Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-16
The Negro i'm COttOn-Mills.

ATLANTA Journal)
CAPITALISTS I'm South Carolina are giving
The negro a chance to show what he can
do ia cOtton-mills.
The Charleston MILL with $500 spindles,
employing about 700 operatives, is 10 be
run with negro labor. II was sold Mon
day under an order Of court TO Mr. John
III. Montgomery. of Spartanburg. presi-
dent Of the Spartan and PacOlet mills. Mr..
Montgomery announces that ne will en-
ploy negro labor and thinks it can be
used % advantage. lie says that II the
plant cannot be so operated IL Will prove a
bad investment
The mill was built i'm 1852 and two years
ago white labor was replaced with ne
groes This caused some friction at the
time. but tho Charleston people have be-
come accustomed TO seeing negroes in the
mill. and the experiment goes on without
interruption.
Mr. Montgomery spoke freely Of his
plans 80 the Charleston News and Cou-
rier. which quotes him as follows:
About the only thing l have TO say is
| that / have bought the property for my
self and associates, and Will operate 1t
with negro labor. l believe The enterprise
will prove successful We could not use
negro labor i'm the mills in the up-country,
and / would not think Of attempting such
a move. but the conditions i'm Charleston
are peculiarly adapted TO the step. / said
four years ago that ] thought the mil
here could be made TO pay if negroes were
/ nut i'm to operate it, OF course. We viii
have white superin lendents and white
/ oVerseers. but the routine work will be
! performed by negroes When our new
/ company Is organized I shall suggest the
namc Of a man for general manager and
/ treasurer i'm whom / have every cOnii-
dence. / will not mention his name, bui
| he has had wide experience. and in al de-
partmonts of the mill business. lie is a
| capital manager and Will be a most vaua-
| bic official.
| "When / came here ! did not expect 20
| find such a large upset price fixed for the
mill. AS l said we bought il as an eX-
pertinent. and If we find that the mill can-
not be operated successfully with the ne-
! gro help it will prove a costly experiment.
| But we are not looking at that end. / am
confident that the negro will prove a
| great helper in this particular mill, though
/ would never attempt TO operate a cotton
! factory i'm the up-cOuntry with negroes.
| This is the only property. l think. in the
| State in which / would try the negro in
stead OF the white labor
As the journal has often said, it is i'm
| the South that the negro gets the best
| opportunities. lie is not allowed TO labor
/ I'm Illinois in competition with white men.
| There he is met with bullets while seeking
4 work.
| 1t is noticeable that Mr.. Montgomery
says this kind of labor would not suit
/ tho Spartan and Pacolet mills. where
more complicated machinery is used and
| finer goods are produced. This points to
| the employment of negro labor In pro-
| ducing the coarse cotton goods. White
| labor must then take steps upward by
| developing more skill. This shows the
wisdom OF this State in adding a textile
department TO the Georgia Institute of
Technology. The white operatives of the
South must prepare 10 enter the field Of
competition with New England In the
production of finer fabrics. If the intro
ductOn Of negro labor into the mills
shall have the effect Of Fastening this
development Of the higher grades OF tex
tile industry in the South IL will not be
bad thing for the white race.