Year: 1861

War specuis,,ons the Ps obs BILE Cause of Ruin 20
Southern Manufactures.


The course which SPECTATORS taking at the South
n leading articles OF trade is curious and to some ex
tent nexpcable That the prices of those articles of
consumption which not produced in the South and
for which dependent outside markets, should
rise is natural and not at all singular. But great
many articles of consumption for which the South is
not dependent upon other regions and which she her.
self manufactures in abundance are rising as rapidly
in price those just alluded to. The fact of such
rise in the prices Of articles of Southern production
may be DUE and doubtless is DUE in many cases to the
want of transportation The coastwise trade is broken
up, and products which were interchaDged between
Southern ports by water navigation, have now to be
transported wholly by railway. The extraordinary
amount OF transportation required by Government pre-
occupying the railroads. OF the increased trans
portaton required for other goods cannot be accommo
dated except after much delay and this circumstance
doubtless creates scarcity Of particular products at
particular points, enhancing prices and placing consu
mers at the mercy of SPECTATORS But this cause of
high prices many Southern products does not exist as
to other products and fails to account for the rise of
their prices.


Take, for instance, the price of white paper used for
newspapers 1he factories procure rags which used to
be sent in large quantities tothe North at about half
the price they had TO give before the war; They may
have to pay little more than then for some of the
few simple chemicals they employ in the manufacture of
but the enhanced cost of these does not at all
equal the saving made in the diminished price of rags
used. Yet paper which heretofore was purchased at
ten CENTS cannot be had at less than fifteen cents
There can be good reason, founded on sound prnc


pies OF business for such an addition to the price of this
article and the increased charge only be accounted
for by the propensity of human nature to tighten pre-
vaing pressure, and to make hard times harder. If
the ports were open and white paper could be procured
from the North, the competition of the Northern art
Gle would keep down the price of the Southern but the
Southern manufacturers of this we'll of many 9TH
articles copying the of tie fool in the fable who
killed the goose Tor the golden egg, are orfeug in ad
vance all chance of favorable system of permanent
legislation in the future for their benefit by making the
very name of Southern manufacturers the synonym of
eXtortion.


Another striking instance of needless and causeless
advance in the price of leading article of Southern
manufacture is that of cut nails. Everybody knows
that at least the Virginia market if not the greater
portion OF the Southern market, for this article, was
supplied by Southern manufacturers. Yet the price of
nails has gone up in Richmond the chief seat of the
manufacture, from four and halt to seven and half
cents and strong speculatons now organizing to
raise the price to dollars There is no sound reason
Tor this rlse There need be no scarcity of iron in Vr
gina and we have every factory in operation that
we bad before the yet the price of nails will
than double. 1t will not be from an increase of de-
mand; for building is generally suspended by the
1t cannot be from the deficiency of transportation for
that would tend to glut the Richmond market and it
is here that the price advances first and most rapidly
1t IS not from deficient supply for that is the
precisely as before the The cause is twofold





article by which fortunes have already been made and
second, the absence of competition from the North
which has tempted manufacturers to put up their pr
ices. The effect of the of the manufacturers


first in consenng to sell to spectators at ALL and then
in putting up their prices in consequence of the
OF spectators in running up THEIRS must be
plain to every The Southern public will be so dis
gusted at the extortion that is practsed upon them
that when peace ensues the ports thrown open and
manufacturers petition for protection from foreign COM
petition, including that of the Yankees, the country
will be disposed Indignantly to reject their prayer.


The instances we have cited are but examples OF a
general rule. The case is worse with wooen and cot
ton manufactures Speculation is rife in every depart
ment OF trade Southern manufacturers instead of dis
couragng it, yielding to, and taking advantage Of
the state Of things Southern manufactures of all sorts
are held Tor double prices and the seeds of popular in
Southern community.


We would sound friendly warning to Southern
manufacturers on this important The tendency
OF the Southern mind is srongy in favor Of free trade
Free trade with Europe will bring in goods after the
war cheap and superior to the Northern fabrics
which they have heretofore been accustomed to- that
once trying it, the Southern people will consent
to give 1t up again. Protection the most mode
rate, will be Infinitely unpopular 10 the South
than it 10 the old Union. The thought of it
will only be tolerated far as to place US in state of
selfdepeudence and seprotection in time of war; and
yet the present of Southern manufacturers may
| render them unpopular that the Southern people
will prefer to do without their help altogether as
| means of escaping their extOrOns.