The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-08-28


favorable outlook for Improvement il
all business matters, it is especiall,
timely for the South TO give urgent at
tentlonto the development of this ban
ner industry.
There are about $4,000. 600 cotton
splndles in the United States. The,
represent an investment, including al
classes OF cotton manufactures, of over
10000, 600. OF this number the
south has, in round numbers, one.
sixth, or 2,700,o00 spindlcs, and the
capital invested is about $9T. .OOO, 900
Tho world has about s., 900, 900 spindlcs.
III the capital invested wore in the
same proportion as in this country the
aggregate would be over 81, 300, ,000, 600,
put tte capital Of European mills is
loss IN proportion to the number OF
spindles than in this country. The
south produces nearly GO per cent. OF
the entire cotton crop of the world.
and If it manufactured this it would
need over twenty tines as many
| Splndles as II has, or {. 1cuC u. 900, 900,
and the capital needed would exceed
l,3OO, 100000. The total annual value of
tho product of these mills would be
equal to the present value of three full
cotton crops. In the last eighteen years
the cotton crops of the South have
s0lo Tor an aggregate Of nearly So, ,0O0,-
ooo'ooo. Before they coached the con
sumer their value had increased to
$4,000, 900, 600 or 500, 900, 600, 600. This
enormous business, creating wealth
wherever established, is the prize for
which the South has now commenced
to contcnd. 1t is prize worthy of the
most vigorous efforts and energy of
any country. The South holds the
vantage ground; it produces the
staple 1t has an abundant supply OF
iaoor That readily takes to cotton
manufacturing 1T has water-powcrs
sulnclcnt to drive all the mills that
would be needed to consume its full
crop; 1T also has the cheapest and best
steam coal for mills that do not use
watcr-powcr; it has favorable
climate; the cost of living being less
than in other sections, it necessarily
has lower cost of wages all these
points combine to give the South ex-
ceptional advantages over both New
England and Europe. Many years ago
1T was vigorously claimed by the cotton
manufacturers OF England that New
England could mover become u serious
competitor with their country in cotton
manufacturing. "Om climate" thcy
said, ''is better suited for cotton manu-
featuring, especially for fine goods: our
labor has had more experience and is
moro skilled; our capital is more
abundant and is cheaper" To their
minds these arguments were cOnvinc-
ing, but while they argued New Eng
land went on building mills and maxi
ing cotton goods.
When the South first undertook to
develop it's cotton manufactures with
any vigor the people of New England
ridlculed Its efforts and declared that
the South could mover develop largo
cotton manufacturing business. "Its
climate" they said, is too enervating
and hasn't the degree of moisture
needed, as ours has ; 1T has no skilled
labor capital is scarcer than with us
and interest rates higher, and besides
all these, our New England people are
so energetic and so much better able to
retain their business than Southern
people are to win it away that the
South will never become serious
competitor in cotton manufacturing"
The people who said these things, and
they include the leading manufacturers
and business men generally, honestly
believed their own arguments. After
II few years they saw that something
was wrong with their arguments.
Matters were not working out in the
way they had predicted. Tho South
10 i"pi"iJ SopouI UllC CodtSc COUUOn
trade and absolutely controlling it,
Under these conditions it became
necessary to find some new arguments,
and then 1T was unanimously decided
by all New ngland-following in the
exact footsteps Of Great Britain in it's
arguments OF years ago as related to
New Eng.and-that the South could
possibly make coarse cottons success
fully, but it was out of the question for
it to spin fine yarns. New England"
they said, "will always retain its
supremacy in fine cottons." Even to-
day such claims are often heard, but
they now sound like the graveyard
whistle-intcndcd to bolster up courage
that is fast slipping away.
Starting without capital and with
out experience, the South has already
practically monopoliZcd the coarse cot
ton trade, and is pushing into finer
good, with the determination to cap
turo that, too. 1t is needless for
Great Britain or New England to
argue against it. The logic of facts,
of things already accomplished, dis
proves all their arguments. No one
pretcnds to say that the South will spin
and weave every bale of cotton that it
raises. Now England, Great Britain
and the Continent will continue as
cotton manufacturing centcrs, but the
future great growth of this industry
will be in the South. Cotton produc-
tion and consumption are not station
ary. The worlds needs are growing.
Increasing wealth of the masses in
creascs tho requirements per capita Of
cotton goods. The extension of civili-
zation into the dark places Of the world
opens new fields for cotton goods.
Civilizations advancement is mcasur-
cd by the increase in cotton cousump-
ton In the crop year, lSTS-'79, the
world consumed 7 7,4S5, 230 bales of cot
ton of 400 pounds each; in 1891 -92 it
consumed l3, $4,000 400-pound bales.
This increase is progressive. 1T must
go on constantly, and the 5000, 900 balo
crop which looks as big as u $500, 600
bale crop did ten years ago, must be
exceeded before many years by 10000
600, and then II 100000 and 1900, 900,
and gradually on, us tho worlds ever
increasing requirements shall demand.
In view of the belief of MANY
Northern people who, having been
! converted to tho side of the South's
ability to control the making of coarse
goods, arc still determined to believe
that that section can never compete
in fine goods, prints, etc, it is interest
| ing to note what ono expert who hav-
! ing investigated for himself, saws on
the subject. Some months ago Mr.
| William @. Lowering, one of the lead
| ing cotton manufacturers Of New Eng
land, won't South and studied the
situation for himself After doing SO
he addressed o letter to the Labor
Committee of the Massachusetts Legis-
lature, which must have caused the