Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-05-24

part OF the unWrltton WORK, that it
: might perhaps be well 10 introduce
some laws and regulations in the writ
!. ten work. in order that 1t may be more
t universally understood. That is the
t trade system, and the cooperative ef-
forts being made to act in harmony in
!, the sale of products aud purchase Of
commodities. On the success of this
!, feature much fthe prosperity Of the
order depends; hence, some general
laws and recommendations should be
$ In print, in plain and easy To be UNDER
stood language, so that we all may up-
e derstanu, and tend towards one aud
$ the same object. Much might be said
s as 70 the future Of this great movement
s and SIM 1t is all expressed In the single
] sentence. "There is no limit to the nos
: sihilities." However call yonr ntfan.
/ ton to the fact that our people. owing
q TO money pressure, and the fact that
, cotton Is our great money crop. are dis
posed to rely too much on 1t, and pur.
chase many things that should be T.ro.
: duced at home; therefore this hs,iv
should strongly recommend more nj.
verslty OF farming, to the end that onr
: people become niors selfsustaininc
; and therefore less dependent.
/ State Alliances should be called unon
to take steps to assist their members
! IN procuring the facilities for diversifv-
} ing their products, and to assist them
In the sale OF their surplus; and, furth-
er, these states raise $500. 900 halss ~
cotton yearly; little over two.thir,is of
this enormous crop is sold In Europe.
and the price not only for that, but for
all that is used in America, is fixed IL
Great Britain. and yet our government
does not allow one yard Of cotton c1oth
imported without a tax of about f,C ner
cent. of its value. This enables Amer.
lean spinners to undersell the Rritish
looms, and prevents the importation az
British cloth, but does not prevent
British splnners from discriminating
against American cotton in every con.
ceivable manner, and in constantly
crowding the price of the staple down.
SO as 10 enable them to compete with
the American spinner. The condition
simply Is. that the British spinner fixes
the price on every pound of cotton rais-
ed, and the effect of our law is to make
him virtually interested in reducing
| the price OF our cotton. Were it not
| for this Observation-Disclosures against
him by an ad valorem tax, he would
as soon see cotton high as low; and
would, perhaps, prefer 1t high.
Our people occupy the ridiculous
position OF not only paying the New
England spinner about so per cent.
more for the cotton cloth than it ia
worth, but they. by submitting to that
Jaw, allow conditions that very natur.
ally reduce the price of every pound Of
cotton they raise.
1t is not claimed that as cotton plant
ers and Alliance men we should de-
mand the abolition of all tariff: that
would not be our province in that ca
paclty. We may do that as citizens. if
we choose, but as cotton raisers and an
Alliance business organization. we
have right to demand the correction
of evils that atfiict and sep the very
life blood from our business. Merchants.
bankers, insurance men and all others
do the same. But In 80 doing we
should be careful that we do not in1iict
wrongs on others, or on other interests.
1t is claimed by many intelligent and
honest thinkers, that If we reduce the
tariff on manufactured cotton goods.
we would ruin American manufactur-
ing; and we might with propriety re-
ply, which Is the most essential, that
the few American factories keep on
paying dividend, Of from 20 to As per
cent. and that the many farmers be-
come tenants, serfs and slaves, or that
the manufacturer be placed upon q
level with the agriculturist. and that
each be allowed the fruits of his own
labor and a fair in terest on the money
invested? But our object is, to show
the effect that reduction of the cotton
tariff would have on the mills. In the
first place there Is no surplus of cotton
raised in the world, and this is proven
by the fact that there Is no accumula-
ton of it. Now, 1t Is true, that the old
doctrine of price being regulated by de-
mand and supply holds good, In this
instance, but in a country where every
seventh person is either pauper or is
the recipient of public charity in some
shape. the demand Is very materially
modified by the ability to purchases
ard that whenever the ability to pur-
chas is enhanced, the demand will be
very materially increased.
Now, if by reducing the tariff, Eng
lish cotton goods were introduced,
cheaper goods would increase, the ahil-
ity to purchase and the increased de-
mand would act upon the limited cot
ton supply by increasing the price of
the raw cotton, which would in turn
again raise the price of the cloth to its
present price, or, perhaps, higher, and
still keep up the increased ability to
purchase by the increased amount of
money put in circulation by the cotton
producers, who would he receiving an
Increased price LOT cOCtOD. therefore,
the result would be not to lessen the
price of cotton goods, but to increase
the price of raw cotton; and it Is held
that the increased demand, would. as
far as justice is necessary, compensate
the mills for the loss of profit.
in conclusion it is hereby recom-
mended, that this body formulate some
plan of universal cooperation among
our people, whereby each Sub, County
and State Alliance shall have an agent
and that National agent be chair
man of a board composed of the differ
ent state agents. and that a system be-
established for conducting the produc-
ton and disposition of the cotton crop.
Such board could have accurate and
reliable information every month as to
the condition of the crop in every
in the eleven Southern
states. They could negotiate and con-
arrangements tending to an
increased price; and should all negotla-
tions prove of non-effect, they could
adopt graduated scale for the reduc-
ton of the cotton crop, which W0uid
be an injustice to none. This plan -
simply offered as suggestion, and it
is hoped that something OF this CHAR
acter will be adopted.
BOARD, BY THE DAY OR WEEK, at