The New York herald., 1875-11-23
An Opportunity Tor First Glass AbiIity.

An Opportunity Tor First Glass Ability.
The business of carrying Goals to New
castle has never been thought to promise
great profits; but if our Yankee spirit and
ingenuity have not decayed we have now an
opportunity, it would seem, to show an in
credulous world that, as Colonel David Crock
EFT used to say, some things can be done
well as others" Some weeks ago a cor
respondent of the HERALD made public the
fact that some New England cotton spinners
had shipped quantity of cotton goods to
England, where there was prospect of sell
ing them at remunerative prices. We hear
since that several thousand packages have
been actually sold in England, and they
have gained market mainly because they
are found to be of better quality than Eng
lish goods. 1T is the quality that tells,
a correspondent writes u.s. who has seen
this new commerce growing and, he adds,
American cotton goods are fairly established
in English markets" Nor is this all The
superiority of our cotton goods has begun to
be appreciated in the South American and
African markets, and the London agents of
merchants in those countries have received
orders of late for our cotton goods, on the
ground that where they appear they at once
command the market.
There is here an opportunity for the re-
which we trust enterprising Americans will
assiduously cultivate. 1t is evident that
our manufactures need only to be made
known to secure a sale What is required is
capital and energy to make them known.
The merchants who formerly controlled our
foreign trade have for the most part either died
or gone into other business. The irregular
ity Of our currency during and since the war
made the risks Of foreign trade too great to
be endured. There can be no doubt that if
we were to-day on a specie basis large
foreign commerce in our manufactured
products would rapidly spring up but even
with the disadvantage Of an irredeemable
currency it has become evident that we can
command some markets abroad if we have
the requisite energy. 1t is not only cotton
goods that we can and do export to Europe
Alabama has sent for two years small guam
JltleS OF iron 10 Tn8lanu, Wncre III DeglnS TO
be used for car wheels, in the manufacture
Of which change is taking place in Europe,
railroad companies beginning to substitute
the American fixed axle wheel for
that commonly used abroad. For car
wheels the soft and tenacious iron ofAlabama
has important advantages, and the few IRON
masters in that State have discovered that
they can produce it at a price which will
command market in England. What is
needed in this case, too, is energy in the
prosecution and extension of this trade.
We do not doubt that the Centennial Ex-
hibition, next year, will make known to for
eigners a multitude Of our products which
they will desire, and for which, as soon as we
return to a sound currency, we shall be able
to secure large demand abroad Meantime
we point out to our younger merchants that
there are opportunities abroad for the exer-
else Of their ingenuity and energy which, if
they will avail themselves of them, will
enable them to revive our foreign commerce.
and thus greatly increase the prosperity of
the country.