The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-01-15
BRING MILLS TO THE COTTON.
THE IDEAS OF GOVERNOR STONE

tories-High Prices a Thing 9th,
Past.
AT the cotton growers convention Ii
Jackson, Miss, the opening speech wa
made by Governor Stone, from which
we make tho following extracts:
"There is no concealing the fact tina
the conditions which environ the inter
ests of the cotton growers of the South
ern States of this union threaten ul
innate and utter destruction of that In
dustry to which they have hitherto
looked alone for profit in the cultiva
tion of the soil.
hangs like pail over the entire South
superinduced, in tho main, by the low
and unremunerative price OF cotton
bringing within its embrace all classes
OF citizens and every vocation, excitcs
in every reflective mind the startling
query, to what end are we drifting?
"As cotton declined in price. which
it has steadily done, the necessity OF
homo production forced itself upon our
conviction. until now, with our 4-cent
cotton, it is freely and fully conceded
that he who would eat must provide
the wherewithal at home, with his own
hand and under his own eye This
changed condition affects, and is felt
by every business element in the land.
Cotton has lost it's crown; cotton has
lost its credit. The factor in our great
marts who once sought to lend almost
without limit for its production, and
grew fat handling 1.-THE banker who
backed the factor as far as his deposit
account would enable him-the dun
try merchant with his 100 per cent who
hoped to grow rich in q single year by
advancing to his benighted cotton
growing customers and to whom II
| cash dealer was q crying nuisance
| all lost their faith in cotton, leaving
scarcely vestige of hope to stimulate
| exertion when cotton is the only
| promised reward.
"That the farmers and planters
could thus be brought into unilication
| is as visionary and chimerical as it is
impossible. Conditions and oircumx
stances are too diverse; interests of
different individuals too varied. They
are too numerous, and the cotton belt
covers too large u territory, to say
nothing of the enormous amount of
| capital necessary to croato and main
tain such corner.
That cooperative effort for mu-
tual benefit is desirable and needful
and practical, is not denied, but it is
not feasible with the cotton in tho
warehouses and every bale counted
and known to thespinners OF the world,
as wcll as to the combine Of association
itself.
"It is an axiom in manufacturing
that the nearer to the factory the raw
material can be procured, other things
being equal, the cheaper tho finished
product can be made. The owner Of
an iron mine would not think of ship
IL, nd H.
could find in his vicinity the needed
resolvents by which to convert his ore
into pigs ready for the manufacturer
of all iron articles in foundry and ma
chine shop. The lumber dealer would
not think OF shipping his logs from
the long-leaf pine forests OF the south
to the northern merchant: on the con-
trary, he cats it into proper dimension
stuff, not emitting to dress, and even
to tongue and groove 1T, ready for tho
builders use. Hence, the innumerable
lumber mills of the South, and our
immense export of lumber. Why is it
that the old open kettle process of our
sugar making neighbors of Louisiana
is discarded, and millions of money in
vested to improve the quality OF our
domestic sugars The question promp-
tly suggests it's own answer: 10 add
to the value of the sugar, which added
value secures to the planter a greater
net profit on his labor and capital eX-
| pended in growing, harvesting, grind
| ing and preparing it for market. This
seems to me clear illustration Of what
may be done by the cotton planter.
If these things are true and applica-
BILE as suggested in sugar planting and
other industries, then why cannot the
cotton growers, by cooperative effort,
li.,l IN, NJ ~, ff,ttr
or hamlet in all the cotton-grOwing
| states, factories for the manufacture
Of their raw cotton into the more valu
able commodities before final export or
sale? Thus saving to the grower, the
| merchant, tho labOrer and the capital
| ist in their own midst the difference
| between the value of raw, ragged and
| condemned bales of cotton and tho
same cotton spun into yarn, at least, If
not woven into fabrics.
"This is altogether practicable,
| feasible, can easily be done If deter
mined upon, and | believe / may
safely predict that it will be done in
the near future. AS st. Paul, Min
flour to us instead of wheat, so we will
soon be driven to shipping yarns to
Fall River, Manchester and other
manufacturing cities.
"The Touring mills have ever sought
the wheat fields of the northwest, why
should not the spindle seek the cotton
fields of the South? So far rs we are
involved our jute-covered f0undling is
to Manchester what the crude ore is to
the blast furnace. BY exporting the
| baled cotton we lose percentage
which, at present prices, should by all
means be kept at home-if we would
| live--just as the owner OF the ore bed
would lose IL he should ship from Ala
bama to the blast furnaces of Pennsyl-
vania. He cannot do 1t and survive.
| Neither can we cotton growers, as
matters now stand, continue the course
heretofore pursued without utter ruin
and bankruptcy, and [ verify heiievc
| that these conditions will continue for
an indefinite time without united
action on the part of the cotton growers
of the Southern States. have no faith
In higher priced cotton in the future,
Indeed, / am not quite sure that it
would not be calamity rather than a
blessing though it can go far above
the present prices and still be very
low.
81 do not wish to be understood as
advocating the erection of large cen
trail factories, involving the Invest
ment of immense sums of money, with
in the reach only of capitalists OF large
means but rather the establishment
OF small mills at convenient localities
for utilizing all the cotton grown In
/ Al- Il II Il. n