The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-07

reports results as 1OiIOWS:
North Carolina-Home capital, 80
per cent; Northern capital. 10 per cent.
South Carolina-Home Capital, 80
per cent; Northern capital, 20 per cent.
"Georgsa-Home capital, s. per cent:
Northern capital, Is per cent.
DETERMINATIONS capital, IS per
cent; Northern capital, p per cent"
At Charlotte all the mills, some III
or ten. are managed by southerners,
and the Arknight Club, OF Boston,
Mass, reports, after an examination,
that they are most capable. According
to Mr.. Watt the south now has 1900
900 s~pind7es, representing $50, 900, 900 of
capital, only II per cent. of which Is
represented by northern capitalists. He
makes the further interesting state
ment that northern money invested in
southern cotton mills, in partnership
as IT were with home money, such mills
being managed by home talent, has
brought better returns in almost every
case to the investor than money en-
trusted by coniding northerners to the
control and direction of occasional in
dustrial missionaries or commercial
cmpet-baggers s~ojOurning in h
SOUTH"
nOthe argument urged is THAI the
souuh's cotton mills are small, and
therefore, not at all to be compared
with Northern mills which are always
very large. This is all wrong. The
smaller mills make perhaps as much
clear profit ais the larger mills in the
south in proportion to capital invested,
and show much better returns than do
most of the large New England mills.
Another contention urged to the dis
paragement Of the south is that it's
labor is unskilled and cheap. But we
notice that northern mill men who
visit the cotton milling centres do not
find this complaint to be justified. They
speak vel Of the work done, the great
advantage in cost of labor for the
south, and the profits.
All this brings up the past. Ever
since 1870, northern writers Of the At
kinson stripe, have been essaying to
IluCI due lit SOuLll, ~ cFcu IIuICuIc
the idea THAT it could ever seriously in
terfere with the manufacturing inte-
rests and profits OF New England or
the north, or even possibly become a
Threatening rival of northern cotton
mill men either in production, price
or quality of goods. The Baltimore
Manufacturers Record goes back to
1850, and Mr.. A. "A. Lawrence, of Mas
sachussettes wrote ito Hunts Mer-
chants Magazine trying "to dissuade
his southern brethren from emibarking
upon such a perilous enterprise as the
manufacture of cotton. His argument
was that there was a. radical defect in
steam power in the south; that it had
not the necessary Tabor. skill or spare
capital; that the capacity of cotton
machines then in operation was nearly
o. quite equal to the demand for cotton
cloth and the capacity for production,
and that the cotton planters were ma
king more money by producing cotton
than they could make by manufacture
ing it. Hamilton Smith, of Kentucky,
but Of northern birth, answered this
argument by the use of facts. %
cotton mills in the south were being
operated at a profit"
so these attacks by either selfish or
ignorant writers, are not recent but
ancient. In the mean time the south
has been diligently forging ahead,
,,-Grt H. .N--. ~, x;4m $1,000
prise and brains, and has at last great
ly aroused New England and made
the LaWrences, Atkinsons id Ornne
genus quite ~antiquated and unwise eth
er as prophets or political economists.
Northern writers are now endeavoring
to prove that the south cannot manu-
facture the finer grades of %cottons, and
the effort is to dishearten Our men of
pluck and money. The Baltimore Rec
ord says of this:
: advice to the south against manu-
featuring fine grades, based upon
statements similar to those employed
when 1T had begun to demonstrate it's
ability to compete with New England
in coarse fabrics, is intended princi-
pAlly y tII DSiISlIL Ol UIlc iTOIT4l. IL
is as vain as it was fifty years ago."
Such advice is not worthy OF serious
attention. 1t 10 "hoary with age" to
quote The Record, and it 10 Is selfish
as all other such advice has proved to
be. The aim 10 to keep the south off
New England's preserves, and allow it
Ito make all the fine goods.
In 1SS9-cnly ~ per cent. Of the
spindles Of this country were TO be
; found in the south. In 1897, 1Sh per
cent. are to be found here. The in
crease in spindles-since 1880, has been
443 per cent. All the remainder OF this
United States has increased but 40 per
cent. Behold the great contrasts, and
yet, the south cannot compete. Read
what Lawrence wrote in 1850, and see
how little of al economic seer. he was.
Atkinson has shown himself OF even