Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-07-12
AIKEN ON MIL MERGERS.
Congressman From Third District
Fears Farmers Will Suffer.

Ihull tHu dShOu III HIl eSDESSSlOn OF
opinion on the cotton mill mergers
being organized in South Carolina,
and said:
This question has been presented
to me from various standpoints, and
on several occasions. Primarily, l
may say, that so long as the mills
merged are confined to single State,
and so long as the merger Is not Of
such magnitude as to constitute a
monopoly, Congress may not inter-
fere. Congress, In my Judgment,
could interfere only where the mer-
ger affected Interstate commerce ad-
versely. AS I understand it, the
Standard OIL Company, the Steel
Trust and the Tobacco Trust come
within the scope of the Sherman
Antitrust Act, because OF their ex-
tensive holdings in several States,
making prices in one central point
for the products of all the States af-
fected. No man can tell the ultimate
proportions that the merger plan may
assume; but since the merger here
referred to could not in its present
extent be subjected to Congressional
enactment, anything l may say rela-
tive thereto Is only as q private citi-
zen, interested with every other good
citizen in the States best economic
development. AS such l am frank to
say that l think the merger plan is
fraught with many dangerous proba-
bilities.
If ten mills may be run success
fully by a common head, there Is no
good reason why, in time, a hundred,
or all the mills Of the State, might
not be brought under one control.
The main purpose Of such combina-
ton, as generally understood, is to
regulate the output of cloth and to
establish stable prices. This is all
we'll enough, but when it Is consid-
cred that the power which Is suffi-
cient to dictate the price Of cloth can
In like manner dictate the price of
raw cotton, new light Is thrown on
the situation. And does any man
doubt this power? Suppose all the
mills of South Carolina, under one
management. and every market In
the State may be closed by the word
of one man, how long before the ex-
porter would be having cotton at his
own price?
Then again, reflect where two
ol
mills Of South Carolina Is held. Scat
tered under many managements, it is
being used for the States industrial
development, and for the good OF her
citizens. But place this capital un-
der one corporate head, with no
guarantee Of the character of man
that the tickle Northern director may
put in control, and conditions such
as have debauehed Legislatures, and
subverted popular government in
many Northern States, will soon pre-
vail here.
have no patience with the senti-
ment that would array lahor against
capital; but that the laborcr should
be reduced to absolute dependence
upon the fat Of one man would be
the greatest calamity that could be-
fall South Carolina or any other
State. If the laborer, dissatisfied
with his circumstances in one mill
turns to another and another, only to
IND the door OF all closed, by a CEN
tml power, how long think you, be-
lore his suffrage, his very liberty
Will be surrendered to save his
bread?
1t may safely be predicted that the
merger plan will mark the end Of
mill building In South Carolina. AL
most without exception, mills are
built largely by Northern capital
capital THAT is interested in this char
acter OF investment All capital Is
easily frightened, and this class es-
peclally So When the corporate
head OF the merger in the State
stamps project with his disappro-
val, that is the last of 1t. Already
thero exists a combination of mill
presidents In South Carolina to dis
courage tho building of mills, and
the promoters of Wt least one pro-
posed mill signally failed, for this
reason, after the usual homo sub
scription had been raised. If a
mere organization Is so powerful,
what would be the power of a dicta-
tor?
If, instead Of discouraging mill