The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-02-21
COTTON MANUFACTURING
The Future of the Trade In the South.

| the close of the revolutionary war in
1888, only 1900, 900 pounds of cotton
were annually spun in Great Britain,
| being about six days spinning in this
country at the present time. From this
small beginning has grown up a gigantic
industry, SO important that for a long
| time cotton has been boastfully called
"ki2g," and our southern brethren were
at one time deluded into the belief that
| they held the key of the situation, and
that all nations must come to them for
the all-impOrtant staple. After the war
/ of 1912, when business had begun to
revive, it is a matter of history that the
distinguished statesmen of South Caro-
lima, Calhoun and Lowndes, succeeded |
in having the famous protective tariE of
1916 carried through congress, in spite
of the strenuous opposition of the Massa-
chusetts delegation. If the south had |
not been held down by the incubus of
slavel Y, it is probable the design of these |
statesmen could have been carried out, |
and cotton mills would have been estab- |
lished there instead of the cold regions |
of the free north. The disgust of Cal |
houn was very great when he found that, |
iHtsead of furthering the interests of the |
south, he had built up ga great indus
try in the north, and he and his
friends became bitter opponents to
the protective system, while the
New England statesmen went
over to the other side as most ardent
converts to the new doctrine. We all
know how this bitter feeling eliminated
in the late unfortunate war of the rebel
lion.
At the close of the rebellion, print
, cloth (the plain white cloth on which
calico is printed) was selling at twenty
: cents a yard. This led to an overstock-
r ing of the market, and prices began to
2 fall very rapidly until July, 1876, when
the same goods were sold for three and a
half cents. No business can bear such
2 extraordinary commissions as this, and
4 many manufacturing establishments were
4 compelled to suspend operations and
:, others were entirely bankrupt. The
q home market was SO completely glutted
: by the sudden sale of heavy stocks of
:, prints and plain cloths, that it became
d necessary for the mill owners of massa-
: chusetts to look about for foreign marts,
). and the Fall River manufacturers actu
n ally had the audacitY to ship their wares
y directly to Manchester. Since the exploit
% of Lord Timothy Dexter in sending
y warming pans to the West Indies, moth
e ing so preposterous as this has been heard
Ie of in commerce. OF course, the English
1t mill owners laughed, and the joke was as
70 ing, until the melancholy discovery was
ID made by them that the American goods
re were not only cheaper, but a great deal
3 better than their own manufactures, and
II that the foolish people were disposed
'e to buy them at their very doors.
x The Lancashire mill owners found
Id themselves beaten on their ground.
~ They had boosted that in the
IN nature of things there could be
ne no great demand for American cotton
iy manufactures in competition with them.
as The American goods were of superior
er quality, and for that reason must always
rs, be confined to limited market. They
er thought to themselves: Lancashire
p receives cotton from all countries she
a can mix America with Surat, Brazil OF
he West Indian, SO as to give the requisite
sc amount Of quality and strength for the
to minimum cost. This is an advantage
ell which will always enable her TO sell to g
no great mass of consumers, and with which
OF cloths made from American cotton only
ar never can compete" They might have
he added that. by loading the cloth with
ok China clay and patent sizing, they could
IL cheapen them still more, and thus make
ic- sure of the markets of the world. They
to are now beginning to discover that they
ed have oveTreached themselves. Ever
IN, their own colonies prefer the American
ID. manufactures, and New England shipped
he 8, coo cases of cotton goods In 1877, ant
vas will probably double that amount thi
ed year. We required ], 5000 bales o
vas cotton in 1876, and in 1877 consumed
Ill 100 600 more. The struggles between
ad New England and Old England ma,
now be considered as fairly inaugurated
oss Old England is handicapped by the pro
on duction of an inferior and adulterate'
M quality of goods; New England has
to larger staple, better machinery, raw
or material close at hand, and an unim
lid paired reputation. A direct trade il
700 cotton goods has sprung up with man,
DID, foreign countries, and there is ever
,he prospect of a continued increase if tn
ass manu- facUurers remain honest and ar
len not trammelled by the tariff-tinkers i
die Washington. And now comes the or
VOr portuuiJy Tor the south. The north wi
I'D have its hands full in looking afte
1t the tC reign trade, while the ever-iGcreas
red ing demands of the home market ough
ar. to be supplied by southern mills. A
ems ready mills are springing up in GeOrgia
the where, in Columbus alone, there are six
Id. ty thousand spindles and four thOusan
ept looms. In North and South Caroline
=, is in the Old Dominion and in other state
is mills are going up, and the whole cour
md try Is alive to the importance of the ne'
cal are recovering from the effects of tn
and war: the whites are once more obtainin
nth control OF the governments of thOs
1t states--and order, peace and securit
lrl- are restored. In the manufacture
less cotton goods, the raw material represent
DID from nearly one half to nearly tire,
de- fourths OF the cost of production; and
ich follows that the cheaper the raw mat
ing rial is grown, and the less the drawbaC
feet of transportation, the lower must be th
Irk- cost of production. 1t isOn the raw mi
hey teriaI, in fact, more than all other CT
snt. cumstances combined, that the cost
the production depends. English manufa
old. turers saw that New England is so di
hey tant from Charleston that freight charg
ave from Charleston to Boston are very lit
ion. less than from Charleston to Liverpool
tied and that the price of the arrivals in Il
hat Liverpool market is almost always beio
ages the parity at which cotton can be bougl
tate in American markets on the same da
ul. It is a fact that New England manufa
: of turers are ready to give a higher pr
In than exporters can afford, and general
five put the latter out of the market t
pay they have supplied themselves, beil
The enabled to do so by the prohibitoTy tar
IOO,- which protects them from foreign col
2 IN petition at home.
,a1 It will thus be seen that the south n
= oe only has an advantage overOld Englan
I'D but also over New England, in the il
IT5e1 portant matter of freight. AnOth
ansa great advantage held by the south is
.bts It's invaluable water-powe as contrast
rded with the water-power of Great BIitai