The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-05-16


section, and for obvious reasons. The
iron, steel and copper industries are
already practically gone. Why should
not the cotton industry tolloW'
The south offers, as every
body knows, exceptional Inducements
Against them, it is true, New England can
place certain advantages OF its oWn-its
well-established plants, the greater expe-
rience of its people, their superior skill,
both mechanical and commercial, and the
ampler supply of capital. These, how
ever, are advantages that the south can
ultimately obtain for itself; but its own
natural advantages New England can
never hope to have. 1t would not be sur
prising, therefore, if the latter section
should cease to be cotton manufactur'
ing center. The change, if it comes, will
come slowly; it may not come at all; 1t
can, we think be averted. But it should
be kept in mind as among the possiblli-
ties.
At all events, whether the growth of the
cotton manufactures of the south Is to be
by the establishment there of new mills
or by the transfer there OF mills from New
England, growth there is certainly to be.
And that growth is matter of the first
Importance to New England, and it points
to one of the greatest of New Euglands
needs.
The increased production of cotton
cloth in the south means the immediate
narrowing of New England's market for
this staple, and unless the production OF
the latter section is correspondlngly de-
creased it means an oversupply of the
American market that will destroy the
profits of the business. 1t may be set
down as certain that the south Is going
to supply the needy of its own people IN
this regard and compete sharply with New
E lgland for the trade of the west. These
are both markets which New England has
heretofore supplied. Take them away
from her, either in whole or in part, and,
unless she is to give up corresponding
portion of her business, she must find an
outlet for her goods in other directions,
that is, she must get access to foreign
markets. That is New England's great
need to-day. With the growing comPetl-
tion of other and more fortunately stu
ated sections, with the removal of some OF
her own manufacturers to those sections,
New England cannot retain anything like
her present industrial position without
the aid of foreign trade. And this, OF
course, is only more conspicuously tue
OF, her cotton than of her other Industries.
Everybody understands what must be
done to give this access to the worlds
markets. The barriers that restrict COM
merce must be taken down; the tariff
must be 80 adjusted as to encourage in
stead of discoursging, and even making
impossible, trade with other nations.
This is conspicuously true of cotton goods,
with which, in view of our natural advan-
tages in the way of raw material, we ought
to supply the world. A wellknown prac-
tical cotton manufacturer is on record as
saying that were it not for restrictive du-
ties of varions kinds he believes that, in
stead of exporting five million bales of
cotton out of our annual crop of seven
million bales and receiving for it perhaps
ten cents pound, we could export the
greater part of our cotton as manufac-
tured goods and get for it twenty cents
pound, thus giving so much the more en-
ployment to labor and profit to capital.
His belief is unquestionably we'll
founded. Give New England chance at
nation once more a proud maritime and
commercial supremacy. She has done
that once before; she can do it again. She
must do it If she is to see the south grow
in manufactures without at the same time
losing her own industrial position. Every
of the business situation in
it's more permanent aspects, every change
that has come or is coming in the nations
industries, proves the absolute need for
the continued need of prosperity of this
section, of tariff reform of such a nature
as will offer access to foreign markets. In
that direction lies New England's best, if
not her only, hope for the continued pos
session of good share of those industries
which for more than seventy years have
been her chief source of livelihood and
wealth.