The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1903-12-31
WHITE LABOR SOUTH
sY IT GREAT AND REMARKABLE
DEVELOPMENTS BEING Ac-
coMPLIsHED.

the Earth Net OaIy in Manufactur.
Ing But Also in Agricultural Pur-
suits-The New Revolution Is Now
On in the Gulf Coast.
Mobile, Ala, Special: One of the
great southern railway lines which
has paid especial attention to building
up the cotton mill industry has located
mills all along its road in the south.
Its policy heretofore, and from which
Il Is to some extent now receding. was
to encourage the locating of cotton
mills ut interior points and not on or
near an export point One very quick
" arrives at the not inaccurate con-
olusion that it's purpose was to get
two hauls, one Of the raw material to
the mills and the second to the export
point. Now large mills are either in
operation or in the course of construc-
ton at one or the other of its ports
That the cotton was not worked up in
the south where 1t is raised, hereto
fore, was due to the fact that there
was not sufficient white labor in the
south to operate the mills. The con-
dition was overcome by operators
from Massachusetts, and New York
moving their plants south and bring
ing their employees along at the same
time. So that all through the south
you will find little settlements clus-
tering around typical New England
mills in which are employed entire
families The whites of the south seek
but no negro can get employment ex-
cept as a drayman, freight handler or
fireman, while his wife and daughters
can only get work such as scrubbing
and securing about the mill. Black
children employees will not be tolerated
by the white spinners. Therefore, tiny
white children, twelve and even so
young as nine years of age. work
among the flying spindles, taking up
the trade, and learning of which is
denied the black child.
1t is toll that is dwarfiing mind and
body of these future citizens. while
the colored children are attending the
public schools. The owners Of these
mills are northern men and they can
operate these plants much cheaper
than the mills they own in the New
England states by virtue of saving in
freight rates and the absence of child
labor laws, such as prevail in the
North
1t is only matter of time until all
the big cotton mills will be located
in the South. However, there is a
healthful public sentiment that has re-
suited in such legislative enactments
In most of the Southern states that
raises the age at which a child is al
lowed to work in factory and there.
fore some of these profits will be lost
only speak of this branch of man
ufacturing in the South to show how
white labor already predominates. The
prejudice against working with the
blacks Is so much more pronounced on
the part Of the mechanics from the
North than with white labor born and
raised in the South, that am more
convinced that segregation of the col.
ored race will be the ultimate and
final solution of the problem.
Nor is the factory hand and Office
man from the North alone who OBJ
jects to holding a position alongside
the negro, but the Northern settler
who is coming south by the untold
hundreds. is just as earnest In his
objection to the black race, not want.
ing him for an employee on the farm
nor as co-laborer, no matter if time
and a careful investigation show that
the black race in the South is often
quite equal in intelligence and certain
1y fully as honest as the negro EN-.
ployee these people may have had in
their Northern homes. There is a no
table illustration of this condition OF
things at several points Over on the
Southern railway line there is South
Carolina town called Pelzer, with near.
1y 10000 white inhabitants, all from
the North and all employees of cotton
mills owned and operated by North
ern capital. They have no saloons
therefore no Jail; no newspapers and
no actresses, but they have a pretty
Y. M. C. A. building, free library and
the most moral town In the South
They bar editors and actresses, alone
with the blacks.
The Southland company, now set
ting thousands of people in the high
lands half way between Mobile and
Pensacola, have a new white mans
town in "a white mans empire" of a
quarter million acres In which is not
to be one single black family. It is 8
newly developed country and the set
tiers are all from the North, many
coming In search of a more healthful
climate. At their pretty little tow
called Gateswood, found farmers
from nearly every Indiana, Illinois and
Ohio county, and fruit raisers from
every congressional district of Michi
gan and Wisconsin and nearly every
Northern state. There | met a Mr.
Muir, Chicago attorney. He took q
prominent part In the Haymarket an
archist trial for the state He came to
the Gulf coast to see II he could re
cover from an attack of paeursonis
that had made him q physical wreck
He aud his three sons are now farmins
near Gateswood and he has found
health In tie open air. Said he:
Here am surrounded by people from
Chicago, Milwaukee and Michigan
points. people whom have known fol