Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-12-30
For TIC ENQUIRER
The DEFENCE OF THE cREysHAW WooLEE

THE DEFENCE OF THE. CREysHAW WOoLEN
MILL AGAINST CHARGES OF EXT0RTION. &
Since very soon after. the commencement
OF tho war, tho Crenshaw Woolen Company
mas been repeatedly held up to public exccra
tion rs an cxtortioner. This .continual dip
ping" has produced its impression Cn the in,
considerate, and the Company is actually
deemed an extortinDsr by The general public
II has borne this obloquy so far in indignant
silence. It would not admit the right Of the
press or its scribblers to arraigu it in iguo-
rance Of facts, and compel it to plead to every
accusation that envy, malice, ignorance, folly
coasoriousness or othciousness might parade
And now, i'll breaking this silence, it begs
that it may be distinctly understood that it is
not for the class above alluded to. 1t is as
surod that it has friends, who, from their !ni.
form kindness and confidence, are entitled to
an explanation, which will reach them more
conveniently througha public channel than
in any other way. For these this publication
is made, as also for that large proportion Of
fair minded men, whose good opinion %is CT
course desired by the mill owners.
The immediate: opportunity of making tits
afforded by afpecs III q laso Z:
bid Ut ono Of the late auction sales, With the
view Of running up the price Of goods. This
piece was signed somewhat pretentionsly
"Alel chant;" and we forhcar to make thc
pubic smile by adding thereto the appropri-
ate atiix, which would reveal tho calling, il
not ualnu, of thu ambitious author.
The facts Of the case are very simple snd
harmless Me,ars. Mitchell and Tyler re-
cciyed from their frien9s Stockiy aud Scott,
of Mobile, Ala, who were well aware that
NJ. and L. were stockholders, the following
teegrau,s-ihe tirst on the lSth ult, ..lc second
on the 25th, the day after the sale;
'Mitchel u Tyler: Buy US four pieces
grey cloth, No, 2 or ;, at Crcnshaw's sale
OH twenry-Hfth. Answer.
SrnckLl 4 Srorr.
''Altchell Y Tyoler :"-Shp our cloth per
Express, and draw Oh us fcr amount.
SToCHIY II Srorr
Mr.. NJ. was urged by one Of the directors
not to buy, as it would be made ground iot
clsmor, but he bid so Inc S222 per yard, whui,
he ceased bidding, at the public request ri
another officer oflhe company, who as,,ur. d
him he should have whal he wanted AZ The
average price. These goods sold tor ?23E (.
The next piece was then put up, with .thc
usual privilege Of that class VI goods, an,
was knocked down at SIC 2j, tho nducr TAX
ing all ui that lot. That was tho whole trans
actlon Let ingenuity tortuc it INTO by-bid-
ding. The agents OF the company r&cui"e:
two orders to buy cloth at the same sale, h.
did not mako bid, and wrote to The I,s .,e>
after the sale that if they wanted the goods
AT the price ut which they sold and wa'ch
they reported, they would send thcia--so
cautious were they to avoid even the apncec-
ancc Of bidding.
And now as TO the moro general cEa. - Of
extcrtion. Let US define the wo'd. To eN-
tort Is ~ twist OF screw out OF a innn more
than sn article is worth III fair anu open
market. An cXtOrtioner does this either in
taking advantage OF the existing necessities ot
a community IN charge too much, Or in pro-
ducmg, by some indirect Means, 3 higher
price than the article would otherwise hRvr
brought; Us, for instance. by buyi05 ar'i
boarding salt or flour, TO await a -'se wElch
is wholly or partially caused by such b..yinG
and boarding. Bearing this definition Ii.
mind, sll the way through. !et ls sec # tie
CrcnShaw- Nooirm a,ll has ,lc.ia c::;s:~-- "a
certainly has net baugnt and retained cloth,
and is therefore not guilty On that count
The following facts will show if it has Gccn
guilty on the others
The Crenshaw Woolen Company was the
result Of the John Brown raid; one of whose
effects, as n,auy i'll Richmond will rccollcci,
was to stimulate enterprise and induce good
many capitalists to talk of commercial indc-
pendence. Unlike several other projects this
did not tizzle out either in purpose or accom-.
Pl;shment, for which small thanks are due to
the public. For though the mill was started
III September, 1850, Yet, on the iIth Of April
following. when Virginia seeded. Inc mil
had SOLD only l%,uo0 dollars worrh OF
goods, including an auction Sale Of six th0u-
sand. and had fifty thousand dollars worth
thcn on hand. Tne reason was that the dry
goods trade insisted on having the goods sold
through their hands, so as TO pay them 4
commission, one house going 50 far as IN
threaten no- to buy at all, if any goods
should ne sold to tailors; by whom, il fact,
two thirds OF the goods had been bought nl'
to the time OF the waT. Against thus pre-.
ference for Northern over Southern gvooS.
this indirect attack upon d nasccrt enter
prise, important both To tins city and the
South, this claim To increase the prices Of
goods by the amount Of their nrniitS, {. Gis-
eliminating public made no protest; and the
mill owners not disappointed therear, made
no complaint then or siucc.
The war breaking out, it became the duty
Of the wooden u.,ls in y business poiI:t 81 yiew,
to lock to tho supply Of wooleils u::dcr the
blockade. They nsve never claimed any
credit for patriotism OF philanthropy III thst
proceeding. Trade makes money; anl palri-
oism or charity dispeDscs such part Of that
money as duty or INCLINATION prcscribes to
each individual. How far these gains have
taken such directions, is no! tho duty ni the
stockholders to disclose, nor the right Of the
public to inquire. The mill owners arc not 81
stupid as t. conduct their business on charity
principles; nor so timid a. to court favUrS By
ostcntatious generosity. Wool was then !o~.
and in April or May, the company laid III, at
very low rates, and from distant markets. L
stock OF 100000 pounds, which they pa,d
for in golS, and at the same time they laid IN
from without the limits of the Coniedc:aGy
many articles necessary for running and re-
psiring their mill. BY doing these things and
going out Of the market, it II plain 10 busi-
ness men that they lowered picrS It ;uInc,
Thus fixed, the ,alll was turned on military y
goods. such as we've selling at three to three
and half dollars per yard, before the war,
were gradually put up 90 four and four and
half dollars; and contracts were taken to run
the mill At these prices up to the first OF JAN
uary. BY that time the same goods had ad'
vancod in second hands, to eight and ten da;-
lars. Notwithstanding this, the clotlr that
was mace by the mill, over and abn;c tr" co.'s
tracts, being two thirds Of lis t"tt! product
was sold direct to the military companies anal
the Virg mia Military Institute, as fast as made
at the same low prices rs tn contractors,though
the dry goods trace Claimed that prices +" al
vanccd to soldiers so aS to a!icw them
profit on their purchases, or r"ducc'i
in price, to themselves. During ti,,s time
wool had gone up to eishty-fi'c ccni" to ono
dollar per pound and if il had bcs.. Hc.:c'.S =.