The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-12-06
The Truth About Conditions
BY p. A. w.

Business in Anderson Is not normal
for this time OF year, but 1t is not sub
| normal. IL Is exceptionally good, and
1t is daily getting better. 1t will thus
continue. and when next spring and
| summer Anderson County harvests
her mammoth grain crop, conditions
will be normal or above normal; YER
| tainly above normal for that season
OF the year.
Let us see what an analysis will
show about the real business condi-
ton In Anderson.
What part OF the city's business de-
pends upon our cotton mills and 9TH
er small industries. all of which are
being operated at least 80 per cent.
normal. and probably 100 per cent.
when the decline In certain non-tex-
tile industries Is considered as being
made up in increased textile expan-
| sion? Cities, County seats) in other
parts OF the State in counties similar
ly populated agriculturally to Ander-
son County. which cities have no cot
ton mills. are usually cities of about
5000 to 1000 people. For instance,
.l1beville. Bennettsville. O1lngeburg,
and other cities in this State. II An
derson had no cotton mills 1t is safe
to say the city would have only 5000
to 5000 people, or be approximately
the size OF such county seat towns as
are enumerated here for South Caro-
lima. Take Georgia. Hartwell, (pop-
ulation 10000; Washington, (popula-
tion 2.500); Baimbridge. population
$4,000; all county seat towns with no
textile development. and all small
towns. Take Alabama. There IA Ope-
likn. the county seat OF one of the
best counties in Alabama. 1t has s.
OOO people. Take Brewton, county
seat of Escambia County, Ala. and
In tho center of the finest agricultural
and numbering regions In that State.
1t has barely 1900 people. Take Eu-
faila; 1t Is county seat, on a great
river. and a point OF navigation. It
has about $500 people. None OF. these
Alabama towns have any considerable
manufacturing. Alphabetically they
are On nearly a par with Anderson
| County. or at least SO to rs per cent.
so. Yet their poulations are relative
ly small. But let's go further. let's
take the argument into one OF the
greatest agricultural States in Dixie.
Oid tennessee we mean. There Is
Franklin in Middle Tennessee. with
$500 people, and located in the very
heart OF a great agricultural section;
and there is Shelbyvile in Western
Tennessee. In the center OF a county
noted for It's progressive agriculture,
fine horses and grasses. In old Ken
lucky we find similar condition. also
In Virginia and In the Old North
State. In Texas, there is Longview,
In one OF the great Black land belt
counties, and 1t has but 1000 people:
II Is In Northest Texas. There Is
Vernon In Northwest Texas, county
seat OF Wilbarger. admittedly the best
county In that part OF the State, and
vernon has but few over 800 people:
and then again In Middle Texas. in
the great Germanic section, where the
| thrifty Dutch live. there Is New
Braunfals. It Is the county seat of
one OF the best developed. counties in
ths Lena Stay st:vs, It has but z.50O
people. In Southeast Texas there Is
Bryan. a county seat that markets
| more wagon cotton than eny other
town in the world. Bryan handles
| about 10000 bales OF wagon cotton
annually. (Anderson averages abont
22.0C0 bales and Is probably the third
or fourth largest wagon cotton mar
ket In the world) Bryan has just un-
der 5000 people: and II has practical
iy no manufacturing. It Is probably
Just such town as Anderson would
be II she had.no manufacturing
/ in Louisiana. there is Minoen in
she north ana G;ouma in the south: In
Arkansas. there Is Arkadelphia and
Paragould. and In Florida. VIE find
De Funiak Springs and Lake City. All
these towns are county seata and all
markets for wagon cotton. None of
them have over 1900 Ieople. and yet