Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-02-01

doors of the mills ). with population
that has an instructive genius for man
ufacturing, there is no reason why the
textile industries should not quadruple
in South Carolina during the next
quarter of a century.
Impressed with the present import
ance and future possibilities of cotton
manufacturing, the authorities of the
largest state institution in South Car
olina have added textile department
to train young men in the manufacture
of cotton goods.
We may pause to ask and answer
this question Is it right to use money
derived from general taxation for the
upbuilding of special industry e?
Have not men in other pursuits as
much right to demand of state a
school for special training as the cotton
mill men? The government is estab-
lished for the greatest good of the
greatest number. During the last
seven years cotton mills in the south
have doubled in number. There are
now 4S mills, representing capital OF
$12O, 100000. Factory populations are
IinAamable. Education brings conser-
vatism. An expressed willingness on
the part of the state to dignity labor,
to provide means to educate and ele-
vate ambitious youths for a special
line of work, will do much towards
preventing labor strikes. When the
state provides textile schools the fac
tory operatives feel that the sympathe-
tic arm of the government is thrown
around them.
The south has had few, if any, seri-
Gus labor troubles in the cotton mills.
The reason is obvious. Our operatives,
as class, are respectable, sober ma
tives from the farms in the vicinity OF
the mills. Most of them have been
accustomed to managing labor of their
own on small scale. The superinten-
dent is usually a native, who under
stands the peculiar sentiments and
prejudices of the operatives. About
the same relationship between the
superintendent and the operatives as
that found in the country store between
the merchant and his clerk. Common
interests and common feeling prevent
friction. We cannot hope, however,
that this happy condition of mutual
contentment will continue for coming
years. A factory population will grow
up, alienated from the farms, having
no deep-rooted sympathy with other
vocations-a population that will be
from the factory, in the factory, and
for the factory. This population will
form a very influential percentage OF
the census of the south in 1923 A. d.
The state, therefore, that takes hold
of this social and industrial problem in
time may reasonably hope to find some
solution for the yexatious questions
that will arise.
1t should be borne in mind, too, that
the textile school is not established for
mill men alone. A bale of cotton
weighing 500 pounds will bring the
farmer $50, to be distributed between
the rent of the land, labor, fertilizer,
cost of implements, etc. Now let d
cotton mill be established in the vicini-
ty of that farm. The mill pays the
same $50 for the bale of cotton and
manufactures it into sheeting yard
wide. The sbeeting will sell TO the
jobbers for $3.50. The difference of
$2S.80 is paid out in the community for
labor, supplies, dividends, taxes, in
surance, etc. Is it not the part of wise
craftsmanship 10 encourage, by build
ing textile schools, if necessary, an in
dustry that will bring to the south $5S
for every bate of cotton, instead OF
$50, to say nothing of new markets
created for truck farming, of the in
creased value of real estate, of oppor-
tunities opened up for men now idle ?
Conservative England woke up in
1898 to find that Germany was COM
peting with success for the trade OF
the world. A royal commission was
appointed by parliament to inquire into
the cause. After an exhaustive inves-
tigation the commission reported that
Germany's growing supremacy was
owing to her splendid system of
industrial schools. Since that time
England has spent stupendous sums of
money in training her citizens for the
keen competition of life. No back
ward steps are being taken. Manches-
ter, alone, is now adding half million
dollars to her textile school.
1t is not for the south to sit down
and swap family "reminiscences and
wait for the mythical capitalists to
arrive. We have no apologies to make
for the past, but we have duty to
perform in the present. In natural
resources the south is the richest part