The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-07-19
THE DANGER OF MILL MERGERS.

in action.
THE DANGER OF MILL MERGERS.
Our readers will recall sew
er;,i weeks ago we attempted
10 Show that the merger OF the
cotton mills bode no good for the
farmers nor those who labor In
the mills, our views were regard
ed at the time as those of an
alarmists bat the more we follow
the subject, the more are we con-
vinced that there is good cause to
believe if the mills get under one
mana cement. tdoes not mean for
this State alone but throughout
the cotton manufacturing world,
that the price Of cotton will be
fixed by thosein control, not oaly
the price of the raw material but
the price 30 be paid for the labor
in the mills. That we are not
alone in this view is shown by
congressman Aiken of the third
! district Of this State in an inter-
view he recently gave out.
| Congressman Aiken Of the Third dis
;rics las given the Anderson Daily Mail
the following interview or the mill rner-
ger situation:
This question has been presented TO
me from various staudpoints and on sew
! era! occasions. Primarily, | may say,
that SO long as the mills merged are con
| tiued toa sin-le state, and so !cng as the
merger is >no5 OF such magnitude as TO
constitute L monopoly, congress may not
Interfere. Congress in my judgment,
could Interfere only where the merger
Affected Interstate commerce adversely.
As understand it. the Standard Oil
COMPANY, the Steel Trust and the To-
hacco Trust come within the scope OF
! The Sherman Auti- act. because OF
their extensive holdings 10 severa!
states. making prices in one central
point for the products Of all the states
affected. No man can tell the ultimate
| proportions that the merger plan may
assume: but siEce the merger mere re-
ser.el 10 could not in its present eX'eut
| bc subjected 10 congressional enact
.aent, ar,,Eiag may say relative thers-
! 10 is only aS u private citizen. interested
wish every other GOOD citizen 10 the
states best economic development. As
,uci. All t'ink 70 81. thai think the
merger pi..o IS fvaush5 with many dan
,.rO,lS probabilities
Ii ten miles may be run successfully
by common head, there is 90 good rea-
son why, in time, hundred, or all the
mills OF the state, might not be brought
under one cortrol. The main purpose
! OF such a combination, as generally un-
de:.s,onG, IS 10 regulate the output 0!
cloth and 10 establish staple prices. This
! is all we'll enough. but when II is cops!d-
cred that the power which is sufficient
!" dictate the price Of cloth can n like
! manne: dictate the price or raw cotioa,
new light is thrown on the situatloo.
| And does any man doubt this power:
Suppose all the mills OF South Carolina
/ under our management. and every mar
kev in the state may be closed by the
word ns one man, how long before the
exporter would be having cotton a. bis
! owu price:
Then again reflect where two-th.rdS
OF the capital stock OF the mills of South
Caro!ira is sold Scattered under many
mapagements, i: is being used fo!' the
states industrial development and for
the good OF hercitiZr1s. But place this
capital under one corporate head, with
90 guarantee of the character OF mau
that the tickle northern director may
put iu control, and conditions such as
have de5auched legislatures, and Suo-
verted popular government Ia many
| northern states will soon prevail here.
! have DO patience with The seutimens
that would array LABOR agains:: capitai:
bps that the Iaborer should be reduced
10 absolute Dependence upon the Hat of
one man woulc be the greatest calamity
that could befa!l South Carolina or any
other state. If s;.e iaborer di sSa ie
!! with his circumstances! n one mill. tu"os
! TO another and another, cn!y 10 ind ihe
Gocr Of II! closed, by central power,
! how !ong think you, before his suffrage,
! his very liberty, will De surrendered TO
save his bread:
| Il may &c safely predicted tia. the
merger plan wijl rltrk The end cf :u;!l
building in S0u1il Carolina. Almost
without exception. mills are bull; lar2e-
| " by rorthern capital that is Interested
| in this character OF investment. Al! cap
isa! IS easily frightened, aud this class
especially SO. When TIE corporate heaa
oi ,;ie merger in the state stamps :.
project with his disapprovai, That is the
last Of il. Already there exists Il con-
b!uat;on Of mil presidents 10 South Car
oiia;. 10 discourage the bulldog Of mills.
aud the promoters of az least one pro
posed mill signally failed. for this re;l-
son. after the usual home subscription
bad been raised. II Z mere organization
is SO powerful, what would be the power
vi !. Gicia;tr::
Ii Instead Of GiscouraginS anil build
inr. a@G consolidation to rob the farmer
Q. :. legitimate price for :. short crop.
every mill OF the south would contribute
70 put !, dozen Or more active. perma-
ucHC agents in China and South Amer
ica. covering the inferior and important
coast towns, these agents not specially
70 be sales agents. but 10 cultivate
friendly relations with the people, and
aG"ertise the superiority OF American
goods. We would bear less from the mill
men OF high nttou and low cloth.
From :. business point Of view. il
seems very likely that the merger plan
will succeed II cuts both ways: it may
force up the Grr-Soods niisn. to which we
60 not object: Or it may force down the
farmer, which would be :, calamity.
Probably the most dangerous, feature
CT the mill merger plan ;s. the inevitable
encroachment Oh the Individual rights