The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-14
THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
COTTON MILLS IN THE SOUTH,
The Home Of the Plant Should BE
the Home Of the Factory.


the Home OF the Factory.
Perh haps the most important paper
read before the New England manu-
meeting in Atlanta WAS prepared by
MIR. Richard II. idmonds, of Balt;-
more, Md, editor Of the Manufacture
cr's Record. MIR. lidmonds review ed
the growth Of the cotton industry in
the South and proved by facts and
figures that tho war between the
States had thrown the South behind
New England by more than Il hundred
years. In spite of this misfortune the
South would yet become the great
manufacturing ccntcr Of the future
He argued that the proper place for
the cotton mill was in the home of the
| cotton plant.
Mr.. Edmonds was frequently iu-
terrupted with applause us he pro-
cccdcd. The following is Il brief
synopsis Of this able paper:
" AS the South built It's Ii ST cation
mill about tnc same year in which
Samuel Slater laid the foundation of
| New England's textile industry. it may
be OF Interest TO briefly look into the
| reasons why the former section until
| recently fhlicd to develop it's cotton
| manufacturers except to II limited OK
! tent, while the latter WAS making such
great progress. This is essential to y,
right understanding Of the conditions
| prcIallln9 At present in the two
sections and will provide an answer to
tho oftrepcated question: If the
| South has the great advantages for
cotton manufacturing claimed for it,
industry before this? The spinning
and wcav ng OF co ton for domestic
use, or rs it WAS called in olden times,
| the making Of 'hOmcspun goods, was
almost universal throughout the
! South"
IN this connection Mr.. EdmOnds eX-
planned that in addition to cotton the
South was Interested in all lines of
! industrial development. Her progress
was equally as rapid as that OF New
| England. Washington's father was a
miner and was interested in the mat
ter OF iron furnaces. Jefferson was
also engaged III the SAINT industry.
| BEFORE TIE WAR.
referring to the cultivation Of cot
ton and the market for that staple
before the war, Mr.. 3dmonds said
" In 1901 the average New York
price for cotton for the year was If
cents, and for forty years, from 1900 to
1880, the New York prices ranged from
that figure to l3 crntS. and for the
! whole period .,fnr@2ru over H. .nts Il
! pound. With such profits as these
prices yielded, it would have been
contrary to ali economic history if the
South had failed TO concentrate all its
| energy upon the extension Of cotton
production. 1t could not be expected
that men should fail to grasp such
money making opportunities as cotton
growing presented for at leuat two
generations, or from 1900 to 1860, with
the single exception OF tho dec lde
from lSi0 to 1870, during which period
oVcrproductiOn and other causes forced
prices to the lowest tcn-year average
on record. 1t is interesting to follow
the market tn m which this decline in
prohts ON cotton gave to industrial
pursuits, awakening into new life the
long dormant industrial capabilities OF
the people Of the South. In 1850
the South had 2.:Eij miles Of railroad
and the New England and Middle
States -t,1oS miles: H., 1850 tho South
had Increased its mileage to 1897
mules, quahrupling that Of 1850, while
the New England and Middle States
had Increased to 95l0, or Il gain OF
only about 100 per cent. In 1880 the
mileage Of the two Northern sections
exceeded that OF tho South by , 463
miles. by 1860 the conditions were
reversed, and the South led by 3ST
miles. In that decade the South spent
500 900, GOO upon the extension of its
railroad system, nearly ali Of it having
been local capital. During this period
the South doubled its capital and out
put OF Hour, sawed and pIanod lumber,
iron founding, steam engine building,
etc, and in 1860 had $l2,000,000 in
vested in cotton mills Nearly all of
its factories Of all kinds were moderate
in size, but in number they aggregate
~, 800 and their capital was $l7j, l00,-
600. But this is depression.
Tho wonderful prosperity which
cotton production brought about finds
an apt illustration in the simple state
ment that though tho South had only
one-third OF tho country's population