COPY.

Raleigh, N.C., December 24, 1919.

Mr. F. K. Rupprecht, President,
Consolidated Textile Corporation,
New York City, N.Y.

Dear Sir:

Your telegram of the 23rd inst., addressed to the employees of the Pilot Cotton Mills, has just been handed to us by Mr. A. Y. Kelly, Manager. In reply will say that we regret very much that you and Mr. McCampbell, Vice President, could not be present at our meeting today.

Mr. Kelly and Mr. Smith were present and stated to us their future plans for running this plant, and will state that what they said met with our approval with the exception of Mr. Kelly's signature to our contract for a ninety days trial, which is practically the same contract as the one suggested through the news papers by Mr. Williamson, your former President, several days after we came out, a copy of which I am enclosing.

We hope that you will not think that in writing this letter to you that we are going over Mr. Kelly's head, for we have the highest regards for him, but we are doing this, that in order that our side may be brought to your attention as plain as possible.

It is not our desire that a single one of us will have to leave the employment of your Company, for most of us have been here for a long period of time and it seems very much like home to us, but conditions have been such as to cause us to organize ourselves into a Labor Union, and we are ninety-five per cent strong.

As stated before, we would regret very much to have to leave your employment, but we have been out eight weeks and unless you can see your way clear to have Mr. Kelly sign the enclosed contract, we will vacate just as fast as we can get houses else where.

We hope you will give this matter your careful attention, taking into consideration the fact that we ought to have some means of getting our grievance to the management, other than through biased Superintendent and Overseers.

We wish to assure you that if you will instruct Mr. Kelly to sign our contract we will return to work with all good will and will put forth all our energy and power to make the plant go, and will also pledge ourselves to work for the upbuilding of our village.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and looking for an early reply, we are,

Yours truly,

Employees of Pilot Cotton Mills,
By C. C. Mangum
(signed)