The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-06-09
LET US ArANUrAcruRE AT HOME

LET Us MANUfACTUkE AT HOME.
People of Texas are, happily
enough, turning their attention to
manufactures: A vast quantity of
fine flour is made in the state, and
already there are eight or ten cotton
seed oil mills in operation, one fine
WOODEN mill, car shops, ice factories,
tanneries, few small cotton mills,
and,mueh agitation in many places
as to the. immediate establishment
of cotton mills on q large scale, The
good work is barely begun, bnt if
encouraged as it should be it win
not be many years before the
people of Texas will be self
sustaining, not only in matters
of raw production, but in the
manufacture from this raw pro-
duction of all that will supply
their wants. Our fertile soils and
rich pastures, and our fine water
powers give the basis for any
amount of possibilities, and instead
ofbeing consumers of the products
of other people, Texans should pro-
.dIice all they need at home, and have
much to spare for the consumers of
other states and countries. The net
work ofraiIways that is shortly to
put every part OF the state in close
connection with other parts, should
give an impetus to manufacture,
commensurate with the states pro-
gress, and by 1890, besides having
hundreds of millions in rail-
ways there should be tens
of millions in cotton and wooden
mills and in shops for the manufac-
ture of home and farm utensils and
machinery, and even the ship-bpil-
defs of the world should be launch
ing great vessels at tGould-On-Brazos,
made from. the everlasting oak and
cypress and other fine timbers Of
Southern Texas. In 1890, there
should be a hundred towns in
Texas the seats of prosperous
Let the beginning
be made, if not on grand
SCALE. in a small way, in
many. places. Fifteen years ago
the Eagle q Phoenix mills were
begun at Columbus, Georgia, on q
capital of $250,OOO; now ten times
this sum, besides dividends, has
been made from this factory, and
the money Is invested in the finest
cotton mills in. the world. Let Texas
towns begin with even ten or twenty
or fifty thousand dollars; in ten
years this capital will Increase itself
to one hundred thousand or two
hundred thousand and five hundred
thousand dollars. The capitalists
who put up a fifty thousand dol
lar cotton mill now, will have a five
hundred thousand dollar mill ten
years hence, and so with every ex-
pertinent in manufacture, suited to
our agricultural and natural produc-
tioh. Texas should have its agri-
cultural implement works, its car
and locomotive works, and its
great foundries and machine shops.
Why should the Studebakers or
the Milburns supply Texas with
wagons, when equally good wagons
can be made, at equally low prices,
at many points in the state !? Why
should Texas import hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of but
ter from Illinois, Iowa and Kansas,
when we have all the conditions for
profitable butter establishments
here? Why should we import reapers,
mowers, harvesters, separators, and
even plOws, from Ohio and Illinois,
instead of making them of
Texas wood and iron? There
are many sites in Texas where
abundant ,,water-pOwer for fac
tories is to be had for. almost
nothing and there are places quite
as suitable for the manufacture of
farming machinery and implements
as Peoria, Illinois, or Akron, Ohio.
Large capital is not needed to es-
tablish many industries in which all
successful manufactures have their
beginning. A little money-in some,
cases five or ten thousand dollars.
backed with patient labor and
economical management, will do.
the business. Industry makes.
its own capital, and almost
any small manufacturing business.
if properly conducted. may be
increased until it represent great
wealth and vast production. Every
community, where it is practicable
should begin, even in a small way
After a few years this beginning
will have assumed highly satisfac-
tory proportions. ..-'''-