The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-07-09
NEGRO LABOR IN Mills.
The Experiment Being Watched
With Much Interest.
THE MOVING ABOUT. HABIT
Among White Operatives = Another
Glass Who VIII Never Have Cause to
Worry About Negro Competition,

The following correspondence ap-
peared in the Charlotte IN. C-) Obser"
yer, under date of July 1st, from Edge
field, on the experiment. OF negro labor
IN the Charleston cotton mills:
yesterday met a gentleman who
has been to Charleston, and who visited
the cotton mill there. This visit was
made about week ago. He states that
about one hundred negro operatives
were then employed in the mill: Four
policemen wei Q on duty IN the mill yaTu,
presumably to prevent inteyieMtehoe M y uy
the white ex-operatives with Inc negro
employees. This gentleman saw no signs
of any disposition on the part OF any
white people to interfere with the AK
pertinent with negro labor, ana H.
thought there was being more talk ot
| interference than the circumstances or
evidences up to date would justify. no
thinks it is not question whether the
white working people will permi' ne
groes to work in factory, but that the
| question to be solved Ia whether nS-
groes can be trained to make u success
| of factory. Individuals will Un.
| doubtedly be found who can do good
| work, but this man thinks ii Is yet to
be proved whether q full force OF ne
groes can be organized and maintained
! to operate mill of fairly good size.
"The experiment at Charleston, If 1T
is future, will not settle the question
The Charleston mill has failed with
white operatives If it fails again with
negro operatives the experiment proves
nothing. IL it succeeds, then it Will
be shown that there is profit In using
negro labor under certain conditions.
"Some of those who have seen the
Charleston mill say that the fault is in
the mill itself, and not in the opera
tives. The machinery is more or less
out Of date and needs a complete re- or
| true the new management wlll probably
remedy this deficiency.
1.-The experiment Is one that is being
watched with much anxiety by those IN
terested in the mill and with much IN :
terest by many outsiders, while cottot
mill operatives are eagerly Interested.
Some people think shat success ut
Charleston would be blow to the in
terests of the white operatives in the
advantage of the white operatives In
giving up the coarser work 10 the ne
groes and making the development OF
manufacturing finer goods with white
labor at better prices more feasible.
'It has been said that something
must be done to prevent the white op-
: sHtiyes from moving about SO much.
: 0 ~, i.iiO" nie - So. five times q
l year. This sort of thing goos varv fa,
I to cause mill owners to consider the
subject of negro labor. The better
class Of mill operatives might do we'll
to use their influence to check this habit
} that some families have of moving SO
often. The surest protection of white
labor against encroachment is effici
ency. Careful attention TO work and
: regularity will do more to keen the
negro out of the mills than any amount
OF argument or objection. The
younger people ought to go
to school and the older ones
ought to see to it that the children
do go to school. Those white operatives
who are we'll posted, skillful, industri-
GUS and who are not always Oh the
move will never have to worry about
the negro or any other race as n com
petitor, but those who avoid schools
lose many working days and make fire.
quent moves from ono mill to another
had better mend their ways. Civiliza.
ton is relentless in it's progress and MI
ways bears down hard on Ignorance md
slothfulness. In these modern times
education, industry and steadiness of
purpose win all fights.