The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1894-06-02
LANCASTER, S. c.. JUNE 2, 1894.

III tueir power 10 extend thlS 1mpOr
tant industry. Let us get into the
harness as they have done and secure
this enactment of such laws, both mu-
niclpal, county and State, as will con-
vince the world that are we anxious tc.
secure new blood, new money and new
factories, ald that when we get them
we will foster them. Manufacturers
of the South need more money and
less adverse legislation, and before
they can hope to reach the perfection
In manufacturing attained in England
and the East they must adopt the onl,
sensible plan of equipping their mill
with only the best and latest improved
machinery, rs no mill with machiper,
fifteen or twenty years old can hope I,
compete with modern equipped mills
There has been a gerkral opipioI
prevalent in the South aud East thai
the Southern manufacturers coul,
never hope to be able to make fir,
goods, owing to climatic conditions
but think that Ideals exploded, 70
we are now producing goods whicl
ten years ago our New England com
petitors said we never could make, all,
we certainly have reason to believ
that we will eventually drive the Ne,
England mills off of the fine good
they are now making and into oth,I
lines by meeting them in competition,
ss we have already done in coars,
yarns, as it is recognized today the,
are unable to cope with in coarse goods,
and believe the day is not far distant
when we will meet England in success
tul competition for the worlds trade.
After making careful investigation
| ind that the wages paid in English
factories compare favorably with ours,
and we have every adNsntage over
them except in the cost o,our macbin.
Try (which will be eventually made il
the South, the open markets Of th,
world and the cost of borrowed money.
Many people say that cotton mill,
do not help us much, owing to the low
wages paid, aud in answer to that we
can say that the average amount earn
ed by agriculturists is but thirty cents
per day In Alabama, while the averag,
wages to mill operatives in the State il,
seventy cents per day.
Unusual opportunities are offered J.
this State for the establishment o,
Knitting factories for supplying the
nome demand for hosiery, underwear,
etc, out of the product Of our yarn
m,lis, and also for the building OF
bleachery plants TO bleach our sheet
ing and shirting, and do away with tn -,
present necessity of shipping our good,
to New England to he bleached and
then returned TO market, thus eatinL
up much OF our profit in fs'Sight.
With the building of new mills l.
our State will come the additional de
mand for food products and manu-
(actnred goods, and an additional in
centive given our farmers for the pro-
duction of foodstufis at Home, and thus
we would become independent of the
North, to whom We now give our cot
ton crop in exchange for wearing ap-
parel, corn, bacon and hay Our cot
ton will always be our foundation crop,
and the mills will surely come to j;
and add more wealth to our State than
any other industry.
Let us advise the world of what we
have and what we are and success will
surely come. Huntsville feels proud
of her distinction as the largest cotton
manufacturing city in the State, and
especially so as she has attained that
distinction in the past two years
through the efforts of her citizens. We
now have over 81 200, ,000. Invested in
three mills and use IL, 500 bales of
cotton per annum and produce 2. 500,
900 pounds of domestic and ?, 100, 900
ponpsi1 Of yarns, employ 1000 hands
aud giving our farming community
the best local cotton market in the
State. There is no reason why Ala.
bams should not he filed with good,
prosperous cities like Massachusetts
and Rhode Island. and il we would use
the same push and energy to secure
Legitimate manufacturing industries
ms they have used, we, like those States.
would have a wealthy populatiop