Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

ting Begins pAjbwd**dt ’Id^ Qc> re yards. bill will be to reduce back to 1984 levels with controlled yearly growths. This would help to preserve opportunities for Americ an fibers, textile and apparel employees. An Editorial This edition of "The Clothmaker” is unique. It is, to the best of my knowledge, the first special news edition we have ever printed. You might think of it in terms of an “Extra.” Clinton Mills has gone to the expense of producing a special news edition for all employees because it is important. This special edition is designed to acquaint you with our letter-writing campaign, it’s importance and the results we hope to achieve. It is most difficult for many Clinton Mills’ employees to realize the importance of this letter-writing campaign, because we have had a fairly stable operating schedule. Many of our fellow textile manufacturers haven’t been as fortunate as we have been. Their business has suffered because of imports and thousands of honest, hardworking employees have lost their jobs. Our running schedules don’t mean that we’ve not been hurt by imports, nor does it indicate we're immune to the adverse effects caused by imports. Clinton Mills’ management is second to none in the industry. Management has voluntarily joined fellow textile manufacturers, suppliers, apparel makers and other interested businesses in putting together the largest coordinated letter writing campaign ever initiated by the industry. Clinton- needs the full support of every employee, his spouse, friends, and neighbors in sending President Reagan a message that textile employees are dissatisfied with the amount of imports coming into the country and they are ready for him to do something about it. In essence, the industry is attempting to use Clinton’s 8,000 letters and cards and the industry’s 4,000,000 messages to get Reagan’s single signature on the Textile Fair Trade Bill. Please read this edition of “The Clothmaker” carefully. It is important in explaining to you exactly how to send your personal, handwritten message to Washington. We need to set an example for others to follow. This campaign is ours and if we are to succeed, we need help from everybody possible. Others will truly benefit from our actions. Let’s request the banks, supermarkets, auto dealerships, drug stores, depart ment stores, restaurants and hardware stores—anywhere we spend our paychecks—to help us in our writing efforts. We should convince everyone we do business with that if we don’t draw a paycheck, we can't spend our money with them. Obviously, everyone will drown if the tide of imports continues to rise. We at Clinton Mills are doing our part. That’s why we thought this issue was significant enough to publish a special newspaper. If you need extra copies, please let us know. We want everyone to realize this project needs everyone’s support to be successful. Mack Parsons Editor Congressman John Spratt stops to have Allie Campbell explain how new Sulzer looms produce superior quality American-made products. Spratt Visits Clinton Mills United States Congressman John Spratt who represents Laurens County and other employees in the Fifth Congressional District, visited Clinton Mills earlier this month. He met with members of management to discuss import issues as they affect the textile industry and the status of the Textile and Trade Apparel Act of 1985 now being considered by Congress. A highlight of the Congressman's visit was a tour of the Bailey Plant where he and his staff observed the extensive modernization which the plant has recently undergone. Throughout his tour, Spratt stopped at many of the new machines where em ployees explained their role in making superior quality American-made fabrics. During the course of his visit, Spratt told those he represents, ‘Tm proud I was one of the original co-sponsors of the Textile Fair Trade Bill now be fore Congress. The bill, if passed, will limit im ported textile goods and bring some degree of sta bility to textile markets. I have done everything in my power to get other colleagues in the House of Representatives to sign on as co-sponsors. We now have 291 members of the House who are support ing this bill and 54 in the Senate. The biggest obstacle now faced by the measure is overcoming the possibility of a Presidential veto." When asked how dedicated his colleagues were to helping the textile industry, Spratt noted, "When a Congressman signs on as a bill’s co sponsor, he makes a stronger commitment than just voting for the bill. When you co-sponsor a bill, you are saying you back and support the legislation and you are willing for your name to be identified. We are most fortunate to have this large number backing this proposed law. Virtually, all who co sponsor a bill vote for it. Rarely does a co-sponsor fail to cast his or her vote for such a measure," explained Spratt. "If you want to take your name off, you must make such a request in an open session of the House and this is entered into the official record." Why Hasn’t the Reagan Administration Acted Before Now to Help the Textile Industry? "The Reagan administration believes in free trade. He believes the government should not in tervene, but the market itself should seek its own outcome," continued Spratt. "Reagan is concerned that this bill is protection ist, so if he supports this bill, he may have to support others and he is fearful of retaliation from other countries." How Effective Is A Letter-Writing Campaign? Congressman Spratt gave his enthusiastic approval of the letter-writing campaign now under way throughout Clinton Mills and the textile in dustry. "I think campaigns like the Clinton employees are about to wage is extremely effective," cited Spratt. "Messages are most effective if they come in the actual handwriting of the voter and citizen. To give you an example, the public was able to positively influence Social Security changes, withholding of taxes on interest and dividends and certain record keeping requirements for business people through gigantic coordinated letter-writing programs," re called Spratt. "Due to the onslaught of mail from constituents, Congress rapidly repealed major restrictions in that area. Had we not heard from the voters, these laws would have been passed and many citizens would have suffered adversity. "I assure you, mail that comes to Washington is read, especially if the sender takes time to express himself in his own way, signs his name and in cludes a correct mailing address. We feel that in many instances the sender wants and deserves a reply." Should Non-Textile Employees Support Our Campaign? "In this region, the textile industry is still the main employer. Anyone who has an interest in the economy of this region, as well as this nation, should be interested in this program. "Every citizen in this country has an interest in the economy. Textiles is one of our most basic industries and everyone needs to support it. It's time everyone stopped to realize what's happening to all manufacturing in this country—steel, elec tronics, cement, autos, timber, etc. "In Congress we have told our colleagues throughout the nation if they'll help us, we’ll help them with their problems. We are prepared to go to great lengths to get this bill passed to aid the employees in the textile industry," he added. During his visit, the Fifth District Congressman again renewed his commitment to assist the indus try fight the import problem.