156 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



pulation predominates, we cannot but be sensibly 

 alive to the advantages of having manufacturing 

 establishments interspersed through rural dis- 

 tricts. In the first place, there are many minor 

 agricultural products, which in their nature will 

 not bear transportation, that are consumed by 

 the operatives in these establishments. And 

 these operatives, who would otherwise be either 

 drones, or rival producers of our agricultural 

 staples, are thus converted into consumers of 

 the most profitable kind of agricultural products. 

 To say nothing of large establishments for fo- 

 reign markets, imagine that all the hats, shoes, 

 boots, cotton and woollen clothing, &c. &c, that 

 are consumed in Virginia were manufactured 

 within her borders, what a large portion of her 

 labor would be converted from sellers into pur- 

 chasers of agricultural products. How quickly 

 would our granaries, now groaning under the 

 surplus of breadstuff's, be emptied of their con- 

 tents ! Every waterfall would become a manu- 

 facturing village, and thousands who are en- 

 gaged in overproducing the staples of wheat, 

 corn and tobacco, would be employed in making 

 vegetables, butter, cheese, &c, for this new po- 

 pulation. 



To insure the establishment of manufactures 

 in the South, we must demonstrate that the sys- 

 tem will be advantageous to the manufacturer 

 as well as to the agriculturist. Now, we do 

 not think, as a general thing, that the South is 

 the place for manufacturing. The habits of the 

 people are too expensive ; we are too extrava- 

 gant ; in short, we are not poor enough to com- 

 pete with the Northern manufacturer. But 

 there are some species of manufactures, and 

 they not a few in number, in which from pecu- 

 liar and local circumstances, we can compete 

 with any body in the world ; indeed, as the fer- 

 tility of our soil is exhausted by bad cultivation, 

 the great bar to manufacturing to which we 

 just now alluded, viz: the expensive habits of 

 the people, must eventually fall with the cause 

 that gave rise to it. We already feel that a 

 change in that respect must take place, and we 

 are every year approaching nearer to the manu- 

 facturing point ; but even with this disadvantage 

 against us, there are many articles of manufac- 

 ture of which the transportation forms so large 

 a proportion of the whole cost, that under any 

 circumstances, the home market should be sup- 

 plied with the home product. Virginia is sup- 

 plied with corn brooms manufactured in the 



State of Connecticut. The retail price will 

 average thirty cents. The manufacturer in the 

 interior of Connecticut, cannot receive more than 

 twelve and a half; yet, with that it is a profita- 

 ble business, and he frequently makes more per 

 annum than a Virginia tobacco planter. This 

 is one article, the manufacture of which would 

 divert labor from our staples (the great desidera- 

 tum) both in the operatives that it would put in 

 the factory, and in the demand it would create 

 for minor agricultural products. There are thou- 

 sands such ; for we rely upon the North for every 

 kind of manufactured article, and even for some 

 of our agricultural products. We know more 

 than one gentleman in the town of Fredericks- 

 burg who procures his winter supply of cab- 

 bages from New York, and any Tuesday morn- 

 ing, butter from the State of Delaware may be 

 found in the Richmond market. The next thing 

 probably will be, that we shall employ the Yan- 

 kees to chew our food for us. 



The productions of Virginia may be said 

 literally to be confined to corn, wheat and to- 

 bacco. That was all well enough whilst there 

 was an unlimited demand for these articles at 

 prices that remunerated better than any other 

 products. But is that the case at present ? The 

 lawyers say, cessante rationc, cessat lex, that is, 

 when the reason for a thing ceases, the thing 

 itself ought to cease. The vast extension of 

 these great staples in the South and West, has 

 evidently overstocked the market and brought 

 these products below the relative profits of others. 

 Should we then continue to make them % They, 

 to be sure, are great staples, and probably the 

 demand for them is greater than for any one 

 product to which our soil and climate are con- 

 genial, but to all other products which may be 

 raised in Virginia ; they do not bear the propor- 

 tion of one to a hundred. We are then con- 

 fining ourselves to one hundredth part of the 

 products which we might make, and we are at 

 the same time bitterly complaining of the re- 

 duced price of these products. Suppose all the 

 mechanics in the State of Virginia were en- 

 gaged in the making of hats, would it be very 

 wonderful if the market were overstocked, and 

 the price of hats very much reduced ? 



The evil is obvious enough ; but for the reme- 

 dy. Who is to be the pioneer ; who is to embark 

 his fortunes in these new products with which 

 we are all unacquainted ; where is the skill to 

 come from 1 Many of the agricultural articles 



