Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Letter-Writing Congressman Spratt Textile Trade Legislation: Campaign Begins Visits Clinton Mills What it is, where it stands, what to do Page 2 & 3 , . Page 3 Paged Goals Set In order to reach Clinton’s goal of four letters for each employee, the following goals have been set for each plant: Plant No. 1 650 Plant No. 2 2,120 Lydia 2,020 Bailey .....1,000 Shop, Outside, Warehouse 200 Office ; 300 Geneva 1&2 2,400 TOTAL 8,690 ✓ W/7/ Clinton Mills 'N U.S>' - EXTRA - Special Edition Clothmaher Thousands of Letters Are Being Written Clinton employees are turning out thousands of letters to President Reagan each day urging the nation’s chief executive to pass the Textile Pair Trade Bill. The handwritten messages to the Presi dent are being written in every style avail able. Older citizens who find themselves short on writing skills for any reason, are using large company-provided pens or pen cils, postcards, or the assistance of a friend or relative to get their message to Washington. Others, more versatile in written com. munication skills, are rapidly turning out postcards, letters and other forms of written documents by the thousands designed to let the Republican administration know that textile employees, their families and friends want something done about the flood of tex tile imports coming into this country. Many have enlisted the support of church groups, civic clubs and other companies to muster support for the project. Regardless of the format being used to let the President know the importance of the pending trade bill, a quick examination of the messages leaves little doubt that the industry, it’s suppliers, employees, friends, neighbors and community leaders are re sponding in an unprecedented fashion to let Washington Imow something needs to be done to help the ailing textile industry. According to Clinton Mills’ Chairman Robert M. Vance who also serves as chair man of the communication’s committee of the American Textile Manufacturer’s Insti tute, “The Republican administration has failed to adequately enforce existing trade laws. The South Carolina Senators and Con gressmen have joined 291 fellow members of the House of Representatives and 54 Un ited States Senators in co-sponsoring a tex tile trade bi 11 wh ich wi 11 return our i nd ustry to a certain degree of stability. We are fearful that Mr. Reagan will veto the measure unless we are able to show him millions of Amer icans are concerned that the industry will be virtually destroyed if this bill is not enacted.” According to industry officials, the letter writing campaign is designed to blanket the White House with over 4,000,000 letters and postcards between September 15 and October 15. “We’re counting on every employee in our company to write a letter or card,” noted Vance. “Also, we’re requesting the em ployee to get his or her spouse, children, other family members and neighbors to do likewise," continued Vance. "This isn’t being done only by Clinton Mills. It's a na tional effort, with our suppliers and fellow textile manufacturers conducting a similar program. Other textile plants in Laurens County will have a program comparable to ours,” he added. The industry is betting heavily on em ployees and citizens throughout the country to support the project. “Elected public officials normally put a lot of weight on handwritten messages,” noted Clinton's vice president, Claude A. Crocker. “Employees, armed with an assortment of pens, pencils and communication skills are lending their full support to the campaign,” noted Crocker, as he displayed a list of com panies participating.and suggested techni ques available to make the project suc cessful. “For those individuals wanting to write, but faced with some type of situation where writing may be uncomfortable or difficult, we have a full staff available for assistance. Our goal is to have four letters or postcards for each employee mailed to the White House between September 15 and October 15. These are the most likely dates the mea sure will be considered," he noted. The approach, widely accepted by the in dustry’s employees, provides everyone an opportunity to contribute something toward helping save their jobs from being taken away by imports. “If wearen’t successful, at least we will go down fighting,” stated Crocker, as he recalled success in influenc ing other legislators through letter-writing efforts. “The vital legislation has enough co sponsors to assure passage,” continued Crocker, “unless all-out opposition, includ ing the Presidential-administration and his staff, should develop. While we realize the bill has a reasonable chance of passing, it is not a veto proof measure," continued Crock er who has worked closely with key political figures to get the bill to this stage. “This letter-writing campaign is being aimed at the President to lessen opposition and convince him to sign the measure,” emphasized Crocker. Dear Mr. President: It’s, time to send our message to the White House. Let’s tell President Reagan that: ^ The textile industry is in m serious trouble. -J* Thousands of jobs are m being lost to imports. ^ Plant closings arebatter- ' ing our communities. ^ We want him to sign ■ the TextUe and Apparel Trade Enforcement Act into law when it reaches his desk.