The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-05-25
Cotton Manufactures in the South.
A correspondent of the Columbia Pheni'

A correspondent of the Columbia PhGna1,
over the signatureof progress" in the follow
ing Communication refers to the enterprise md
sagacity Of Hne of our fellow-citizens, Col. F.
E. Harrison; whose proposition is an important
step towards that independence which will be
achieved only when the South has diversified
her industries, and made practical use of the
immense resources now lying waste in her vast
water powers. It has been demonstrated often
that the manufacture of cotton in this section
is far less expensive than in other parts of the
United States, and that it gives employment
to class of persons at present consumers, who
are not adding to the wealth and prosperity of
the country. These considerations alone should
induce wider effort in this direction; and we
are always glad to chronicle the beginning Of
every such effort. We trust that Col. Harrison
will receive all the aid and encouragement
necessary to the full development of his plans,
and we are confident that these will provo
highly remunerative to himself and beneficial
to the country:
Mr.. EDITOR: The short extract from the re-
port or Mr.. Dodge; Government statistieian, in
your paper Of the 18th instant is full of healthy
suggestions to the Southern people, and will,
perhaps, one day, be adopted when there is less
profit and benefit in the policy than now. The
great cry is the want of capital, and persons
| from the North and Europe are invoked to
come and occupy the Sich fields and gather
golden harvests.
No sane man would object to the influx Of
such people, or the application of their wealth
to the development of any or all Of our inn
mense resources: But we will grow old and die
poor waiting for others to do that which, to a
large extent; We may accomplish ourselves. II
absetice of proper concentration of capital in
every neighborhood, which, if properly applied,
would soon find its way into cooperative cotton
mills. Why should not the farmers and plant
ers of each comfy associate and erect a cotton
mill on shares, and thus secure the profit in
converting the raw material into yarns? This
subject has been discussed, to some extent, in
the upper counties of the State, and will, doubt
less result in many manufactures of the various
articles of trade and commerce.
One enterprising gentleman, Col. F. E. Har-
1 rison, of Andersonville, who owns extensive
water power, has already embarked in this
business, with some new and distinctive fea-
lures, we'll worthy of consideration. He pro-
poses to receive from the neighboring farmers
and planters their crops of cotton, in the seed,
and manufacture it into yarns for reasonable
toll or per centage-thus giving the producer
the advantage of the manufactured article over
the raw material, and saving him the expense
of bagging and ties Again, he. proposes to
buy, if he can, all he may otherwise manufac-
tune in the seed store it In the seed, and only
gin It from day to day as he may be able to
convert il into yarns. First, because this saves
the expense Of bagging and ties; and, second,
preservation of the staple or lint of the cotton
in its original strength and glossiness: As long
as the seed is not separated from the lint, it
affords constant supplies of oil to the lint, and
yarns or cloth thus made will be stronger in
texture and show better on the markets.
| This gives the Southern people an advantage
over all importers, whether domestic or foreign,
in themsnnfactare of cotton, which they should
not be too tardy in securing.