The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-26
Cotton Fires ON shipboard.

The bill to limit the burdens placed upon
cotton saved from cotton laden ships, in
which fires occur while in port, which was
introduced into the South Carolina legisla-
ture a week or so ago, and which was passed
by the Senate, and will be considered by
the House at the adjourned session. has
excited great deal of comment il Charles
ton. The bill is based upon the assumption
that some of those who are benefited by
cotton fires on shipboard are responsible for
them. This assumption has, of course,
aroused bitter feeling. Those against whom
the bill is directed do not intend to quietly
submit TO the implied charge that they are
responsible for the fires, and a searching in
vestigation into the causes of them is not
improbable.
1t is not probable that those who caused
the bill to be introduced into the legislature
have any information that the fires are of
an incendlarv origin. for the reason that
such information would have been used TO
bring the guilty parties to justice. No
harm, however, can he done to any one by
legislating in harmony with the theory
they are of incendiary origin.
The heavy burdens which cotton dam
aged by fire on shipboard has to bear have
long been the cause of complaint. No good
reason exists for some of the allowances
which are made, nor for the heavy charges
for handling the damaged cotton which are
permitted. 1t will hardly be denied that
these allowances and charges are a great
temptation, to which it would not be
strange; if now and then an INSCRIPTIONS
man should yield.
A week or SO ago the New York Com
mercial Bulletin printed an article, at the
request of leading Philadelphia insurance
company, which dealt very thoroughly
with the cotton fires on shipboard. The
writer Of the article did not charge that the
fires were set by those who are benefited by
them, but he assumed that there was a
strong probability that they were Speaking
of the best method of suppressing these fires,
he said: 1.-The mode of suppressing these
crimes which would first occur to any one
would naturally be a resort to the punish
ments prescribed by law; the deterring
effects of the hangman and the penitentiary
on the active instruments and accessories
before the fact, and suits for fraud or EN-.
bezzlement against others. Practical diff
culties, however, would, fear, be encoun-
tered upon this line, for the same parties
concerned in loading the vessel would also
discharge, and evidences of guilt might
thus naturally disappear. Moreover, some
local influence would be found to rally
round the source of such rich profits to
themselves, and there would not be want
ing innocent but unthinking people to un-
1xiv- %
ring by rejoicing over an event which
brings money into the town, and any NOM
inal investigation would be apt to become
embarrassing affair. A more effectual
remedy would be, think, to remove the
cause of these crimes; in other words, to
make tramp cottonffires' no longer a DO
nanza' to all concerned. This cause thus
being removed, we may feel sure the effect
will cease to exist"
If the South Carolina legislature passes
the bill in question. it is not improbable
that the legislatures of other states in
which there are cotton ports will follow her
example Whether the fires are due to the
condition of affairs which the bill seeks to
remedy or not, the legislation which it pro-
poses can do no harm. On the contrary, it
will remedy what are now alleged to be
abuses of very grave character, and if it
should prevent cotton fires, it will accom-
plish something that all other means have
failed to effect.
The cotton ports are deeply interested in
finding out and removing cotton fires on
shipboard, because they are brought into
disrepute by them and their commercial i'm
portance injured. The insurance compa-
MES are, of course, the direct sufferers, be-
cause the loss they suffer from the destruc-
ton of a cargo Of cotton is greater, prob
ably, than their profits from cotton insur-
ance, at the port where the loss occurs. dur
ing the entire season; but the cotton plant
ers are indirectly as great sufferers as the
insurance companies, because the fires
cause additional charges to be placed upon
cotton, which come out of their pockets.