The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-03-18
Let orr Cotton BE Spun where
Ia is Grown.
MEMPHIS. February 26. IS6e

7 I<ttttDJS 4htttfyfttS Li{IJettt - IJtftf aNtFS.
! | send you, herewith, an extract from
/ the London Times. England. forming
/ part of one of its leading articles
/ dated the 18th instant, and which sc
/ ably discusses and pOintedly puts one
/ OF the most important questions affect
1 ing the interests of this Southern
/ country. The argument so thorough
I ~ confirms many of the opinions and
suggestions expressed as to the de-
| sirablenesS OF cOtton-SpinnIng here on
the spot where the cotton is grown =
If as Is there stated, the spinning OF
cotton is becoming improbable to the
| English. this demonstrates the safety.
commercially, of such enterprises be-
ing started on this side, and | see no
reason why. in addition to working up
home-spun cotton into cloths, the
South should not ship cotton-yarns to
Europe, to supply the requirements OF
manufactures.
l am, dear sir. faithfully, yours.
JOHN VERtTT.
The root Of the matter, OF course. Is
in the want of commercial success
Cotton spinning no longer pays, or, at
best, pays indiflerently, and SO cotton
splnners are grumbling, exactly like
distressed agriculturalists in times
past. Mr.. Bailey admitted the facts,
and in substance correctly explained
them, He observed, with regret, that
capital had been gradually Withdrawn
from our staple manufacture. that
mills were at short work. and that the
mill-hands were suffering.
He then said that the cause of these
embaFraSsm was the short supply
combined with the high price of the
or oil h., l.
cd, had mill power enough to work up
the production of the article in Amer
lea is still limited. and the consump-
ton of it on the spot and in continent
al countries was increasing, so that
altogether, the chief element of a re-
muneratiYe trade was wanting. This,
in the main, is sound reasoning. Time
out of mind during the last twenty
years, before and after tne great catas-
tropbe OF the Cotton Fame, have we
placed the simple facts Of this import
ant question before the eyes of the
public, The cotton trade OF England
arose from our ability to supply the
whole world with cotton stuffs
better and cheaper than could be
otherwise or elsewhere obtainod.
No matter how reu.otc the market or
how poor she customers, we could
offer them better bargains than they
could find at home. We were enabled
to do this partly by the advantages OF
capital, enterprise ard organization.
but nartly also, by the advantages OF
a cheap and regular supply of the raw
material. We divided with the
United States the trade OF the world
in this commodity. The Americans
-AH
and what with the price of the article
and the facilities of manufacture, we
could afford TO send it to any part of
the globe and sell it at a profit. We
wanted nothing SlG new markets
that was our OplY csy,
tive US the markets, no matter
where, and we would undersell every
body and everything. This power OF
underselling was the foundation of our
trade. So long As it lasted the trade
lasted, when il ceased the trade fell
Nor can anything except the recovery
of tins power set the trade up again,
or anything except cheap cotton per-
init this power to be recovered. five
cannot offer people cheaper SUITS than
they can make themselves, they will
wear their own stuis and not buy ours.
! difference of siXpence a pound i'm
the price of cotton win make the diff
ference to Us between an open market
and closed one. There can be no
trade without customers, and for such
a trade as ours used TO be we want the
custom of the whole world. This is
the only TO he regained on the
terms Of COSs formerly prevailing
though the vicisitudes of commercial
legislation may also to some extent
stand in our way. The Americans. for
instance, seeI, resolved to grow cot
toE and spin it too, instead of con-
filming themselves to the work which
best suited them, and allowing US 10
take what best suited US. We NAV
hope, however Notwithstanding the
depl0FGble backslidings of Lancashire.
that sounder doctrines Of commerce
will yet prevail; but even Free Trade
itself will not keep Manchester mills
at work without 2 cheap supply of the
raw material. That, and not the reyi-
val of Protection, should be the OBJ
iect of Lancashire cotton Spinners, it
is Only surprising we should have to
remind them of the tru,h.-MemRhis
Appeal.