The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-11-28
columbia State,l

.o""o 0io" anu OnerS Stagnate,
the Mannfaetuyers' Record prints the
following article, which IS on the line
OF our constant suggestions to the peo-
pie of Columbia:
elias. week the Manufactu1er's S
Re6ord pointed out the necessity oi
more hustling on the part of many
Southern towns, more independence,
more selt-reliance, and less of the spirit
OF dependence and waiting on others
to come in and help build up the place.
1t may be accepted as a rule, from
which there are few exceptions, that
every prosperous and progressive town
IN the South owes its success mainly
to IT'S own people. They started the
work of rebuilding, and their energy
and enterprise became contagious.
Outside business men and capitalists
rarely seek a place which is not doing
some lively hustling on its own &C.
Count.
"Charlotte, N. c., is almost as good
an illustration of this as Atlanta. Some
years ago, when Charlotte was simply
good country town, its people took
hold of manufacturing. They wanted
cotton mills, but they didn't walt year
after year for some one to come and
build them, nor did they waste time
in repining over inability to build big
mills. They organized companies,
raised what money they could and
built the best mills they could under
tie circumstances. Other towns with
just as many advantages as Charlotte
made up their minds that they wanted
a big mill or none, or they wanted
outside people to come in and build
the mill, hoping the town would reap
all the benefits without doing anything
to help itself. True, some of them
having large amount of land without
much value were willing to give few
acres as site, knowing that they would
reap hundred-told profit by the ad
vance in values should they fortunately
catch mill by this small bait.
owe have In mind one town which
illustrates hundreds. This town has
e cry possible advantage for cotton
anil. Its people seem more anxious
for mill than for anything else in the
world, and yet they have frittered
away six years talking about a mill
without being any nearer to a realiza
Ia
made up their minds that they would
have nothing less tina a great big mill
by some wealthy Northern concern;
then they set their hearts on a s2oo.-
900 mill-it must be that or nothing
"a little mill of 100000 was be-
meath their dignity. They secured
of about SIoo, 900, about
equally divided between local and
New England people; but no, it must
be 100000 mill Every few
months they take a fresh start and-do
nothing. Had they taken the $4,000
of the local and outside, and built
mill six years ago, they would have
given the town start, infused new
life into it, and in all probability
would, as result, have several mills
now in operation. They despised the
day of small things, and tie town is
just about as dead as it was six years
ago. All over the South can be found
similar cases. This is but one illustra-
tion, where hundreds could be found.
An illustration of the opposite side is
seen in Charlotte. If it could not get
outside capital, it did the best it could
with local. What is the result?"
The Record goes on to show that as
the result Of this policy Charlotte in
ten years has built three modern iron
works and machine shops, a furniture
factory, sash, door and blind works,
a bellows factory, a shuttle works,
three general wood working mills, one
four-story Touring mill, with another
coming, leather-belting factory, two
cotton-seed oil mills, fertilizer fac
tory, six cotton mills, batting mill, a
crash towel mill, a sash-cord and
clothes line factory, hosiery mill, ice
factories, two cotton congresses, two
broom factories, three clothing facto-
ries, three roller-covering and co.,on
mill repair shops, etc, etc., and is
about to build seventh cotton mill
and a four-story harness factory.
The Record concludes:
"Hundreds of other towns might
have been made to show similar prog
ress if they had put forth the same
energy and hustle. Of how many
towns will it he possible during the
next FIVE years to say that they have
learned lesson and that they are vig-
orously initiating Charlo,tes Those
that intend to grow must hustle; the
others will be as dead 10 years hence
as they are to-day"
Now Columbia has or soon will
have manufactures producing greater
values than Charlotte's and it already
surpasses Charlotte in the size and
Importance Of several of the manufac
tories noted. But look at the variety
of Charlotte's products, consider the
business strength Of community
which has so many props to support it;
think Of the many sorts and conditions
of people who earn good wages in
these various establishments, and re-
member that all this has been done by
the home money of small town hav-
ing no such advantages as Columbia
no ater-power, no State capitol, no