The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-07-13
From, the Southern Farm and Home.
Letter from John Plowhandles On Material
independence.

independence.
MR. EDITOR: It is now pretty nearly certain
that with the blessing of Divine Providence,
our agricultural population will not only make
corn enough to do them" but will have perma.
nently moved their corn.cribs from ''the great
Northwest" to their OWN farm yards. I hope
that never again win Southern planter be
crazy enough to believe that he can buy his
corn at less cost in st. Lotiis thai he can raise
1t on his own farm; OF that one acre OF cotton
will give him money enough to buy moro corn
than be could produce on five acres Even
when cotton was worth rs cents per pound, this
calculation was gross deception, All those
gunny sacks of corn which caused the freight
bluckades at Chattanooga contained ien-re-
ceipts, notices of foreclosure of mortgages
sheriffy sales, poverty and ruin. Many an inn
poverished family can trace theft misfortune to
having needed the delusive cotinsels Of "our
northern friends" to produce cotton and buy
provisions. rejoice exceedingly that common
sense has resumed its sway, and that the lessons
of experience, though dearly purchased, have
been needed.
We have now entered upon the hight track.
Let us continue in it, for if we pursue it stead
ily and perseveringly it will assuredly lead to
independence. We must not think, however,
that when we have full corn cribs we have done
oir whole duty. We must also have full smoke
houses, filled with meat of our own raising
While we continue to buy our meat in Cincin-
natl under the idea that Eve can't raise hogs
nowadays" we are deceiving ourselves quite
as injuriously as by raising 'big crops of cot
ton," and hauling our corn all the way from
Missouri. It may be troublesome, may demand
more care and attention than in old times, but
it will pay and if we will only try it, at the
end of the year, when We have fine smoke
house full of sides, shoulders and hams, not to
speak of jowls, sausages, lard and spareribs,
feel that we do not owe our factors one cent
for all this plenty and comfort, and that we
have not had to work our mules half to death
hauling the greasy hogsheads of half-cured
china-spirolis-eaten meat from the depot,
we shall then realize the advantage we have
gained and how amply we are repaid fos our
trouble and attention. But we must not stop
even here. Even when We raise all our own
provisions, and do not spend dime for western
corn or bacon, we are not yet as independent
as we ought to be, and as we can be if we will
only try. Let us look over our farms and
households, and see how many things there
are which we now purchase from yankee man.
ufacturers which we could make ourselves.-
Surrounded on every side by the finest timber
which the earth produces, we import our plow-
stocks, our wagon and buggy wheels-nay, the
wagons and buggies entire-our hoe handles;
axe helves, and almost every article into the
composition of which wood enters. We pur-
chase western mule put on him northern
harness, hitch him to northern wagon, buggy,
cart OF plow, drive him with northern made
lines and a northern whip, shoe him with north
ern shoes aud northern nails, feed him out OF
q bucket made in New England and tie him in
the stable with an imported halter We can
raise our own mules and horses. Can we not
We have plenty of hides Can we not tan them
and make first rate harness? We have, we re-
peat, the finest timber of every kind IN the
world. Why can we not make our own wag-
Fons, buggies, carts, plows, wheel6arr9ws, etc
Why are we compelled to buy yankee buckets
We can and do make all the slaves, and surely
We can put them together, if we would only
make the effort. We do not propose that every
farmer should tan his OWL leather, make his
own wagons, harness. ETC., but we can have
southern factories where these things could be
made, and if we have to spend our money we
have the pleasure of knowing that it goes to
enrich our own people, advance the prosperity
of our own country, and docs not 60 where tits
forever lost to us. What sense is their in our
importing axe hefves;h hoe handles, clothes pins,
washing tubs, wash boards, bread boards, roll
ing pins, etc? Yet VIE do SO every day. E1-
amino closely any one of these articles now in
use upon your farm or in your home, and you
will find the makers name and IN. T."
"Mass. - Conn" or IN. H." stamped upon
1t.
To be Independent we must make all these
things for ourselves. Let Us begin. Export
ing the raw material for other people to manu-
facture can never lead to anything but poverty.
There is nothing people needs which we &c can
not produce with our soil and climate. There
is water power now running to waste In Geor-
gia sufficient to run more factories than Mas
sachusetts' greed ever dreamed Of We could
be the most perfectly Independent and. most
powerful people on earth. Providence has
given ts all the means; and yet the tub In
which we wash our clothes, the pin by which
we fasten them on the line, the line itself, and
the clothes which we hang on them, all bear
the mark of "Mass.," or "Conn.," reminding
rs daily of our servitude, our lack of enter
prise, our improvidence, and our criminal dis
regard of the blessings which bouneiful crea-
tor has placed within our reach. eve have
not time" is the answer to all this, ITO throw
away upon clothes pins and washing tubs. We
must raise cotton and buy our washing tub" !"
California at one time produced one article
exclusively. She chad not time" I'd produce
any thing else. That article was GOLD. Her
people were poor. 1t took all the gold they
could dig to buy their provisions, their clothes
pins and DIV xhe hi4e 5 % like Ssv U.S. B tons
production, though it be gold, did notpay when
that people to be prosperous and independent,
must be self.sustaining. They are now rich,
and their diversified industry is the source Of
their prosperity.
Would that my countrymen would draw the
moral and apply it'll
Yours respectfully,
JOHN PIowHANDiEs.
-A-z.a. q -Gs.:--L---
M,xrrn w1rz rnANeERs.-The effect of