The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-08-22
THE PROGRESSIVE SOUTH.
GRATIFYING OUTLOOK FOR MANU-
FACTURES.
A Formidable Rival of the New Eng
land and Northern States in Cotton
Mills and Iron Making.
wilmington Messenger

Mills and Iron Making.
Wilmington Messenger
The progress in the Southern States
in mining, manufacturing and railroad
building is very genuine. There is no
mistake here. If the progress in the
great agricultural industry had been
equal to that noted in other depart
ments we would be ready to sharpen
our Faber and strike higher note of
exultation. But as it is we should be
gratifed at what has been done. 1t is
the assurance and augury of other ad
vancement on the same and perhaps
on new lines. May it be so!
Farming is the basis. 1t must -four
ish or it is positive impossibility that
there should be substantial and long
continued prosperity in any of the
great industries. The farmers have
not been wise or they would not have
supported a high tariff and kept men
in office who oppressed them with un
necessary and unequal taxation. Their
system has not been good one.
There has been a lamentable want of
diversifying, too much reliance on the
North for nay and bacon and lard, and
too little reliance on home work
There have been too many mortgages,
: while too much interest has been paid,
thus sucking up all the profits of farms.
There has been too much idling in the
past-too much going from home.
The wise old couplet has been lost
sight of by too many
"He who by the plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive
But the farmers must keep their eyes
on the political world. 1t is there
that their expressions lie, and from
that point will come their loss of lib
erty if it shall ever come, which a
mercitul God prevent. The politi
clans have not been friendly to the
farmers, and it is only demagogues
and their unprincipled organs that at
tempt to show otherwise. Let the
farmers in the South see to it that no
waste of the public moneys and no
piling up of unneces>ary taxes occur.
Let them favor no measures that are
inimical to the freedom and independ-
cnce of the citizen. Watch the records
of all politicians. For
"Of what avail the plough or sail
Or land or life, if freedom fail?"
Many years since we began the dis
cussion of more mills for the South.
Long before the coming of the large
weekly protection organs published in
the interest of manufacturers, we were
urging upon the people the starting of
more cotton mills and the multiplying
of more small industries. We filled
dozens of columns with editorials
along this line.
After the elapse of years we are
glad to know that there is great in
crease in the smaller industries, and
the cotton mills are wisely coming to
the cotton fields. This is the proper
order 1t was plain to our under
standing years ago, and we SO wrote
again and again, that the mills at the
cotton fields must necessarily have a
great advantage over the mills in the
remote New England or more remote
Old England. At that time the New
England mill owners and writers re-
jected the idea and insisted that all
things considered New England was
on vantage ground and could more
than hold its own. They know better
now. One practical illustration has
been worth more to them than fine
spun theory and finely wrought argu-
ment.
The organ of protection in Balti
more, the Manufacturers Record
which is an earnest and able exponen,
of the Southern mills, has this to say
in its last issue:
"That the South, which produce:
) the cotton, is destined to manufacture
1t, admits of no questioning The
South has the natural advantages nee
: essary for success in this business, ane
5 whatever difficulties there may be il
l the way are easily overcome wher
: practical experience, backed by cap
ital, is brought to bear upon the mat
: ter. There may be times of depres
> sion, but this will not stop the SUR
and steady growth of this great indus
try
: This is true as we have urged man
S times. 1t continues:
= "But few years ago the same peo
pie were just as ready to claim tha
cotton manufacturing, even OF coars
S goods, would never amount to muc
e in the South. Forced now to adm
t that Southern mills control this branc
: of the business, they fall back on th
;. threadbare argument against the poss
bility of the Southern mills ever SUI
't cessfullv competing with New Englan
e mills on the finer goods. Befo1
it many years have passed they will |
l. forced to abandon this. Every cotte
n mill that goes into operation in Il
South helms to make more certain Il