The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-04-12
TEE SOUTHERN paoBLEH.
Northern Supremacy I'm Cotton Manu(ac.
ture overthrown by Emancipation.
Frank WTikeson IN Nc.c l;o,t Sun.

'""N " tStSOH tb AffU " SuV.
1t is not generally known il the North
that the cotton manufacturing industry
of the Southern States has, tn ough skill.
full management aud the imp ovement of
every natural advantage, reached point
where 1t cannot only defy the competi.
tion of the products of Northern mills in
Southern markets, but Eow enters the
markets of the West, with every prospect
of driving the products of the Now Eng.
land mills Out Of the Mississippi valley.
The economic truth that the mills
should be surrounded by cotton fields, ia.
at least, realized by all intelligent men.
Throughout the cotton States, at such
points where the water power 10 unfaii.
ing and easily improved, or where fuel
ID cheap and abundant mills are in the
course of erection, or IL net being bailt,
the question of building Is agitated and
subscription papers are circulated. lam
pleased to say that wherever l have been
in the cotton States the men were talk
ing of investing Southern capital in the
manufacture OF cotton. The desire 10 10
build up this industry with Southern
money, but Northern capital will be vel.
coined in all portions Of the South il
invested in cotton mills. Georgia leads
the South in this industry, "A size leads
IN ali things political or material; but
all the Southern States are making
healthy progress. The danger that
threatens the New England manufactur.
crs is imminent. The sigus sharply indi.
cate that they are to be forced into q
competition with an established and
active industry that will fatally cripple
them. The advantages the Southern
manufacturers hold over those of New
England are many; and any one of them
used to the full extent as all will be, will
be sufficient to overcome the Northern
industry.
Out of the system of African slavery
arose belief in, and a practice of, pay.
ing low wages in the South. Free white
men could not successfully compete In
the labor market with black slaves. Ia
endeavoring to do go, it was ueceasar,
for them to adopt the coarse, cheap feod
used by the negroes, and to wear cheap
clothes; and it was imperatively neces.
sary tor them to accept the rates OF
wages that were customary in hiring
slaves from their OWNERS. This condition
of affairs produced q race of poor whites
in the Southern States. The iold slave.
holders, the aristocratic thieves who
mean!y lived Oh the unpaid labors of the
black men, speak ecornfully Of this race
rs "crackers;" and they apparently ignore
the fact that on their industry the fu.
ture prosperity Of the South depends. In
no cotton mill did see negroes at work
These poor whites have been schooled
by the degrading competition with elaves
forced on them by the old slayeowners
and by being pushed on to the poor, lean
lands, to subsist on food that Northern
mechanics cannot live on. The close OF
the war found these people stripped Of
oil their possessions. Being poor and
despised, they had great trouble in yet,
ting start. They owned poor land
They were discouraged. 1t was hard
outlook. On every side they met the
recently freed blacks, who keeniy com.
peted with them in the labor market
The blacks obtained control of the mar.
ket by being better adapted &c field work
and being able to live cheaper than the
poor whites. This competition, not keen
on the part of the whites, has established
a rate of wages in the Southern States
that etfectually bars out foreign laborer
and forbids all immigration Of Northern
laborers into the Southern States. These
conditions of Southern labor being true
and they were and are true, the manu-
facture of cotton was established at an
opportune time.
He would have been a bold man who
prophesied that the overthrow of The
Shareholders would suppress the cotton
manufacturing industry of New England
Thia Southern industry that has spruEz
into active competition here during the
last decade is solidly founded on low
wages to operatives. In 1880 1927!
operatives were employed in Southern
cotton mills. They were paid SO, 5l7 .347
or an average of $l69 each. During thu
snme year the Massachusetts, operative.
were paid $3.50, and those af elaine S25l
each. The Northern operatives received
an average sum of $S5 per year more
than those employed in the Southern
mills. There 10 doom in these figures
1t must be borne in mind that the ole
system of slaveholding has o living effec
on all questions affecting the materia
prosperity of the Southern States, and
through them on US. We are far from
being through with the evil effects &
slavery; indeed in my opinion we ar,
just about 10 realize that the abolition O
that system is going to affect us in vari
Gus ways that our Statesmen did no
foresee. We now see the effect of IL IL
the difference in the cost of labor inhu
encing the cotton manufacturing indus
try of the north. We will further see
and sharply feel It, in the rates of rail
way transportation in the near futur.
affecting the c"utrol of the markets fo
manufactured ducts. The Southern
railways were ouilt by cheap labor
Before the war slaves who were cheapl,
hired were largely employed on works o.
internal Improvement. Since the wa
poorly paid free men and convicts, th,
State slaves, have been largely employed
The roads were cheaply built and cheap
ly equipped, and they can be cheapl,
operated. There is no snow to obstruc
them in the winter. All men working
on these lines are poorly paid. Whei
the traffic Increases, these roads cal
carry freight for less money than an,
Northern road, where the higher rate O
speed hammers the rails into splinters
and the comparatively higher rate Q
wages exhausts the earnings, and th
SHOWS of winter eat up the surplus earDe,
in busy times. n; '.| ~
Already the New England mannfac
turers of cotton, sre. clamoriDg for
different classification Of their products
80 as to obtain cheaper rates Of transpor
tation from their mills to Cincinnati
Louisville, st. Louis, Chicago and othe
distributing points for the Western ant
Southern trade. Without q cheapenin,
of freight rates on the Northern trunl
lines they foresee that the Southern
manufacturers will speedily drive then
from the Western nafkets. The Eastetl
manufacturers acknnygladpa that the