The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-14

and one-fourth of its white popula.
zion, the assessed value Of It's pro.
perty, according to tho census Of 1860,
was IA, 2OO, ,O0O, 900 out OF q total OF $l2,
ooo,ooo,0oO for the entire country or ID
per cent"
HOW THE SOUTH WAS RETARDED.
This graphic picture Of the cotton
industry in the South before the war
was then cOntrasted with the situation
which followed Immediately utter the
close of that struggle. Said he:
| But when the war ended the two
sections had been widely separated.
Ono swept by destruction had been
thrown back in its career half CEN
tury, while the other had been mar
vclously stimulated and pushed for
J ward half u century as compared with
the positions Of the two sections in
| 1860, thus creating great gulf of 100
years between them. Tho Now Eng
land man who seeks to understand the
South must look at IL in this light.
Ie mnst see that it is not simply a
case where one section stood still for
a quarter Of u century as u result of
| the most disastrous war in the worlds
history, judged financially, and by it's
immediate etfect, and the other section
advanced by leaps and bounds. The
| property, the ambitions, the hopes,
| the labor system Of u whole section
| were swept away and in the destruc-
ton went hundreds of thousands Of it's
ablcst and most energetic mon. 1t is
only that this section may be studied
| in the light OF these facts that they
arc mentioned. What this section
| has accomplished has been worked out
| under these disadvantages, and under
standing this it is possible to better
understand and appreciate the future
| OF the cotton manufacturing interests
of II region whose mills arc already
consuming 100000 bales year
against 2,O0O,00O bales for the remain
| der OF tho country. Our New England
friends cam in this light more clearly
study the forces now at work for South
crD upbuilding and decide whether to
join their Southern competitors ON
their own ground and secure the same
advantages which they enjoy or dis
regarded their competition. Person
ally, | an firmly persuaded that New
an active part in the development OF
the South's cotton mill interests and
thus reap some Of the profits. This
section offers to New England the
same opportunity which the world has
afforded to Great Britain, q field for
the employment Of its surplus capital
and energy to the profit of all parties
Interested. I have been informed by
one Of the leading cotton manu-
facturers of New England that ut least
5000 600 new spindleS must annually
be added to the mills of that section
to offset the depreciation from wear
and tear. This has not been done. |
believe, in recent years.
REVIVAL Or THE COTTON INDUSTRY.
"Nt the present time the South is
building about 100 new mills, which,
with engagements now being made to
existing plants. will need for euuiD-
ment over 500, 900 spindles. At the risk
Of wearying you with statistics, it be-
comes necessary to present some figures
to show the actual progress, which tho
South has made in this industry. The
census OF 1880 reported that there we're
in the South $50 cotton mills with an
aggregate capital amounting to $2l :
976,0 900, and having G6I ,00U spindes
by 1880 this had nearly trebled, and we
had 234 mills, $6l, l24 900 Of capital and
l,1l2,OO0 spindles. No one would have
dared in 1890 though to predict that
the figures OF that year would treble in
another decade. but this we can now
see will be done. Five years have
passed and the South has in mills now
in operation and chose which will be at
work within sixty days 5000, 900 spin
dies. Ndd tJ Ln.S number 500. 600 for
mills nader reconstruction an by the end
Of the carr mt crOE year this section
would have 3,S'JO.U 900 Spinl!cs in opera
ton. 1t will then only require an aver
age incrcaae OF 300, ,OOC spindlcs !; year
to give the south Il total Of 1000, 100
SpindlcS by 1900. 1t Is now safe to pre-
diet IL much larger number than that.
ADVANTAGES or TIE SOUTH.
} Referring to the special advantages
) of cotton mills, MIR. lCdmnnds said:
: "Probably the most important con.
sidcratiOn in the co1im;:.iun Of mill men
is the labor. The South has an abun
dant supply OF the very best help from
; which to secure mill operatives. An
investigation on this point will con,
) vince the most skeptical. y New Eng
, land mill owner lately stated that, &C
say that New England mill help was ir
anyway superior to Southern, was sim
, ply to say that the lower classes Of for
cigners are superior to the native An
, glo-5ax0n Americans. Half a century
: ago New lIngl mills were operated
/ by native Americans s-daughtcrs Of the
the mills: but the incoming of French
Canadians and others drove the Amer
lean girls out Of the mills. There is ne
danger of this in the South, at least fOl
many years to come. The supply o
possible operatives, eager for the op
portunity to earn u living by working
in cotton mills, is today sufficient Il
equip three or four times as many mills
Us we have, provided these mills are
not clustered too closely in any one 10
callty. The increase in the help sup
ply will be almost as great as the in
crease in mills for many years. These
! people are capable of acquiring the
highest skill required in cotton manu-
featuring: they are docile, not givel
TO str;k"s, and rs a class are anxious tt
find WORK and willing to accept much
lower wages than Northern operatives
are compelled to have in order to live
On t,is point it must be remembered
that nature has made it possible to live
in the South at a very much lower cost
than in tbp North hopapsp NJ tho lowa,