American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-02-01
Senator Alcorn and the Cotton
Trade.

The telegraph. the other day,
mentioned the introduction of bill
by Senator Alcorn, of this State, to
improve the levees of the Mississip-
pi river. In presenting the bill, he
took occasion to make a very inter-
esting speech on the dangers of loss
by the United states of its high po-
sition in the markets of the world
hs a producer of raw cotton. The
New York Tribune furnishes the
following synopsis of the bill and
the sp ,ech:
The bill proposes to make an ap-
preparation of thirty six million dol
lars, as estimated in late report of
General Humphreys, to be necessa-
ry tor constructing proper levees on
the Mississippi. TIE consideration
set forth in the report is the recla.
nation of twenty million acres of
waste land, embracing, as the re-
port shows, one million acres of corn
land of unsurpassed fertility, two
million five hundred thousand acres
adapted to the growth of sugar, and
seven million of the best cotton
lands in the world. Mr.. Alcorn be-
gan his speech by referring to the
determination evinced in the policy
of England for many years to crush
our cotton planting interest, illus
trating this fact by quotations from
speeches by members of Parliament
and others made previous to 1867.
The Senator said: 'sThe British
government had expended in silent
preparation for this cotton war
n 'arly one million dollars, bit the
British is not the only government
that has taken the field against Is.
France long ago took part in the
movement against our position in
the cotton market, and Italy holds
high place in the ranks of our op-
pOuents. The latter has opened up
her cotton lands by railroads, and
invited home and foreign capitalists
to cultivate it on liberal terms.
Greece, Morocco, Austria. Spain,
Portugal and the British Colonies
are all co operating against us. Ac-
cOrding to the market list printed
in Liverpool. We have lost Our foot
ing in the sales of fine staples to the
extent of thlTty-three per cent. since
1861, while we have never since the
war actually produced more than
sixty eight per cent. as much Sea
Island cotton, of which we formerly
had a monopoly, as before, and the
amount last year was only SO per
cent. of what it was in 1852"
The Senator then read two careful
ly-prepared tables, the first show
ing the number of bales of cotton
imported into the United Kingdom
from all countries in the world dur
ing each year since 1860, and the
other the percentage of the whole
which each country furnished.
Leaving out the years of the war,
the percentage furnished Great
Britain by she United States was
as follows: In 1860, 1905; 1866, 81;
1865, 50; 1865, 34.O7 1869 80; 1870
48.1; 1871, 5O.7. MIR. Alcorn then
referred TO the partial rescue of the
cotton planting interest by releas-
ing it from the cotton tax, but as
serted that the industry had, in the
meantime, become so weakened
that it subsequently continued to
retreat until 1870, when it regained
eighteen per cent. of the fields.
Passing to some of the differences
between the contests made by
American cotton early in the centu-
~ and that made now, the Senator
said that fifty years ago our supre-
macy in cotton was won in a strug-
gle with opponents who possessed
the means of retreating to indus
tries enjoying the advantages of
protection. Another difference is
found in the increased cost of labor,
which increases the cost of our pro-
ducts. Again, English sp1nners
declare that since the war our cot
ton has decreased in quality, and
we must struggle to maintain our
position in the face of all these dis
cOuraging circumstances. Mr.. AL
corn gave some startling figures OF
the expenditures from the East In
dian Treasury for the purpose of
getting Indian cotton to market.
An official report on Indian rail-
ways, printed in 1870, sets the esti-
mated cost of these works cOmplet-
ed and in progress on the thirty
first of March of that year at five
hundred and millions of dol lOrs
and this in addition to millions
more spent in improving the
navigation of the Indian rivers.
The Senator showed that the re-
sources Of this country for the pro.
ductiOn of cotton are almost mex
haustible, If they are only develop
ed and money, in his estimation,
cOnld not be better expended than
In reclaiping the rich alluvial tracts
of the Mississippi. and thus placing
the United States in the proud pO-
sitiOn in regard to this staple which
it occupied before the war.
@ Since Napoleon has declared
that he will take no part in intrigues
for the restoration of the bonn
partist party, but that if re-admit-
ted to France as citizen, be will
Loyalty adhere to the republic. He
intends presenting his suit against
the French governments for his lille
gal expulsion from the country. and