The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-04-04

Wilmington Messenger.


The True American, q newspaper
of Trenton, n. j., OF recent date con-
tanned an editorial upon the negro
in the South, immigration and the
competition between New England
and the South in cotton manufacture.
The Charlotte Observer says it was
sent copy of the paper by q friend
at the North. The Observer "passes
over the inaccurate comprehnsions
OF the negro and his habits of
thought" and gives the following ex-
tract from the editorial on the need
OF immigration in the South, the rel
ative advantages OF the two cotton
manufacturing sections and the fu-
ture status of that industry in those
: two sections:
The industry and intelligence of the
! Europeans far exceeds that Of the ne
grOes, so that Southern manufacturers
are also desirous OF securing white labor
In this way the South is solving its race
problem, the North is being relieved Of
greater congestion, ,and the best interests
of the immigrants themselves are con-
served.
But the cotton manufacturers OF New
England are afraid that the enlargement
OF the white population in the South in
this manner will make it more difficult
for them to compete with the cotton
manufacturers of the South, and they
have stirred up the labor unions of New
England with the notion that better
facilities for manufacturers in the South
will mean lower wages in New England.
Logically, it is impossible to conclude
that New England can long continue to
proitably manufacture cotton 1t is
also difficult to understand how the
wage scales of the South can long con-
tinue lower than those of New England.
The time must come no matter what
sort of legislation Washington gives
when New England s cotton mills must be
abandoned. Naturally too cotton manu-
featuring will concentrate about cotton
growing centres, for the markets for cot
ton are more easily reached from the
South than from New England.
The republican party may pass laws
| to save the New England mill owners
their investments for time, but when
it undertakes to prevent the Southern
States from securing for themselves the
right to attract desirable immigrants,
as it is proposed in the immigration bill,
it is preparing for fall. Justice and the
interests OF the whole people are OF
greater consequence than the interest OF
New England cotton manufacturers.
That sounds more like an extract
from Southern newspaper. 1t has
more weight, however, coming from
the source it does, than it would
have were it the production of q
Southern editor.
That editorial shows the trend ol
public sentiment to the North of the
Potomac and that the thinking peo-
pie of that section realize the true
conditions of the South at the pres
ent and what they will be in the
future. They see that the day o.
New England's supremacy in cotton
manufacture is about over and that
the South will soon spin and weave
all her raw cotton instead ofgrowing
it for others to manufacture. The
injustice that is being done the
South in the way of preventing heI
becoming successful rival Of New
England in the manufacture o.
her own raw product is coming to be
realized by people outside the bor-
ders of the South. When they begin
to talk about justice and "the in
terests of the whole people" demand
ing fair play for the South in this
matter, victory for us is assured.