The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-12-18
Progress of the South,

VERY naturally the South for long
while paid more attention to the pro
dIction than 10 the manufacture of /
cotton. From 1901 to 1899 the aver
age price of cotton was II cents
pound, and though the next ten years
witnessed low prices owing to over
production and otner causes. the sta
ole soon reasserted itself as king, and
held supreme sway. The result was
that the South cutstripped all other
sections in material progress. The
wonderful prosperity which cotton
productioa brought, says Mr. Ed
monds. Of the Manufacturers Record.
finds an apt illustration in the SIM
pie statement that, though the South
had only one-third of the country :
population and one-fourth of It's white
popul ton, the assessed value OF Its
property, according to. the census. OF
1850, was s. 300 600, 900 out Of a tota'
Of sl2, 0O0. 600 900 for the entire couu
try, or "A per cent" Since the war,
production has also had chief atten
tion. But few enterprising men be
gan to manufacture. They were the
first to appreciate what is now com
mouly accepted fact-viz., that every
where manufacturing IS tending tc
tue source of raw material. But llttie
heed was given to their doing till the
census of 1880 reported mum Der Of
cotton mills, with an aggregate capita
amounting to s21, 976, 900, and having
667, 900 spindles. The growth OF tins
Industry has since then been rapid
By 1890 there were 254 mills. Win
1,7l2,000 spindles, employing SOL
124, 900 capital There is now every
promise of another trebled increase
during the present decade. Five years
passes, and the South has in mills no"
IN operation, and those which Will be
at work within sixty days, 5000, OVO
spindles. Add to this number SUI; wv
for mills under construction, and by
the end of the current crop year TINS
section will have $500, 900 spindles IL
operation. It is interesting to kno"
that this is only per cent. OF the
numbec of spindles in the world::
though the Southern States produce 6C
per cent. of the worlds cotton. II Is
easy to see that this industry is IN It's
infacy with US. But signal ability III
cotton manufacturing has been dem,
onstrated. An extraordinarily GOOD
supply of the best labor in the world
our native Anglo-Saxon population
is at hand. There is an abundant
supply of the raw material; there IS
coal, or water power, and there IS
everything else needec. Mr.. Ed
monds, IN his valuable address at At
| lanta, says: The South's position IS
irrregnable. 1t has every posslole
advantage that can be asked tor
the production of cotton goods at the
lowest possible cost. It's advantages
for distribution are but little inferior
to those of the North, and whatever
disadvantages it has in this way will
be eliminated under the general prog
ress which is being made. No one
can possibly any longer question the
South's future position in the cotton
manufacturing world. The rapid de-
velopment of the textile industry IN
dustry in the South does not necessa,
rily involve its decrease in New Eng
land or Great Britain. Even should
these hold their present business ano
continue to operate as many splndles
as they do to-day, the natural increase
which the ever-growing demands OF
, the world require must be met by the
South,