The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-02-12
Cotton Factories In the South
IN. U. Time 6.

4u0 0tt6Ck0 Ot tue eL0lW8It kepOD
licsD OrgaDs on the census returns o.
the South have ceased. Their charK'
80 OF fraud have been shown to have
no foundation. We are not sMrpris
ed however, that the facts shown by
the census returns we're discredited
At the North. The southern people
themselves did not know that they
had maize auch progress In popula-
ton. wealth, and IN the development
OF their material resOMrces. They
knew that the South had not beeu
going backward or standing still
out they did not know how great tht
growth OF their section had been,
The truth ie. that while tho stten
ton OF the whole country was d.
rected towards the political troublea
Of the South, rather than towards
her material development, the great
mass OF the Southern people wert
engaged In repairing the ruiz
wrought by the war and In building
up the waste places. When the time
came tor . report OF their work l,
Was found that they had accomplish.
ed wonders. The Northern people
were ast0Dished, OF course, because
they had been taught by their presa
to believe the South Vas poor, and
that the Southern people were thrift.
lees and lswless. They discovered
from tho census returns that they
had made q mistake, and that the
South enjoyed q degree OF prosperity
equal 20 slmoet any other section o.
the country During tho ten Year,
since 1870 her population has steadi.
" increased, and the amount and
value OF her agricultural productions
have been greater each succeeding
year. The difference In the amount
OF cotton produced In 1870 and In 1880
amounts to several miilions Of bales.
The census shows another thing
that 10 gratifying to the South and
alarming to the Eastern States. II
10 that the South is preparing to man
ufacture her own cotton. The man.
uiacturing interests Of the South
have to contend with three great
difficulties which have hindered
their development. These dimcul.
tiee are the want Of capital, the laoh
Of labor and the competition Of the
great factories OF the New Eogland
States. Notwithstanding these OBJ.
stacles, however. the South has made
surprising progress. Mr.. Atkinson,
OF Boston, has said that mapuiac
lures could never succeed 10 the
South. The facts fatty contradict
him. Ia 1870 the South had ll,O0l
looms and Al. 900 spindles. 1850 che
had Is. 700 looms and 7l4.0 900 spindles
In 1870 she consumed 4. Oo0, 00(
pounds OF cotton. and 10 1850 some
thiog over 1O2, 100000 pounds. Du
ring the ten years from 1870 the In
crease OF the consumption Of cottor
10 the South was no Der cent. while
10 New England the incre nae durinf
the Same period was only 50 per cent
These figures chow that 10 the Las
ten years tho growth OF tho cottol
manufacturing interests OF the Soutl
has been thirty per cent. greater thai
tho growth OF the came interests II
New England, where there u every
thing 20 favor the development o
such interests. II this rate OF In
crease 10 maintained In the future I
will not b many years before tn
manufacturing interests OF tho Soutl
| sill equal those Of New EnRlsud
Tho need Of capital, which has II
tarded enterprises Of oil kinds IN tn
South, will not be felt much longer