The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-10-23
RETURNED TO HER OLD LOVE.
The Mills Come Again With the
Abolition of Slavery.

D. A. Tompkins, Of Charlotte, North
Carolina, recently made an interest
ing speech before the New England
Cotton Manufacturers Association
meeting at Buffalo, n. Y. He spoke
as follows:
Coming as I do from a section far tc
the southwark of where most of you
live, yet in a section having a fail
membership in this association, il
would seem appropriate before enter
ling upon the subject of my address fol-
me to express what I know is the
sentiment of all the southern members
of this association and Southern
people besides, the feelings Of
our grief and sympathy with
you because of the late national ca
Flamity. In the private life of all the
people in the South the regret and dis
appointment for what befell President
Mckinley cannot be measured in
words. / will read an extract from
a private letter written by my brother
at Edgefeld, S. c., to me in connec-
tion with some passing business mat
ters:
81 am overwhelmed with sorrow at
the death of President Mckinley. He
was good man, with a broad mind
and kind heart. He has especially en-
deared himself to the South, both for
any want of bitterness, and by kind
acts and loving words, and he has earn
ed for himself in that beautiful beyond
the reward, Blessed are the peace
makers, for they shall be called the
children Of God. -
From my sister, who lives in Able
vile, S. c., | had letter also which
contained similar expressions. In
every phase of the private life and
work of our people there have been sad
hearts, deep feelings of sorrow for the
man whose life was sacrificed, and
solicitude for the future welfare of the
Government and the people.
The general sentiment seems to be
in strongly favoring repTessive meas
ures, and even severe punishment, to
put stop to the growing spirit OF
anarchy in this country. May we not
appropriately consider whether such
repressive measures and punishments
would accomplish all that we could
wish or be our full duty? Has it not
come to pass that we are all to some
extent, and the men of America in
particular, lax in our obligations to
advance Christian civilization with
that energy and sense Of duty that our
parents and grandparents used to do?
Is not anarchy finding better opportu-
nifty because the bulwark of Christian
ity is not as strong as it used to be?
Can the punishment, even by death,
of one ignoble and unworthy man cure
or stop the progress of the redhanded
spirit of evil, anarchy? / conceive
that, in addition to ordinary punish
rnent, we all have binding duties to
join our mothers, wives and sisters in
the endeavor to keep alive the Chris
tian spirit and with that overwhelm
the anarchistic spirit. [ bring you
this greeting from your Southern mem
bers on subject that concerns US all
alike, and to express our realization
of the duties that are before US for the
common good of all our people.
Now I proceed to the subject of
Southern cotton mills in the early
days of the Republic. The general sub
ject of manufactures in She South is
not we'll understood. One of the fore
most propositions of the founders of
the Republic was the establishment of
manufactures throughout the whole
of the then, United States. All the
early Presidents, most of whom were
Southern men, were advocates Of pro-
lection to new industries and of other
means to stimulate their establishment
and development. Under these in
huences manufactures in the South ad-
vanced for a long while, say, up to
1880, about parallel with the manufac.
turing development of New England
and the Middle States.
I have often had occasion to point
out that the census of 1910 shows the
manufactured products of Virginia,
the Carolinas and Georgia equal in
quantity and value to those of all the
New England States combined. The
influences that gradually changed this
condition was slavery. AS slavery
grew and became stronger in the South
manufactures grew less and the factor
les almost disappeared. In the Pied
mont region of North Carolina, in
which I live it is surprising to learn
what development there was there
about 1870 At numerous water
powers iron works were in full opera
tion, some of them on what was then
a very large scale. Iron mines and
blast furnaces were in operation at
many, many points on the mountain
sides. The cotton mills now in opera
ton at Henrietta, Clifton, Cherokee
Falls, High Shoal and many other
places occupy the sits of former roll
ing mills. The water power canals at
the mills were dug more than a hun
dred years ago by iron companies. At
High Shoal, when the present mill
was begun only few years ago, it was
necessary to destroy with dynamite a
number of brick stacks that had been
formerly used in connection with cat
lin forges, and very lately, in an addi-
tional excavation, large housing of a
former rolling mill was found. At
this point, some seventy-fve years