The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-23

ca4nct competo with d ike weightoof
GOODS 1nanufactUrSd In the South.
The conditions are alt favorable Tor
Southern competition TO win, and mo-
body fluids that IN quicker than Il
New England manufactures. Nodoubt
a lot OF this hurrah that we have
heard il TO incite Legislators In the
New England states To modify their
severe laws regarding cotton milis,
but all the same. tile bandwritiug Ia on
the wall, and the South is the natural
place to manufacture medium and
heavy weight goods. and what fate
has deoreed Is generally liable to-
occur
"What do think is the greatest
error OF Southern mill owners? There
are two great errors that most South
ern manufacturers make when they
themselves with sufficient floating
capital, and very often imagine that
because % man - Is good merchant he
will make % good manufacturers, and
they place him az a practical ~ a at
the head of the concern. Insufficient
capital has probably wrecked more in
situations than the second fault that 1
have named, but both of them are
grievous errors, and now happily are
becoming less each year. Then the
next mistake of Southern mills make
is that they undertake to run their
machinery too long, imagining that
repairs replace the machinery, and
forgetting the wonderful strides In
human ingenuity and human progress
in the mechanical mind. Much of this
Is engendered by the inordinate desire
of unthinking and greedy share
holders for large dividends instead OF
creating q healthy sinking fund,
always ready to tide over dull times,
and to replace machinery when it has
Outlived its usefulness. Machinery
may live twenty years, but it has out
lived its day and generation most often
when it does. The most successful
mills, no matter where they are
located, are those which have com
mand of plenty of money at all times,
either their own, or such as they can
hire certainly and cheaply, and such
mills as invariably keep abreast of the
times in every Improvement in machin-
cry. Mills hat observe these cardinal
rules, have brains al it's head, money in
its treasury, and new machinery when
required, never fail. Mills of this
character are always successful.
Yes, | candidly admit that am a
little enthusiastic about the South.
always was, and l may be in error,
but it elm to mt that with q tariff
revised as we have it, giving us an OPP
portunity to have reciprocal trade
with the balance of the world and @
chance at all markets, there never
was such a bright outlook for manu-
featuring in the South as there is now.
do | know anything that would
improve even this roseate outlook ?
Yes, | do. That is the completion of
the Nicaraguan canal. q work which,
in my opinion, will give birth to more
opportunities and bring more wealth
to the South, and in fact, to the whole
of this Union than any other We could
possibly dream Of. Inc Suez canal,
the Manchester ship canal, the Ger
man canal ut kiel, are all wonderful
examples of what recent European
money and energy has accomplished
in the way OF shortening transit over
this world through waterways. | will
DO very much surprised if American
push and American brains does not
soon direct the attention or the world
to u like achievement. Yes, certainly,
we should control it. This govern
ment should aid it, and | can conceive
of nothing that would be so especially
beneficial to the South as early com
pletion of the canal eros the isthmus.
1t will build up Southern ports. 1t
will give us the Oriental markets and
give an impetus to everything in the
South that we scarcely conceive OF
now. Then, with Cuba as a part OF
this Union, we would be in a position
to be what Nature intended the South
to be-the most prosperous section oil
the United States and as fair u and as
the sun ever shone on. Nature did her
part thoroughly-it only remains for
our people to realize their opportuni.
ties and develop them"