Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-11-11
Southern Manufactures.

We have long held, says the Lynchburg Viir-
oiinian that the South ought to manufacture,
as well as grow the articles that furnish the
chief staples that give employment to manu-
featuring industry, and to capital, at the North.
AS the case how stands, we exchange our raw
materials with the North at reduced price, to
receive them back at a much greater thus Civ
ing to that section all the profits of manufac-
turing, while We pay the cost of exchange both
ways! We are mere hewers of wood and draw
ers Of water for the people of the North, who
realize colossal fortunes out of the tribute we
pay to them How long, we wonder, is this
condition Of things to last When, if ever,
will we assert our independence in the way that
| we have always desired to achieve sectional In
dependence? five were, to-day, commercial
| ly independent of the North, AS we could be,
to very great extent, we should command
more respect, and exert greater influence in
| the Union than we do. In that case, there
woald be less cause of complaint about our
federal relations than exists now, for the States
of the South would have more to do 10 shaping
| the legislation Of Congress.
| We have been trying to impress these views
upon our section for twenty years, or more, but
never expected to fnd Republican ex- Govern
or Of radical Massachusetts,, that has to use a
| figure Of Mr.. Jeferson's been milking the
cow'' that we have been holding for them,
coming to our aid. But it is even SO, for Gen.
| N. P. Banks recently delivered lecture in
New Y ork on THE System of American Manu-
features its Origin, Authors, and results" of
which the following report is made:
| General Banks contrasted the industrial
organization Of the North with that of the
South. The Southern States were compensat-
ed for the lack of domestic manufactures by the
production Of the great staple, cotton. In1Sl0
the cotton crop was 100 900 bales; in 1860 it
was 4,500,0 600. 1t was because the labor sys-
tenn OF the South had been built On a wrong
| basis that she was not more prosperous and
robust The result Of the late war would have
| long trembled in the balance had Southern 10
dastry been based upon the principles Of the
| Northern system. The principles and process
of Lowell and his associates will never be fully
carried out until our raw material is manufac-
tured on the ground where it is produced. His
principles com pose the only solid basis on which
| industrial edlfces can pelmar emily stand
| Lowell labored at his great scheme but five
years, and died at the early age of forty three,
| leaving such monument OF integrity, high
ambition, impe;uous energy, and wonderful IN
genuity that the wonder is that financial bub-
b!es, gambling schemes, speculations or fcti-
tious values, could find place In country
which had prosperod so much from those IN
dustries -
A word more on this subject Mr. Jefferson,
writing to a Northern man, 10 1916, said =
The time is now come, when We should bring
the producers and manufacturers together y
We think that it has fully come, and hope that
the South will now strike for independence in a
way that will prove more successful than the
effort she made 10 1861. Her success in this
respect would be harder bow to the uufriend
ly section than that was which only served to
enrich the North aud make the South poorer
| by thousands Of millions than she was before