Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-04-08
Huntsville, n. c., March 81, 1868.
For the Standard,

Mr. EpIToR:-I see article in the Standard Of
March 18th. which is down the cotton factories
for selling their yarns at such high prices and begs
that all conscript hands in the cotton factories be
put at once into the ranks. Well, We are willing
to admit that the price of yarns is very high, but
the gentleman that wrote the article referred to
could with equally much justice have applied his
article to great many other establishments as yell
rs the factories For instance, shoe shops TN
neries, iron works. and some Others which all have
great many more conscripts employed than the
factories have; and some Of the iron works and
shoe shops was put up on purpose to screen con-
scripts, and everybody knows the factories were
not, for they have all been in operation for many
years, and up to the commencement OF the war,
scarcely made money enough to induce the owners
and stockholders to run them; and, in fact, in the
hard times of 1856 and ST some failed, and had to
suspend operations entirely. And because there Is
a chance for them to make some money and replace
their former losses it seems that there is general
prejudice against them. Why, every one likes to
make money; and it is an old adsge that every dog
has his dav; and il the day has come for the fac
tories to make money, let them have it. As for
their asking seven dollars a bunch for their yarns,
that is something have never yet known. Five
dollars is the highest price have seen bunch Of
warn sell for But admitting it 10 he seven dollars
bunch is it not as cheap then. as shoes at $ls to
$50 pair, or flour at $50 per barrel, or bacon from
Is cents to 81 per pound? Why don't our friend
give some of the manufacturers of these articles q
drubbng, Us we'll as the cotton manufacturers?
Perhaps the farmer ALSO belongs to the latter class
He wants to lsnow if the people must be deprived
of clothing while the factories grow rich would
like to know if the poor women and children OF our
State must be deprived Of bread on account Of the
farmers and Spectators running it out Of the State
for the purpose Of obtaining high prices Such is the
case, and I am cognizant of the fact The farm-
load Of dO 0t r,nth eircu m
and bread out of the State. Suppose they do not
They sell it to the spectators, knowing at the same
time that they will either it off to obtain high
price, or raise the home market which makes it SO
much the worse for the INDECENT families of SOL
diers. This speculation and the running OF the
meat and bread out Of the country has in part com
PEELED the agents of cotton factories to demand pro-
duce in exchange for their goods, to feed their op
eratives on. AS far as am acquainted, when they
make these exchanges, they make proportonate
allowance for PRODUCE and have heard them tell
their customers that if they would put their pro-
duce at the old prices they should have cotton
yarns and sheetngs at the old prices. Is not this
a fair and genteel way of trading2 Notwithstand-
ing their demand for produce in exchange for cot
ton, I.have never known any Of them to denys
soldiers wife bunch of yarn for the money, and
sometimes at half price, W. Turner, who owns
the Turnersburg Factory, has at this time an ad-
vertisment in the Irede E1press promising to give
each soldiers wife in lredell county one bunch Of
yarn and ten yards Of cloth, and when called up
on, has dore so. Is there q shoe shop tan
merry, farmer, Spectator. even another cotton
factory, that will donate the same amount to the
INDECENT families of their county? If SO, would
be glad to know it.
In conclusion, would say, that doubt very
much whether our friend that wrote the article re-
ferred TO- knows anything about cotton factory, or
the expense Of running one. If he is not acquant-
ed and fasted in the business, he has no right to
talk about the 70 per cent law in regard to the fac
tories N. L. N.
Turnersburg, N. c., March 80, 1858. = - +