The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-12-10


~ anxious TO see my country flourish,
1 cannot but admit that your people
will win in this race, and my great
consolation is that they fully deserve
to win.
Always yours, respectfully,
A. CUuosIBHoY.
Parsee Merchant of Bombay.
No. 10.
10 Horace Greeley:
SAHIB: That energetic sahib, the
editor of The WoRLD, politely asked
me whether my cotton information
was exhausted, and il not, whether /
would give little more Of it. Now,
exhausting Parsee on cotton, Is about
as likely ~ exhausting duck by SWIM
ming and l am naturally fattered by
being asked for more, and therefore
will not treat him as the dispenser Of
the Cruel in the workhonse did lit
tie Oliver Twist, who also only nsked
for more.
Perhaps the most interesting, and
certainly the most important thing to
know is, that yarn and cloth, made of
our Indian cotton is firstly, unable to
stand long sen voyage, and secondly,
it will not keep in store, remain sound
for longer than six or eight months.
During the American war, we lost
millions of rupees in Bombay through
this deficiency in the stamina (if may
so express it) of shirtings and twist
made wholly of Indian cotton our
house had several lawsuits with Man
chester people about damaged shirting
during the war. 1t was supposed, and
no doubt it was also true, that the
manufacturers, orer-sised the cloth !;
that is, they put too much starch in il;
but we also found that the mule and
water twist, had no sizing in it, would
not endure six months storage.
Now, this is great drawback TO our
raw cotton. There can be no doubt
that all the cotton goods and yarn
which are manufactured for China and
India are now made of American cot
ton. Indeed it is a common thing TO
take q guarantee from the Manchester
man, that the cloth and twist have TO
arrive sound in India, excepting al
ways, of course, saltwater damage.
This would be an additional reason for
the supremacj of the American cotton
in European markets.
Our India cotton was before the Amer
lean war worked up good deal by
hand at home, but the most of it was
shipped to China, where it was prefer
red to the China raised cotton. It is
n doubt of better staple than the
Chinese cotton, but not so clean This
trade has now once more set in, which
naturally divides the shipments that
otherwise would go to Europe.
How very strange it is, 0 Horace
Greeley, sahib, that the cotton history
of India for the last ten years SO en-
tirely disproves your great theory, viz:
''That it is absolutely necessary to pro-
tect our industry by monopoly in or
der to make it prosperous.
Here is strong example: Before
the war, as / stated, cotton was bought
for so rupees n candy in average in
Bombay. This is about Sic. pound.
Nothing could have given it greater
protection and impulse than your war
did. For four years the price was from
18.c to 25c., gold, pound. Now, nc
cording to your great theory, this pro-
lection of killing a rival, which, of
course, is the chief doctrine of mono
ply, should have stimulated India to
not only have the lead in the cotton
world, but to keep it.
But we find quite the reverse. Every
body in India was only thinking for
the moment, it was sduUe gui 1,euf, Just
the same as it is here now, with your
monopolists. They said, "this can
not last" oneextravagance begot an
other, waste followed waste; it did,
and actually does, cost more to bring
candy of cotton down to the coast
now, than it did cost to move three
candies twelve years ago. The ryott
now, this moment, gets $50 rupees for
a candy of cotton in Bombay, but / am
certain he does not clear rs much as
he did ten years ago when he only got
60 or 10 rupees fol it.
But the strangest thing is that it has
not stimulated productions, as the
quantity coming to Bombay now is less,
at these high prices, than it was ten
years ago. Yet, this is, after all, not
strange, in asmuch as the cost of every
thing has increased. The ryott finds
it impossible to procure means to con-
troll quantities, and even If he had the
money he would use caution.
So far as I can see, I don't think
your Southern people have to fear In
dian competition; there is more dan
ger from Egypt for you than from In
dia. But I am certain from what I
have seen here, that if your people are
blessed with peace, if taxes do not
bear too heavily on them; if you allow
them to have cheap food, cheap cloth
ing, cheap household utensils; if you
again allow them to have cheap tools
and cheap machinery, which, to such
an intelligent people as yours, is in
dispensible; above all, if you give
them cheap iron, which is the root and
foundation of the prosperity of high
| ly civilized nation; if you do this, the
combined countries of the rest of the
world will be unable to compete with
you, much more win from you the SUI
premacy of supplying the world with
the best cotton raised, in q superior
climate, in a superior country, under
superior cultivation, by superior peo-
lple.
Such, O Greeley, sahib, is my view
of the cotton prospect of this country
and of India. With great respect,
A. CURIosIBHoY, Parsee merchant