Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-12
1850.
The South and Cotton Factories.

There is some sharp criticism of por-
tions of MIR. Atkinson's Atlanta speech.
The Raleigh Observer saws that his re-
marks did not give satisfaction. Geor-
gia is getting to be cotton manufacture
ing State, and the people see cotton fac
tories springing up at different points,
and also see that the owners are prosper
Gus, making large dividends and putting
more money into similar enterprises.
These facts are patent, and they mean
something. Now the theory is
that for reasons hereafter noted, the
South is better field for cotton manu-
fscture than the North; and these facts
fit that theory. But Mr.. Atkinson, with
his eyes open, is pleased to ignore these
facts, and to set aside that theory, and
insist that the South is not the place to
manufacture cotton goods, but that New
England is. He said that the place for
manufacturing cotton was in New Eng
land, and that the South should make
the cotton crop and send it to the North,
where it could be manufactured; that
the Northern and Eastern States were
the places where the best classes of cot
ton goods could be made at the smallest
expense
Now we quite agree with the statement
that at present the South is not able to
compete with New England in the manu-
facture of the best class of goods. But
had we the machinery, the capital, and
the skilled labor, we could perhaps ex-
eel New England even in this depart
ment. That is, the climate is more ia
vorable, and the cotton can be procured
-, t.
hibitOr of cotton machinery said, as if
by way of reply, that he had demonstra-
ted by experience to his own satisfaction
that he could make a finer quality of
thread at Atlanta than he could at the
North.
But we are quite content not to press
that point. On the other, we take a
broad issue with Mr.. Atkinson, who has
seemed to US very eager to check the
tendency which the South exhibits to
run into the manufacture of cotton
goods.
Before the war we understood that
Governor Sprague said that cotton
goods could be made cheaper at the
South than at the North, and all expe-
rience tends in the same direction. The
following estimate has been made by an
intelligent Northern writer, showing the
disadvantages of the Northern mills:
Bagging and ties, paid for, per bale,
81; storage and insurance, rs cents;
drayage, 90 cents; sampling, 90 cents;
COMPRISING, 70 cents; commissions and
brokerage, So; freight and insurance,
So; waste by dirt, stealings, careless
handling, etc., So, being loss to the New
England mill over what the Southern
mill has to pay of over ten dollars bale
The water power of the South is not so
costly as at the North; the cost of living
is not so great; the wages of operatives
are less; taxation not so oppressive; the
weather is not so inclement, and our win.
ters are neither so long nor so severe; in.
deed, our water powers are never frozen
up. And more than that, it Is stated that
the humidity of our atmosphere is very
even, ranging from 65 to 20, the very con
dition demanded for weaving and spin.
ming cotton. In New England they have
to use steam to produce this humidity,
while with US nature has done the work.
Under these circumstances it is worse
than useless for Mr.. Atkinson or any
body else to depreciate the advantages of
the South as region especially adapted
to the manufacture of cotton.
1t has been suggested that Mr.. Atkin-
son is seeking to prevent the growth of
the South in this direction at the expense
of his own people. We do not choose to
say that. but we claim that his position
serves to illustrate very forcibly that his
judgment is unsound and unreliable, and
that he is so warped by prejudice that
he will not see what he does not wish to
see.