent upon Others for
every luxury and most of the necessaries OF
| life.
We have always been accustomed to abuse
the North for the manner in which it treated
us. At the present time we villify and abuse
the people of the North because they cheat us
in their manufactured goods. Who has not
heard the North stigmatized as the land OF
wooden nutmcgs and paper-soled shoes? 1t is
one of the first things that we learned that a
Yankee was a cheat-that he lived to make
money. Still we patronize these cheats. We
buy their calicoes, their paper-sod shoes and
| their Irish linen made out of South Carolina
cotton, their blue-buckets made out OF cypress
timber which grew on South Carolina or North
Carolina swamps.
We are content to send those villians-as We
are wont to call them-our raw materials OF all
veniences Of life We are highly in favor OF a
diversity of labor, but this is a diversity which
has resulted in povc ty and dependence to us.
Cut off communication to-day with the North
and shirting will advance to fabulous price.
We are far from believing that the South is not
capable of existing without the North; but we
are persuaded that at present, and at no period
in her past history, could the South live, as she
has always lived, enjoying the luxurles and nee
essaries of life, without the North. However
harsh and unpleasant these statements may
sound, they are simply true, as every man
knows.
What is our interest? More than this what
is our duty? We reply, instead of wearing
paper-soled shoes, let those who have the capi-
tai 90 to work and make and sell to the South
ern people leather-soled shoes. If q single in
diyidual cannot do it, let company be formed
for the purpose. The natural resources Of
South Carolina will never be fully developed
until the capitalists of the State engage exten-
sively in manufacturing. The heel of the do
minating party of the country will never be
raised off our necks until we put ourselves IN
a condition to compete, to some extent, with
Northern manufacturers. Nothing can be
more absurd than for us to expect that Yam
kees or any one else, will, in the course of time,
come amongst lis and build up our broken down
country. 70 say nothing else about such an
expectation, it is manifestation of a want of
love for the land of our birth, and betrays
dependent spirit which is almost ignoble.. j,
The last thing that we should hope for is that
the resources of our country be developed by
Others. This ought to be the last resort. It is
just as absurd to suppose that we will ever be a
thriving people, so long as we ship all our raw
,otor;a1 to other ropions there to be manufac-
tured and re-shipped to us. As things now are,
it is useless to boast of the inexhaustible re-
sources of the State of South Carolina, The
truth is, our country is sundergoing an exhaust
ing process. A system Of drainage has been
inaaugurated which will, if continued, sap the
fertility of the soil and the energy of the peo-
ple 1t is madness to urge people to enrich
their soil when they know, by sad experience,
that others are to enjoy the net profits. If any
system can be put into operation that will stop
this drainage and retain the products OF the
soil of South Carolina at home, then the peo-
pie will 60 to work in earnest.-Yorhr'He En-
qutrer.