The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-02-22
MANUFACTURING IN THE SOUTH.

Patton Of Alabama, before the Little
Rock Convention Of the Nationsl
Cotton Planters Association: Manu-
facuring in the southern States cre-
ates wealth. The manufacturer re.
ceives cash for his fabrics, the oper.
atives receive cash for their labor,
the merchant receives cash 1or MS
goods. the mechanic receives cash
for the articles which he makes, the
farmer receives cash for his products,
which find ready sale in the vii
lagos, towns and cities which grow
up under the auspices OF manutac-
turing. Trade fiouris hes the money
which flows from this created wealth,
being thrown into the regular chan
nels of business, finds its way to all
ella ;ses of the community. But this
is not all BY properly.developed
system of MANUFACTURING, this money
will remain in the community where
it is made. Generally speaking, it
NAV be annunciated as practicable
to make in the South every article
used there, whether the making OF
the article requires skilled or un-
skilled laborers, though more or less
skill may be required in all.
BY this line of policy the exports
of the southern States will be great
" increased. while the imports of ne
cessitv must be diminished. We
must send abroad more in value OF
our southern products. and depend
less upon foreign labors and produc-
tons. 1t is plain principle in
political economy that no Govern
ment, State, county, or municipality,
nor family or individual can prosper
and grow rich where the expenditures
exceed the income. Ii an humble
negro receives annually for his hire
s1OO and expend $110 in the same
time. it is very evident he will al
ways be poor. If the citizens OF
any southern State export cotton
and other products of less value than
what is manufacturing in the North
and brought South for consumption,
it is only a question of time when
that State will be bankrupt and re
duced to extreme poverty. IT, how.
ever. a southern State can by in.
creasing the value of cotton raised
in such State by manufacturing it
into yarns and fabrics before it is
sent abroad, thus increasing largely
it's imports, then that State will,
doubtless, grow rich and prosperous.
Let US, therefore, abandon the pre-
vailing opinion that we are totally
dependent on northern capital and
labor to manufacture the cotton
raised under the sun Of the South,
to be returned to us in fabrics, at
high and paying rates, thereby adj
ding largely to the wealth of mil
lionaires in the North, whose I'M.
mense estates have accumulated by
the manufacture Of cotton, making
the people Of the South "hewers of
wood and drawers of water Let
il no longer be said that we mnst
stand still and not go forward for
want of capital and skilled laborers
There is in the southern States an
abundance of capital, if our people
will have confidence to invest in
such enterprises as will contribute
to the general Prosperity of the
country. If, hcTever, large amounts
of capital are not to be found with
enterprising citizens disposed to en-
bark in erecting cotton mills, lie,
planters and others organize into
partnership or chartered comp anies
I thereby consolidating the smaller
tamount of capital for the purpose
}of manufacturing, and, if need be
these organizations can commence
on a limited, safe scale, and gradu
ally increase it, until by investing
and reinvesting the dividends and
profits derived from the enterprise
the company becomes wealthy ano
prosperous. By this process large
fortunes have already been accumn
lated and cities built up in the
South.
The model State of Georgia has
taken the lead in this regard. She
is very rapidly building up bel
manufacturing cities with capita
belonging to citizens of the State
At her Augusta, her Macon, hel
Columbus, and more recently hel
prosperous Atlanta, thousands O
needy laborers have profitable en-
ployment. The States of Nortl
Carolina and Mississippi, 1 am glac
to notice, are also doing much il
this direction. Let all the othe
cotton States follow the good ex
ample until the happy influence o
the manufacturing of cotton, iro1
wool. and all other southern pro
ducts shall be felt, not only in TIN
South, but elsewhere. The indus
trial industries of the southern
States must be so diversified as t,
give employment to all classes O
labor. We have in the southern
States large amount of labor whic
is now entirely unproductive, no
being we'll suited to agriculture
pursuits. or tilling the earth in tn
way of raising cotton, sugar, rice o
tobacco, which is the work of tn
southern planter neither is tina
labor we'll suited to the pursuits q
farming. growing grain, grass, stock
etc, but it can be proftably en-