The semi-weekly messenger., 1902-08-08

both Of the mill men and Of their en-
ployees AFFORD to act hastily in so i'm
portant a matter. That some evils ex-
ist no one denies, that these evils will
be corrected every one firmly believes.
II is TO the interest Of the mill men as
well OF the whole south that cotton
and other manufaC turing should be fos-
tered and placed upon the highest
plane with regard TO the welfare OF
the mill owners and mill employees, and
this We can do without the aid or adj
vice of the agents OF the New England
mill owners
In regard 10 this crusade from the
north against what they term the evils
OF the cotton milling system Of the
south we publish in another column. a
letter from a friend in Baltimore. The
letter enclosed a clipping from The
Baltimore American newspaper, head
ed: "A Woeful Tale from the SOUTH
which begins: In the interests of
humanity and the textile workers of
this country the condition OF the work
ers in the southern mills should be in
vestigated by the United States or the
Federation of Labor" and attributes
this expression to one James Mcguire,
textile weaver who has recently re-
turned from a visit to Charlotte. N. c.,
and had been interviewed by that
paper.
This Mr.. Mcguire is d native of Fall
River, Mass. His chief object in COM
ing south, according t. his interview,
was to create discord and preach dis
content to the southern mill owners.
He claims that he came south 10 bet
ter his condition, but found out his
mistake as soon As he arrived; never
the less he renamed three years, try
ing to organize unions and educate
the people up TO , proper state of ami
mostly against 1ne mill owners. Some
of his statements are as bald-faced lies
as were ever printed and were this in
terview printed III a newspaper acces-
sible to the operatives of those Char
lotte factories they would so pronounce
them also. We here give a few ex-
tracts, as the article Is too long for re-
production:
There appears to be a community of
interest between the rich southern
landowners and the northern cotton
mill owners. As a result the textile
worker has but little show. The south
ern textile worker is of the poor white
class. They were originally small farm
ers, who were induced to take up mill
working.
ha nj
south to build mills the southern land
owners gave them large tracts of land
free. They also went around and in
duced the poor white farmers to work
in the mills with their wives and chill
dren. Now, these operatives must re-
main in the mills, for they could not
secure farms near their old homes
again if they tried. The rich landowner
would not permit 1t. 1.-The con-
ditions of the southern textile workers
may be summed up as follows:
They are treated wor Sc than slaves.
They work longer and for less pay than
any class of mill laborers in the world.
''They are subjected to a docking
SYSTEM under which they are shame
fully cheated and robbed.
They are forced to live in the mill
owners houses, trade at the millown-
ers' store, support the millowners'
churches and doctors; and, should they
dare to oppose any of these require
ments, they are driven like dogs from
the mill district.
THE child-labor system in the south
ern mills is a disgrace to our boasted
civilization. The health, and even the
lives, of thousands of little children is
being sacrificed to crafty the demands
of capitalistic greed.
THE mill bosses in the south enslave
the operatives, who formerly. were in
nocent country people, by taking ad-
vantage of their astounding ignorance
and credulity.''