Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-09-18
Why Our Cotton Manufacturers Cam
not Compete with the Cheap Goods
of England without Protection.


OF England without Protection.
The New York Mail and Express with
great clearness points ont why it costs
more to manufacture cotton goods In this
country than where labor il much more
poorly paid. and justly remarks that Mr..
Roger q. Mills was insolent the other
night at New Haven. He told his audi
ence that cotton goods could be produced
cheaper in Rhode Island than in England.
He also told them that if the manufac-
turers Of the country had free raw mater
ial, they could compete with foreign man
ufacturers. Upon this gentleman in
the audience asked why the cotton manu-
facturers did not command the markets OF
the world for their products. They had
free raw material, and the cost Of manu-
featuring, according to Mr.. Mills, was
less than in England. Whereupon Mr..
Mills told the gentleman to ''go home and
take cold BATH
Why did he do this: Simply because
he could not answer the question. The
cost Of manufacture of cotton goods is not
less in Rhode Island than il is in England.
There are certain kind of spinneS who
are engaged in the task Of making coars"
cottons who are paid about as much 10
England as is paid TO persons doing SINH
lar work in this country. But, as rule,
wages for skilled operatives in Rhode Is
land are from SO to 81 week more than
wages paid in England. Moreover our
mills are not in condition to compete with
English cottons in. the markets of the
world. The British mills have been max
ing cottons TO meet the demands Of Asia,
Africa, South America, az well as of Eu-
rope. II American mills were to compete
with them their machinery would have
to be changed to meet the requirements
"a to size and firmness of goods.
The American cottons are made for
the American market which Is large
enough to give to our mills all the bust
ness that they require, and rich enough to
pay prices that will enable the manufac-
turers to pay high wages American cot
tons are not coarse enough for much of
the markets of the world, and the whole
method of manufacture would have to be
changed If the foreign trade was to be
other of our manufactures. The Free
Trade dodge Of securing the markets of
the world would make a revision of our
system of manufacturing absolutely nee
essary." And we mayadd, what possible
advantage could it be to this country to
give English manufacturers through Free
Trade a much larger control of our mar
kets while we go roaming through the
world for foreign markets, where we have
to compete with the cheap labor goods of
Germany, France, and Great Britain. 1t
is an adage of common sense that bird
in hand IL worth two in the bush. To
sacrifice the greater for the less is neither
safe policy nor good business manage
ment. TO manufacture for sixty to
seventy millions of people, on the increase
with marvellous rapidity, is a substantial
advantage which we must not surrender
at the demand of the Golden Club and
its emmssaries. And when our Govern
ment shall have adopted the wise policy
of subsidizing steam lines to South Amer-
ca, Japan, and China, we shall be able to
export any surplus we may have to spare,
but always the foreign markets should be
regarded secondary to our own. Our in
terchange of commodities and goods I'M
restricted and free from all custom houses
in thirty-eight States and the Territories
give us a Free Trade which no other Ma
ton in the world possesses.