Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-28
VOLUNTARY SLAVERY IN TENNEs.

a slave by the acts Of another, is in a
deplorable condition, and is entitled to
the sympathy Of mankind; unable to
help himself, he is the proper subject
for aid from others. But the man who,
by his own act, takes slavery upon him.
self, is not worthy of the sympathy of
his fellow men, more especially when
this condition is chosen despite fore
warning patent to alb Such man,
we take it, merits the infections incl
dent to his degraded condition, and
should bear without a murmur TIE con-
sequences Of his own folly" The Jour-
nal applies its philosophy by showing
that the farmer who finds himself and
family left destitute of the necessaries
of life by drought and crop failure, be-
comes an involuntary slave; but the
farmer who, with fair seasons and fer
tile soil, neglects to raise a suficiency
for his own consumption, of such arti-
cles as his ground viii grow, becomes a
slave Of his own free will
That the latter policy is pursued by
too many Tennesseans, must be evil
dent to any one who has noticed the
heavy cargoes of Northern kay, corn,
potatoes and cabbages annually bought
and consumed inf this State, although
our soil is admirably adapted to their
production. Instead Of thus sending
millions Of dollars out of the State
each year, to buy things that we can
raise as well ourselves, we ought TO be
large producers and sellers of these
very articles to less favored regions.
We ought to have wheat, corn and hay
in surplus to sell to the extreme South.
The thrifty farmers Of the Northwest
depend on these crops alone to pay their
grocery and dry goods bills, and they
pass US by on the road to their best
market.
On the other hand, We ought to util-
ize our earlier seasons by raising Yege-
tables to send North, three weeks'or a
month ahead of their home growth. So
Of the staple fruits of the country,
apples, peaches, pears, etc, we ought
to raise enough at least for home con-
sumption, instead Of sending North
thousands Of dollars every year. With
our varied soils from mountainous East
Tennessee and the undulating Central
Basin 70 the level Western District,
supplemented with river and rail facili.
ties for transportation, we should raise
such a variety Of crops that no season
would ever catch US without something
to sell.
Nature has favored US more highly
than those to the north or south, and
there is every reason why we ought to
be one of the most prosperous States
in the Union. By prosperity We do
not mean the immense accommodations
of mon led wealth which grind a mil
lion poor to make each millionaire.
That sort of prosperity exists among
the most downtrodden peoples Of des-
potic Europe and Asia. We mean
prosperity universally diffused among
the masses, and attainable to all who
exercise industry and frugality. The
great money power Of the East cannot
affect US, unless we place ourselves
under its influence by contracting debt.
1t cannot enslave US, unless We volun-
tarily give up our liberty Of action by
accepting its profered credit. The
system of paying as we 60, would de-
priye the money power of all Its evil
tendencies. If no one accepted credit,
money would be no longer an interest
drawing leech, but would find invest
ment in productive industries and IN
enhancing the value of real state.
The system pursued in Tennessee is
the very reverse, and places us each
day more and more at the mercy of
the money-power' We bny too many
things that re should produce our
selves.
Nor is this evil by any means con-
fined to the farm. In home industries,
we have fallen behind the generation
that preceded us, instead Of advancing.
Home manufactures have actually de-
creased within the past thirty years,
not merely In proportion to population,
but in actual amount. Most Of US re-
member when each crossroads black
smith made the nails for his neighbor-
hood, and excellent nails they were;
now, with all our iron resources, we
depend on the Pittsburg monopoly
almost exclusively, add pay their price
for an article IN every way inferior.
So there used 20 be a halter in every
village; now We import our headgear
altogether. We might go on with
other trades then existing, which have
fallen into utter disuse among US,
owing to the mania for sending our
money to strangers in payment for
gaudier but less substantial work.
Things have come to such a psss that
many Tennesseeans, instead of going
to the woods and cutting an ax-handle
will go to town and pay a dime for one
ready-made at some Northern factory,
| just because it has a curly cue.
We venture little in affirming that
there are not in Tennessee to-day one
third the number Of boys aPprenticed
to useful trades that there were before
the war. We have made sOmeinquiries
on the subject, and towns which then
numbered thirty to forty apprentices,
cannot now muster more than half a
dozen. Since the war, the cry has been
for. large industrial establishments
| which we have not secured, while II