Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1893-06-10
Important to American Cotton
Producers,

Ii i the interest of American Cotton pro
ducors that they should be Informed thai
the steady increase Of imporlations OF for
eisn Cotton into the United States i scri
ously affecting the Cotton interest ofa large
section Of the south. lit were the result
Of lie, and unrestricted competition be-
tween cur Cotton growers aud ,hose oi
Peru md Egypt, We should, perhaps, he
forced 10 bear the consequences without
! ol,jccting. But We 10 object mos, ,;renu'
eu>ly to furnish the pauper labor of the
| Nile with means Of entering our home ter
ritory, encouraged and f0,lcTcd by our
own laws TO drive It's to the wall, Pam
pered and protected to the almost by taritl
enactment,, American mill owners are mas
! tiers of the field for the sale o. Cotton goods
to the people of the United States. We
are their forced customers anu must buy
from them whether we will or not. simply
hccause the united States government
charges foreign manufacturers 50 much
for permission to bring their goods into
this country for sale, that they ann en-.
ter our markets in competition win Amer.
lean mills.
The difference between What WI pay for
American goods and the prize ut Nhieh for
eign goods could be furnished TO Us, were
there no restrictive tariff, amounts to many
millions Of dollars annually. These mil.
lions represent actual forced contributions
by the agricultural sections to the support
Hnu eHnicliurvnt ur mauuractur 10. Tbs
result WAS that last year while the Ameri-
lean Cotton planting Interests were unable
to make both ends meet. American Cotton
m manufacturers were ~abundautIy supplied
with cheap raw Cotton and realized hand
sonely paying prices for tueir goods.
Not satisfied with this. however, they are
looking Tor still cheaper markets in which
to Obtain their raw material, and AS they
are Of the favored class who are permitted
to buy in the cheapest and sell in the dear.
est markets OF the world, they are aot only
enrlellins themselves out of our pockets.
but building their fortunes on our ruins.
The importation of Egyptian and Peruyi-
an Cotton not only affects the Sea Island
production on the atlantic sea-board,
which aggregates say sixty to seventy
thousand bales per annum, but has affected
lisastrously The values of all of fcnr hun.
drcd thousand bales Of the good AMI extra
staple products of the Mississippi Valley.
Mills that purchased THOUSANDS of bales OF
our ben'lers and long staple cotton some
years since have bought ouly a few hun
bred bales Of the American crop OF 1872. at
small difference for premium on current
prices for common run of staple. The tar.
if has run up the price Of every yard of
goods we consume considerably over 30 per
cent, hence it is pl; in that by admis> on of
long staple cotton duty free, our producers
are cut down for those descriptions OF their
product 10 prices that are rulnous.
We do not wish to argue from the stand.
poiut Of free trade and protection. All we
is to be placed on a level, as cotton
growers with the people who buy or cot
ton in i word, if we are forced to trade
with them, ettlcm be forced to trad. with
Us.
IT on the other hand the restrictions are
removed. and our markets are throw! open
TO the world, We are willing to take our
chances, but we have right 10 insist that
until this is done, we should be placed on
an equal footing, as an agricultural people.
with the manufacturers Of the East.
We earnestly trust that farmsrs qnI plant
throughout the Mississippi Valley. and
especially those in the bottom lrnis, will
place this matter before their members of
Congress, and insist that We shall have
Justice rendered to Us in the premises.
All our people ask is II fair chance, and
believe that Congress will readily see
The necessit! for prompt action in that di.
New Orleans. May 10 1893.