The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-24
NreRons Is nrrrE woaxrna
h Interesting Cooperation Experiment.
About TO Ne Tried IN North Carolina.


About TO Ne Tried IN North Carolina.
ATLANTA. July M.-"The object Of this enter
prise IL to solve the question. Can the negro
race be successfully worked In the cotton
mlllsH" Such Is the announcement OF the pros
pectus Of the Coleman Manufacturing Com
pany. which will presently start at Concord,
N. O.. q cotton mill 10 DO owned and operated
exclusively by negroes. This experiment 10 at
tracing great interest in the textile world.
The mill building IL flnished. and the officers OF
the company promise that the machinery will
be In place before Sept. i. The building is q
we'll constructed three-story brick. 80 by 100
feet, with good walls and plenty OF light and
ventilation. The Banitary arrangements are
especially commendable. and are In fact
not excelled by any mill In the South.
An abundance Of clear spring water is
available for all purposes. The mill is
about o milo from the city proper, on
high ground, the Intention being to erect oil
necessary cottages for the operatives and keep
them isolated from the town, 80 as TO give tho
leastpossible provooatlon FORAGE troubles. The
company was organized In February. 1897,
through the efforts OF Mr.. W. O. Coleman OF
Concord. The personality OF this man 10 ono
OF tho interesting features OF the enterprise.
Mr.. Coleman, while counted by himself and
the community rs q negro, Is, like most other
cases OF reputed extraordinary development
uIlOhk ~ pluSh IdCS' u hCkAo w Poib piOSO
only. He has white skin and sandy hair. only
the woolly twist Of the latter and the broad
features disclosing his mixed origin. His
father. we are informed, was q General In the
Confederate Army and from him Mr.. Coleman
received an education and a start in life.
Inheriting the instincts Of shrewdness and
money making. Mr.. Coleman has succeeded In
acquiring a comfortable competence. and is
known as the wealthiest negro In North Caro-
1 linn uo haa that m eaof ~ oil annTtrarnonta ~
tho Southern negro-commercial credit. Among
tho whites he is o respected and influential
business man. and his black associates also
yield him their full respect, q consideration
rarely given. curiously enough. by full-blooded
Africans to o "yaller niger" Mr.. Coleman
was ablo to start his subscription list by q
cash contribution OF his own to tho amount Of
several thousand dollars. and when the pro-
ject became generally known other members
Of his race subscribed very freely-much moro
freely than they paid up-about 700 indi-
viduals having pledged themselves in varying
amounts from 500 upward. Anew white peo-
pie helped out the fund. and although at last
accounts less than half OF the capital has been
paid In, enough has been received to finish the
building clear OF debt. This affords a security
for credit in the purchase Of machinery. the
manufacturers of which have been very liberal
in the terms offered.
NuhloEOu5 upIllCdJlOub " llo pldCe vi bup6E-
intendent have been received from white men
of tho South as we'll as of the North. and a
white man will necessarily be engaged. as no
negro possessing the needed training is avail
other 800 employees shall be negroes, and il
the implied promise Of the Prospectus Is carried
paid to white help for the same labor in neigh
boring mills. The company proposes both to
This. experiment, Il successful, Win work a
hhapSs' some other industries as We'll. From tho
point Of view OF the economic welfare OF Amer.
lean white labor the success Of the experiment
would be q disaster OF the same nature as that
threatened before Congress put 2 stop to Chi.
RRe eps ont MfEFte iabor II fr6 5h0 e sS%Sh o fnG neF e2a sas
the cotton mills, and II he also proves a success
a. aso the f sPinpIdle e.; and nd looms @GIS he Tem viii sound Idd the
faiSi h %Feto IF fh sps sSinseSF Of E the Hn Thisfs t6e
cord experiment, 1t is true that before the
help Quite sxslnsiyeiy, but the labor conditioons
we're at that time fundamentally different from
inaspendsnt black citizen Of today: s'~- '"'
When the negroes political shackles were cut
his ingrained Incidence and thriftless nature
came more prominently into evidence. and
ASPIRATION and despair Of employers OF coiored
help. however kindly disposed they may be
f pGint shs seG ma fsG Serve At % i some eatsnt e Ss an ied II
cation q, what, may be expected at the Con
S SRcd, % ot the he 'G GhRrles iR the Cotton EsSsnt M fflfIPoF Il
s sestii szf miiis sIn s@P lksy %sF. r 2t m nffrS @ isre Il
plant of 10000 spindles. was found %diificuit. to
operate on accountof the unwiningncss and in
notable fact that while the mills IL the higher
attitudes of the South, along. the Piedmont re-
and iin dust fH %hite labor r in II the enT World Tii'i for
some reason tho conditions are reversed down
The management of the Charleston mill. TAX
ing into account tho fact that the city contains
Of running the mill with that class of labor. A
little over q year ago negroes were INTRODUCED
many as $50 have since been employed at one
time. As to the results OF this trial, the super
: There is no questioning the ability of the
better 81 . sS o. nGg Tnif t. Tn become expert 0peT-
, has proved a hopeless case as a mill operative
l but those who have some Industrial education
; san sew e vl5 we'll r otte4 Prove s sFiIfu rs wo MR@sn at T tRS
, looms. had to go through, an extensive sift-
and was obliged to reject as incapa!
, bic and unteachable more applicants than
enough persons TO equip the mill, but also !
large reserve contingent. 1t is a trait of the
: leaving the morrow to look out for Itself Aftei
!. e eeiey nn gin a fsw we eeTioS T "a gIeisn me- W and a% wbe &c
= another spell at the machines. In this way
: they keep coming and going.
III we had to depend on steady attendanGGS
with white labor. we, could not keep the mil
i running properly. The negro hands take nc
pushing overseers. Offers OF increased pay In
n return Tor larger outputs seldom induce greater
u effort or care. They are satisfied with smaller
wages than the whites receive. their chic
anxiety being to reach the quitting point anC
3 whole troops Of them stay away. regardless o
anything except tho threat OF aheavy forfeiture
q of wages. due them. From my experience a
the Charleston mill l should say that a mill un
n dertaking to depend on negro labor, could onl!
be operated In n community having n verl
large negro population. and 1t must then be ex
pected that the mill will run at a loss for N
much as two years on account OF the n%ecessit!