The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-13

And treat as is the conornic value. stilI srtiatsr n the sociological value of this nsW form of factory village life. For tkis nil peop1e is drawn not from foreign l imfnigr1rts nor form distant states. but | 1t is drawn from the hative~borns white population. the poor whites, that belated hill-folk from the ridges and hollows and caves of the silent hills of the Ap- palachian chain of mountains, the hinter- land of civilization. Reared in poverty, ienorauce and isolation, they have all the limita lions of their hard lot, and now for for the first time in their history, they are organized into community life and are taking their first step toward civiiiza- ton and enlightenment.
 The commercial significance of the proximity of the factory to the cotton field cap bs sxpounded by no one more eompetehtly than by the leader of the dis eassion. An important factor in the fu- lure development of the textile industry in the South. whose influence will be felt more and more each year, is the excellent system of textile schools being sstabiish- ed throughout the Southern states. Af- tistic taste. the knowledge of underlying scientific principles. sitlIl and intelligence in a word, brains. are required for the full development of any industry.
 Such in a fragmentafy way are some 0l fth8 813fE1kE r3i6AxlGuLS 01 valisesin tthts s<saA ataple of tfs South, cotton. The protection of the industry challenges the best thought of the land; of scientists, economists and legislators, both State and national It's prosperity ahectb the welfare and happiness of mif- Mons of people throughout Europe as well as America, and coneerns the productivity of hundreds of millions of capital.
 The apprehension expressed in some nj a If 0f a siCnfArank f,a Q annual yield of cotton appears entirely baseless. The great diminution Of the present crop seems entirely attributable to unfatorabie seasons. No crop has ever been cultivated under more adverse cir- cumstances. Furthermore, study of the cotton record for the last fifty years dis covers a freouent ocarrence of violent
 fluctuations much moro extreme than at present, the minimum limit being 150 pounds, the maximum 415 pounds per acre. the crop of 1880 being, for instance, 25 Der cent less than that of 1850. One must believe that the combined scientific genius of America will eventually find stay for the ravages of the bon weevil. Nor can there be any danger in the deterioration of seed arising from the cotton seed oil industry; for no discrimination whatever Is made in the seed. either by the seller or the purchaser.
 The question Of most vital concern to- day in the production of cotton is the question of labor, both as to supply and as to intelligence. It cannot be denied that the question of adequate farm labor has reached point of tension in the South hitherto unknown. Negro labor is becoming restless, higher wages and things much more inviting than the mule ana the blow are drawing him from the country regions. There is, in fact, very keen rivalry for his service among the land owners. And how Is his place to be supplied? Gradually, I have said. by the natural expansion of the white race; but still more rapidly, 1t seems, should the supply come from Immigration. Nowhere in the United States is there today a more inviting field Tor the small farmer than in the South.
 And, above all, if we wish to regener- at, our agriculture, and produce more cotton, more corn, more pork, We need more education, more intelligence. There is no more thoroughly established law than the direct dependence of increase fin production upon increase in intelligence. If we are to accomplish a great uplift and a great output, We must get lever, and the fulcrum of that lever Is on the school house.
 Few. indeed, are the farmers who are able to apply to cotton culture the bene- ficial results of labor saving machines, or
 
 business. Knowledge. indeed. is power, and Mir. SsiIly's B, coo. .O00-pale crop will never arrive until there obtains in our general farming population a higher or der Of intelligence, mental alertness, and a moro intimate knowledge Of the great principles controlling the art of agficnl- ture,. However. of one thing we may rest assured as stated in the beginning, the seeptre of King Cotton will not pass from the South at any near date. Certain cli- lnatic conditions of temperature, moisture and distribution of gentle rainfall, com blned with . favorable soil and, at pres- ent, vast body Of labor available for harvesting make the South the ideal re- zion for the culture of cotton: and under the stimulating influence Of the high prices now prevailing, the acreage for the approaching year will doubtless be greatly increased, and with favorable seasons it r.ay not be rash to prophecy crop of 100000 bales.