Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-01-18
MANUFACTURING.

Some man in South Carolina, igDor-
ing the traditional doctrine OF that
State. declares that the South has adj
vantaces for manufacturing inferior to
those of no other section. There Is
no proposition clearer than that the
prerequisites of successful manufac-
turing are the proximity of the motive
power, the raw material and the ma
chinery. The water power In the
South is sufficient to manufacture all
the,cotton it can produce, and Its coal
and iron deposits are near enough to
each other, in some localities, to en-
sure an abundant and cheap supply OF
iron for the wants of its people. But
steam makes every locality independ-
ent of water power; and machinery, tor
any purpose, can be located wherever
convenience may suggest.
These points being settled, the ques-
ton to be considered by the South is,
whether it can manufacture 1t. sup
plies cheaper than it can import them
whether it is cheaper to work up
cotton where it grows, or to ship 1t to
distant mills whence it comes back
with all the added costs Of freight both
WAYS. manufacturing, commissions and
the profits of middle men. If New
England has grown rich by manufac-
turing cotton grown at the South, can
not the South grow richer By manu-
featuring the cotton where it is grown
and selling It's surplus fabrics wher-
ever they may be in demand2
But leaving out of view, the mere
question of dollars and cents, we think
it the paramount duty of the South
to weigh well this subject in its rela-
tons to future political strength. We
are politically weak because our pop
ulation is sparse, and weaker still
through the stupid ignorance and NOR
al degradation of a large citizenship,
forced upon us in violation of the Con-
stitution and the laws and in opposi-
ton to the plainest suggestions OF
craftsmanship, justice and humanity.
These depressing evils-the result
partly, of want of enlightened pub
lie spirit, and partly of sectional hate
made effective by sectional power
must be remedied before the South
can hope for any higher destiny than
the North has mapped out for 1t. A
liberal system of manufacturing will
invite skilled labor from abroad, and
with this, will come increase of con-
sumers, intelligent farmers and farm
laborers. Every mandatory erected
will be a nucleus around which popu-
laiion will gather, and thus cO-opera-
ting manufactures and agriculture
will develop each other until the South
becomes rich, populous and powerful,
and not until then can it demand equal
rights with the North, and enforce that
demand by the exercise of an equal
political power.
Had we of the South, at the close
of the war, directed the same means
and energies to the erection of manu-
factories that have been devoted to
the building of railroads, the day of
our deliyerance from sectional doml-
nation would now have been near at
hand. But manufactures were lg-
uored and in their stead we have a
net work of railroads pointing North,
under the control of northern monop-
ol;es. and subscribing the purpose OF
carrying off our raw material and ia
cilitating the operations of specula-
tors, who grow rich upon the products
Of our labor. We were short-slghted
enough to look upon the aid of north
ern capital to build railroads as a glo-
rious acknowledgement suspecting that
encouraging such Improvement Is a
northern device for impoverishing the
South. Can we get northern capital
70 build cotton mills and open mines !
TRY it. if you wish to lay bare the sell
fish programme of northern capital in
al its dealings with the South. The
nartizan government and northern
monopolies are in league to prevent
the growth of political power in the
South. the latter will lend US millions
TO advance their schemes, but not a
dollar for the true interests of this
people. Yet the cry of our section is,
more railroads whilst scarcely dol
lar of the boarded millions is forth
coming when called for to build fac
tory. however humble its pretensions.
Manufacturing is the great lever by
which the South may be elevated to its
proper position, because population,
commerce, agriculture will all be de-
developed by it, and each give aid in
the development of the other. Were
railroads as numerous as hog paths as
long as they are run by, and in the in
terests of the North, they will devel-
one nothing but the increasing pow
erty and dependence of the South and
the increasing wealth and political
mower of the North. We must estab-
fish a broad system of manufactures,
or be content to remain, as now, the
political slaves of an arrogant corrupt
section too base to concede our rights
and too shrewd to encourage our
growth in wealth and population. by
manufacturing We can secure them all.
Wa pleased to see that our ell
cient Representative, Mr.. Ferguson,
has introduced bill to give the Sher-
IF the authority to appoint the jailOr.
As far as we have heard an expression
of.opinion, it is favorable to the prop
osition. that jailors shall no longer be
elected by the people. If the mover
of the resolution will pardon the sug-
aestion. we would like TO amend by
giving the appointing power to the
County Court. The reasons for this
!. -, IL,