Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-29
THE NEW SOUTH.
Her Future as the Centre of Cotton
Manufacturing Industry.
Chicago Times.


1t is true, as our New Orleans name
sake asserts, there Is new life in the
southland already. New enterprises
and industries have already sprung up.
The cotton manufacturing industry es-
pecially is making very gratifying pro-
gress. II is a fact that has called out
considerable comment that while some
Of the largest cotton factories IN New
England have been closed within a few
months, a number Of establishments Of
the same kind have commenced opera.
ton IN the Southern States. This fact
has been taken, and rightly so, no
doubt, as an indication that the centre
Of this important industry will be
transferred to the Southern States at no
distant day. And there are other indi-
cations which point to the same conclu-
sion. The natural home Of this indus
try Is IN the cotton belt, for there the
business can be carried on at the mini.
mum cost for transportation OF the raw
material 20 the factory, and Of the fin
ished product from the factory to
market, and at nearly If lot quite the
minimum cost for buildings, ground,
and power. And the present Is a
favorable time for the industry to OBJ
tain q firm foothold IN its natural home,
because the cost Of machinery Is much
less than it was when most of the New
England factories were established.
There are large markets for cotton
fabrics in Cuba, in Brazil, and in
Mexico, and to these markets the
Southern States have the easiest access.
At present they are supplied chiefly
from New and Old England. The cot
ton is grown in the Southern States,
shipped a thousand miles north, or
three thousand miles across the ocean,
converted into cloth, and then shipped
back past the southern ports from
which It came to the East Indies, South
America and Mexico. And what Is more,
while those countries export most to us,
they import least from us. This is
obviously an unnatural state of things.
All that is needed to change 1t is a
rational commercial system, and an in
t,lligent spirit of enterprise in the
Southern States. With these ethe
southern factories can supply the
markets Of this hemisphere IN cOmpe-
Jition with the world.
As the Eastern manufacturing cap
italists see their supremacy slipping
away from them In this branch OF IN
dustry, they will undoubtedly apply TO
Congress for more protection. 1t Is to
be hoped that the Southern manufac-
turers viii not be delUded into the be-
lief that their interests require them
to ION IN this movement. 1t Is not
the home market alone that they should
aim to control They should cherish
a HIGHER ambition than that. They
should strike at British rather than at
New England supremacy IN this branch
Of industry. With free trade they can
succeed, because free trade will relieve
them from the payment Of contrbu.
tons to other industries, aud enable
them to manufacture cheaper than
anyone else. II the Southern people
have the wisdom to pursue the right
policy in this natter, toe day is not
far distant when they will have the
satisfaction of seeing British machine
~ and British skilled workmen trans
ferred to their own towns and cltless
and Of witnessing a new birth Of N.
dustry, and an increase Of population
and wealth such as the South has never
yet known.