Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-05-06
LETTER FROM MEMPHIS.
How California stands as a Manufacturer
Eow to bring about Good Times-view Of
our Shipping Interests-Wharf to Dead
Mans Island, Etc.


Mans Island, Etc.
EDITOR HERh1D:-Last night found my
sclfin reach of that interesting volume known
as the Compendium of the Ninth Census of
the United States" | had Il mind to see how
your State stood as a manufacturer; and as
my investigations We're highly interesting,
and the facts collected singularly curious, |
have concluded to give them to the California
public. In 1860 the chiefmanufacturing States
stood in the order following the figures rep
rcsenting the value of their manufactured
products in hundreds of millions of dollars
New York, $40; Pennsylvania, 90; Massa-
chusetts, 25j; Ohio, FL Connecticut, 81; New
Jersey, 70; California, IS; Illinois, 49, Virginia,
80; Indiana, f3; Missouri, Al; Rhode Island
Al. By this California appesrS to have been
the Seventh manufacturing State in the
Union; her products in that line being sixty
eight millions of dollars. In 1870 however |
find her standing totally different. Here is
the list: y. Y, 7S5; Penn. ~; Mass, 55};
Ohio, 30; Missouri 206; ILL.,, 2Uj; New Jersey,
1G0; Conn, lGl; Michigan, lis; Il. L., llS; Ind,
100; Maine, 10; Wisconsin, -; Maryland 76;
New Hampshire, IL; California, 66. Here you
are the sixteenth State and show no more
than siXty-SiX millions Ofprolucts--ad decrease
of two millions. In 1860 your manufactured
of your state; in 1870 they amounted to only
SllS. In this respect Rhode Island heads the
list as her manufactures are Soil per capita;
Indiana is at the foo, hers being only 500
The question wish 10 put to your people Is
this:
WHY THIS DECADENCE on YOUR PART,
whilst other localities less favored in many
respects, and especially in regard to alnariet,
have advanced" For my own part do not
see any other way to account for il than that
better
mvn!s To labor and capital than does manu-
featuring. Ii Such IS the case then you need
Il large increase OF populations: First to fill up
the vacancies which still exist in your mines
and on your farms, and when these interests
are worked to their utmost capacity, then
You need many more thousand to make
shoes, clothes, hats, and implements. People
do not take kindly Or naturally 20 manuItc-
turing; they much prefer the open air and
business that is learned with much less care
and confinement. Prior TO the war these
southern States were prosperous to degree
little appreciated by those who were unac-
uuainted with them. The commercial sys-
TEN and financial position of New Orleans
challenged the admiration OF the world-in
tact she then held the position san Francisco
holds now. Charleston, Mobile and savannah
were modelled after her. They all did bust
meas upon gold basis, were rich and strong
and still were not manufacturers; which
wOald SHOW that great prosperity Is possible
without manufacturers. Rut if you Will add
population enough to your state to raise her
manufacturing power equal to that OF Rhode
,land, to wit, to soil, per copetn,
YOU WILL BE AN EMPIRE,
and great one, within yourselves Popula-
lion you have at your call, but You repel IL,
which is Il strange thing to unbiased persons
ut a distance. You tell us that Chinese labor
will ruin you; will take the bread out ofthc
mouths of your poor people: Will dry up the
sources of proSpe ity! Absurd. Put million
ofChnamcn i'll your mountains and on your
firms and it Will create a demand for Il MIL
Lion of Europeans to complement them in
capacities and positions where Europeans
only are suitable. \ vast commerce would
be put in motion, thousands ofsplndleS would
be whirring and hammers ringing where now
is only silence. ! am not going to combat
any mans prciudices, or quarrel with nun
because he sees lit to be afraid of Chinese la-
Dor. seek to argue the question as one of
pure political economy. Stripped OF al the
rubbish that the mere Oiiice-SeekerS may have
cncum bered il with. II is unquestioGably the
interest of the laboring man and the poor
man to live in the midst Of prosperity. Give
us good times, and houses Will be built; give
us good times md carriages Will be needed;
give us good times, and good clothes
wanted; give us good times and people will
travel; give us good times, in short, and
money will be plentiful. Now then the great
question IS
HOW TO BRING ABOUT GOOD TIMES?
The answer is contained in very few words:
stimulate the sources of wealth, increase your
productions; ship ten times as much grain as
YOU do ten times as much bullion, and at the
same time purchase nothing abroad which
can be made at home. This will be brought
about when you have cast aside and ceased
10 be ruled by these narrow prejudiceS which
fears the feeble MOngolan Will crowd out the
robust Caucasian. This is a poor compliment,
to say the least of it, to the superior race. |
am not seeking to make converts or enemies
on the question, but it is one which needs
calm consideration at the hands of Califor-
mans.
BY the way, I noticed thpt you had some
thing to say about your shipping interests.
You have Il number of steamers plying to
your ports which are owned elsewhere and
YOU don't like il. Therein you are correct.
Daring the war was stationed at Whining
ton, y. c., and ran through the blockade from
and to that port four times; hence had most
excellent opportunities to observe the various
qualities of light draft sea-going vessels: add
to this experience pretty good knowledge
OF your necessities, gained during six months
residence at San Pedro and | think that you
will say that my judgment about your ship
ping interests is entitled tO credit. If yon
build a wharf on the in-Shore side of Dead
MANS Island and extend your railroad track
to it You will not get heavy steamers to go
alongside it, because there is not water
enough and the position too cramped to
mannLvre in. What you need is light draft
propeller which will carry 80 tons of rgo
on eight or nine feet of water. Such vessels
will go inside the bar and up to Wilmington
without difficulty. We built one on the Chat
tahooche River during the war which would
fill the bill exactly. She was 100 feet long,
80 feet beam, ten or eleven feet deep, fiat floor
and twin screws, driven by condenSing en-
gineS; contract price for building her without
spars S61 300 Four such steamers ought to
be built in San Francisco for 100000. | can
see no reason why such vessels should not he
very profitable. Give them sufficient power
10 make Roadway against the nor-weStcrS but
don't owe do the matter. Give them an
abundance of breadth to keep them on top of
the water, and good entrance and run. Give
them length enough to carry large cargo,
for it takes but little more to navigate large
steamer than small one, There can be no
question about the seaworthiness of such
crafts, GEORGE W. GIFT.
Memphis, Tenn, April 3d. 1874