The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-13

4
of an article from the pen of Col. ID.
NJ. Thompson, president and treasurer Of
the Corliss Steam Engine Co, that APP
pears In the issue of tlfe Manufacturers
Record Of April %.
The Record is published from the city
Of Baltimore and is expressly devoted TO
Southern industrial railroad and flnan-
cial interests We believe IL circulates
widely in the South especially among tho
cotton men though the same field in the
North, specifically in New England, is
held more largely by other trade period
icals. 1t appears from an editorial In
the issue referred to that Col. Thomp-
son, who is probably as familiar with the
subject as any one in the United States
and has been prominently identified with
the encouragement of the development of
cotton manufacturing in the South, was
invited TO contribute to the Record hi S
views on the industrial outlook among
our Southern friends-friends though, in
a sense, industrial rivals.
We understand that the article con-
tributed in response TO this invitation has
attracted widespread interest through the
Industrial South and those of us here in
New England who are familiar with Col
Thompson's breadth of views on indus
trial subjects and his vigor of expression
by pen or speech may we'll believe that
his carefully considered utterances on
such subject may well have commanded
an unusually large measure of attention.
During twenty years, as the editor of the
Record informs us, ana as is quite gener-
ally known, Col Thompson has been an
earnest advocate of Southern cotton mills
vestment in them of Northern capital
At the same time his loyalty to New
England and Northern industrial inter
ests generally is too well understood and
has been too often demonstrated to allow
any suspicion that his interest in behalf
OF our brethren of the South is dictated
by any other motives than are induced by
a recognition of manifest destiny in the
industrial development If our common
country and catholic spirit in dealing
with such interests as whole AS
matter of fact in the article to which we
make reference, Col Thompson expresses
himself with perfect frankpess taking ad
vantage of the invitation of the Record to
to do so without having his opinions sub
jected to any dctation from sectional in
terests one way or the other.
We wish we had space to reprint the
article in full, but for that we must re-
fer all Interested to the Record, simply OK.
pressing the conviction that 1t will moro
than repay careful reading by every
New England cotton man. 1t deals with
the subject in the broadest way, while the
writer does not hesitate to state his
convictions where the facts at command
may DO adduced to justify his position.
He makes fine plea and convincing ar
gument, the whole strongly expressed and
judiclally balanced. No doubt is possible
of his sincerity, and the logic of the po-
sition no assumes is we should say, con-
vincing to the discriminating reader.
Briefly, Col. Thompson maintains that,
in broad way, there cannot be a perma-
nent state of rivalry between New Eng
lands cotton interests and those of the
South. He sees no ground to fear that
the development of the South is to be at
the expense of the North or to result in
ruin TO New England big industry. He
believes there is ample room for mutual
prosperity. He comedies certain Inherent
aud inalenable advantages to the South
ern manufacturing property and claims
equally fundamental advantages to the
New England industry against. which the
South can only waste capital and energy
by losing sight of and attempting TO en-.
croach upon. In word. he takes the ground
that the South should conflne itself to
the coarse and medium goods leaving TO
New England the finer class and he alike
calls a halt TO the New England scare and
to the too ambitious yaulting of Southern
ambition. He looks ahead TO the ult-
mate adjustment of the industrial situa-
tion with the new dovlopmcnt in the
South as factor and points out how best
the latter may conserve it's forces and so
direct them from the start that nothing
may be thrown away by misstops possible
Mt the outset from a narrow view and in
cor.raet ttudcrstapdfp,yp pf All thp conditions