Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-24
The COTTON MeninCounciI.

The members Of the Savannah Cotton
Exchange assembled yesterday to take
into consideration the why's and where
fores Of the comparative falling of IN
the receipts Of cotton at this port. Inc
meeting 10 discuss this question, so vital
not only to the cotton interests, but to the
people Of Savannah in general, was held
with closed doors. No person not a men,
Der Of the Exchange was admitted, though
a special application was made by the
MORNING News 10 have reporter pres
eDt. so that the public might be informed
Of what the cotton merchants thought Of
the situation. 1t is, therefore, impossible
10 give an account Of the proceedings.
1t is reported, however, that a COM
mittee was appointed TO consider certain
resolutions, which had been offered and
adopted. and that this committee is COM
posed of merchants who cannot be con-
trolled by railroads or cotton compress
interests. What this means we are al a
loss 10 imagine, as we cannot see how
such a state Of affairs as is reported 10
exist can be improved without the coop
Grafton Of these two large factors in the
business of handling cotton.
The MORNING NEWS has nothing TO do
with the private affairs Of the Cotton EX-
change or any member Of that body, but
like il and the gentlemen whose names
are on its rolls, we are interested
in the progress and prosperity of
this city. The alarm about this matter
has not been sounded by us voluntarily,
for we are not disposed to parade such
matters before the world. but the state
ments made as to the causes of this COM
parative decrease in cotton receipts are
matters of public discussion. and. if the
causes assigned for it are true,
the remedy is so simple that, if applied,
one season would see Savannah not only
maintaining her position as the second
cotton port but competing, with a by
far from hopeless chance for success, for
the first position.
Many causes are assigned for the trou-
bic complained Of, but we allude to the
following, which are sufficient to
account largely for the present state
Of affairs. These statements are made
upon the authority of gentlemen who are
supposed 10 know whereof they speak.
In the first place it is said that the
Central Railroad has refused to haul
cotton TO Savannah from GER
tain territory, giving as a reason that I'M
der the pooling agreement with other
roads il had received its quota, hence
such cotton could not be brought to Sa-
yannah. Another statement is that some
Of our shipping merchants have refused to
handle cotton compressed atAtlanta, Rome
and other Interior cities, claiming that il
! cannot be slowed as well as the bet
ter compressed cotton of Savannah. In
this connection it is also said that the
stevedOres positively refuse to stow such
bales.
We have this latter statement from one
Of the most prominent members Ofthe Ex-
change. and there can be no question of
its truthfulness. With this embargo on
cotton compressed in the interior, is it a
wonder the receipts fall of? The people
who live in the interior must send their
| cotton somewhere, and if we have in
effect prohibitory tariff on compressed
| cotton. it must 90 to a free port.
Not to speak Of the above assigned
/ causes. we think a sufficient reason for
the falling of in receipts can be found by
an examination Of the annexed table OF
/ comparative prices of cotton at this and
other ports. We know it is claimed
/ that the staple is graded higher
/ in Savannah than elsewhere, and that
| that Is the reason why her quotations are
| lower. But true as this may be, it is
not possible in this extensive country
/ to convince everybody Of that fact,
/ and when. day after day, the
| figures appear side by side in the
\ newspapers Of the land, and are eX-
amined by every man who has direct or
/ indirect interest in bale of cotton, the
| difference in price is bound to turn cot
ton away to other apparently better
markets. We take the month of Deem
Der as the middle of the cotton season and
give our table Of quotations at the lead
| ing Atlantic ports: