The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-01-24
The South in the Saddle.

In the Chattanooga IFadcsn.a'a there
has been recently an interesting discus
sion by Mr.. II. a. Tompkins of the ca pa
bil;ties of the Southern people as manu-
facsurers, and the fact is brought out that
the south has within a few years accom-
plished feats declared by New England
ers to be impraoticable. It has been said
that the Southern people lack enterprise
and cannot on that account become a
manufacturing people.
This contention Mr.. TompkinS meets
by showing that toe South in the early
part of this century led the Eastern and
Middle States in manufacturing. The
multiplication Of slaves and their eff
cheney in the production OF very profita-
BILE crops of cotton, rice and sugar at that
time withdrew Southern capital from
manufacturing enterprises, but the read
mess with which such enterprises reap
peared and multiplied during the civil
war showed that the capacity for manu-
featuring was not lacking. After the
civil war, TIL about 1877, political and
civil turmoil--caused by the partisan
Reconstruction" policy-disturbed labor
conditions and arrested effort. The
wears from 1865 to 1877 were required to
replace also the capital destroyed by the
war and its results. But since the latter
date every sort of enterprise, agricultural,
manufacturing and educational, has
made astonishing progress.
In the last twenty years the cotton pro-
duct, for example, has grown from 81
$50, 1000 bales to S, 9,O35, 900 bales. Agricul-
ture has been diversided. Grains, vege-
tables, fruits. melons, orenges-these are
few of the great additions. A vast cot
ton seed oil interest has bean created.
The iron, coal, phosphate and lumber in
dustries have beea developed. AS for
the cotton mill trade, it is SHOWN to have
developed more rapidly in the South
since 1877 than IN any other part OF the
world, and with unvarying success. New
England writer's used to say that the eli
mate of the cotton States was unsulted to
the finer grades Of goods. Experience
has exploded all that. sour Southern
plants,:F it Is stated, ''afe as fine, as we'll
adapted to the work intended for ttem as
any in the world.
An English cotton mill expert, sent to
this country by the Oldham Spinuers'
Association ten years ago to inspect and
report on American cotton mill plants,
stated in his official capacity that the
great Eagle and Phoenix Mill at Colum-
bus, Ga, was the best mill of its class
built anywhere up to that date. Since
then long strides in improved D1achin-
cry, etc., have been taken by Southern
cotton manufacturers, until to-day
Virginia, sNorth Carolina, South Caro-
lima and Georgia can show several mills
that will stand comparison in perfection
of structure, machinery and product with
the best in New or Old England.
The finer grades of goods are now made
of all grades are shipped to the North
west, to the Pacific States, to South
America and to China. The climate con-
ditions of Fall Rive: are found to be
equalled, if not excelled, at many points
on the coast from Norfolk to Galveston.
Want of capital, not want of enterprise,
has been the drawback to Southern man-
ufacturing since the close of the re-
construction period in II. baltimore SHa.