Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-11-12
Letter from Memphis.

from ROCK lSlanu 10 NusnNllej lnus making
your beautiful little town "way station"
feel sorry for this, for it is bound to mate.
rally affect the commercial interests of Me
Minnvile. Yet at the same time, when we
remember that a vast and wealthy country
is opened to commerce, and that the extern
sion is bound in the near future, to be car
ried through to the Cincinnati Southern,
thus giving to your whole region direct
route to lhe north and east, believe it will
eventually prove blessing if properly ap-
precia1ed by your people. While the rail
road will change The aspect Of business in
your town by reducing the sales, and ult
mately the number of your merchants, yet
this will only effect fraction of your popu
lation, and it will not injure them perma-
nently if they will only be wise in time and
invest their capital in manufacturing and
producing industries.
A new era is dawning upon our land. The
next ten years is going to tell upon our State.
For the last thirty years capitol has flooded
the the great West and made it what it is to-
day, developing its miues, building lis rail-
roads, erecting its factories and mills, and of
course, attracting an intelligent population
and building up great cities The West has
become so wealthy that capital is now seek.
ing permanent and safe investment in the
Southern States. Are your people ready to
take advantage of this rising tide? With
your wonderful resources, your coal, iron,
limestone, timber, wonderful water-powcr
and genial climate GALL the essentials for
great manufacturing enterprises), or will
you go on discouraging every struggling in
dustry by sending off your money 10 pur-
chase thousand things necessary for mod
ern Life which you could well manufacture
at home? ] feel that this is a subject that
you must decide very soon or the golden OPP.
portuni.y will slip. By the introduction of
manufacturing enterprises you VIII add to
your population au Intelligent and useful
class, who will be bringing in instead OF
cc,Tying ont money.
How many of your young men, young
men of intellect and ambition, have left
your city during the last twenty years? How
few the opportunities to embark in a paying
business in a town like McMinnvile A
few young men enter their fathers stores, a
few Others fall into The professions, and the
oIhe,s d,iit OS-and no wonder.
Now If you had manufactures at home
| do not mean great big enterprises that re.
quire immense capital 10 STAT, but wo,k.
shops large enough to employ from half O
dozen to score of men, every young man
would lind business adapted to his pecu
liar tastes and from which he would be alb c
10 make competency and perhaps lay the
foundation OF an immense entern.ise and re-
a!ize an immense fortune. / know whereof
| write when | say that the largest enter
p'iseS in the world to-day were founded by
men who commenced without dollar anC
whose only c. Dital was a thorough knOwl
edge of The business or trade. untrng per
severance, and practical common sense.
Why is il that our towns in the Soutl
have not grown since the war? Why is i
that obey present to the traveller such for
saEen and pover,y.stricken appearance?
you will look at the census Of 1880 you vii
Tux w St Se Il noe TGeTSf an
line of some railroad have fallen of in pop
ula. ION and wealth, while all the State
above and west of us are prosperous an
= veal ny. There is but one answer. Wnil
we have neglected they have Josicred and cl
courCged local manufactures aud 'ndust,je
{ | will 1--WE YOU an Illustration OF orr plan
e ] Suppose that your merchans sell du' in
I The ve.'r three hundred wagons, four hul
dred pIows, aud one thOusy1d sunday az
~, culiutal implements, such as hoes, fox
u spades, e,c. Now suppose these were mani
e fac,ured ~ McMinnvile. How many me
: could find employment du lug the year?
have made an estimate thgtI think yot
mechanics wiz tell you is unGers,ated. pt
u it down at tweuty wood wo,kmen (whe
:, ". ;ghts and body make 's) and ten lahore
n ald apprentices, iueen biacEsmi,hs, tfteC
strikes and s.x painters. This estimate
lows for the use of machinery, and If VI
leave out machinery you can treble 4
above number OF wo,kmen. Now suppo
that you estimate that Inc above have thr
s. persons each dependent upon them fol-
W support you add nearly three hundred
i. your population that would spend every d
lar of Lheir earnings at home. Now y
y can contrast this with our past plan, Fo
Us or i've merchants sell all the above larmi
Implements, aud the town and county dc
no, receive one particle of benefit or Q
W. nickel 10 jas wealth. This Illustration
suited to all the industries, trades and c;
>" ines. Thus, while we all depend upon
10 farming industries around us for suppC
.p-. our towns are slowly yet surely falling il
,t. decay McMiunv'le has capital enough
/. start dozeu ente prises that would d
Nv more 10 her Formulation and wealth in
Tor yea Than lhe fifteen years since the
~ >,,,oooo, s8a&
-er Marry Item.