The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-29
The Manufacturing Interests Of the
nalY0"tn. lAaSM !,

Some SsM ymeafs ago, gag fhdSNe CIV
York. Gbaob Record it was quite al easy
matter to apportion to each section of:
this mighty Continent its various sources
of wealth; to the New England States
belonged the industries TO the West the
raising of, wheat, and tojsthe South the
production Of cotton, but as the county
has developed, the minds Of all shrewd
business men hagef been opened, ,sto the
necessity of combining manufacturing
enterprises with agricultural pursuits
the West was the FIRST to adopt the ne
cessity of producing goods in proportion
to- what twas grown within her districts,
for she found out she never derived any
benefit ofreciprocation from the impor-
tation of the articles she paid SO dearly
for in the East. 4 Apart from Ithe mere
question of grain, ,7it is 1oneI of the first
principles Of political economy to diver
isify as much as possible the different
channels in; which labor Q is qempioyed,
and so of late years it has dawned upon
the, South that so long Tas she continued
to plant cotton and make it her chief
source of occupation, she could only at
tract to her territory the very poorest
lclass of field labor, for from statistics it
has clearly been shown that the cotton
laborer very rarely sis able learn any
thing over and aboverh his actualexpenses,
and of-course the man who has nothing
for the opening up or progress of that
section in which he is working.
: The contrast has been very marked be-
tween the farming hands of the Cotton
States and the workmen in the manufac-
turing districts; to this end the South
has been obliged ito push forward her nt-
most energies in encouraging everything
that tended to promote her future wealth,
and so has determined to appropriate q
certain share in the rapid growth the
United States has made in manufactures,
which have doubled. within the last ten
wears. The financial crisis of S73 did q
great deal of good to the South, as while
all industries were at stand-still in the
North, suffering as they did from the en-
scumbrances Of debt, contracted in pros
porous times, the few cotton facto!
ries that had been erected in the South
were all doing most successful business.
In Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and
Texas mill propertysto this day Is paying
large dividends; the only way to keep
trade ever on the increase is to create
new activity the moment it isl discovered
that certain other localities are .outstrip,
ping the South of her legitimate occupa-
ton, the spinning as well as the growing
of cotton. The great drawback to the
proper advancement Of manufacturing
enterprise is that both State and munich
pal laws ,prevent the untrameled execu-
ton Of local energy, and while, of course,
it is very difficult for Legislators to see
that the wealth of, their various sections
depends upon the self-supporting capac-
ity of their inhabitants, still it is an
essential point toinspire due encourage
-ment to build dup every kind of enterprise,
instead of pulling it down BY stringent
taxes, for Che amalgamation Of agicultuI
raj and manufacturing pursuits is the
only way for any people to acquire per-
manent wealth and retain a lasting inde-
1pendence. Y032 SahW tstT