The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-24

NeU York Herdid.


continues and l. likely TO
continue until the cotton-lndustriea o
the country centre, as they should DO,
in the sunny home Of the cotton-plant
On the 23rd ult, the Herald reported
the decision OF two OF the strongest cot
ton mill companies Of Massachusetts to
build two large cotton factories In the
South, each costing half a million dol
lars or more Last week, 1t was re-
ported, three Of the largest manufac
turing corporations OF Lowell, Mass,
asked the Massachusetts, Legislature to
50 amend their charters that they may
DO business in the South. The supe-
riOr facilities in the cotton States for
manufacturing cotton clothes, sneet-
ings, baggings, drillings and coarse
ginghams have become so apparent OF
late that the Fall River and other
Northern centres of cotton manufac-
ture are quite exercised about the
changed stu ton. A Fall River tele-
gram. which the Herald printed on
Monday, says:
Fall River mill-men, who have been
forced unwil!ingly to recognize the fact
that the South has already become a
factor of no mean importance IN the
manufacture of cotton cloth, are not
disposed to look lightly at the pros
poets of keener competition In the fu-
ture. In half a dozen years enough
spindles have been placed in Southern
mills to represent one-slxth OF the en-
tire number in the country. Previous
to the time mentioned the South con
taind but one-ffteenth of the splndles
of the United States.
During the last four years the number
of Southern mills has Increased from
$50 to 400 and the capital invested
from SCI 100000 to $97 100000 No
better evidence could DE afforded of the
fact that the cotton manufacturing In
terests OF the North are destined to
seek ere long the more congenial, more
convenient and more economical field
tor their development in the country
south of the Potomac.
The advantages of this transfer are
Obvious In the first place, the chief
raw material used is more cheaply OBJ
tanned by the Southern mill, and the
saving in the cost of its transportation
must always be a serious consideration
with the manufacturer The bright
able to the health of the operatives
than the rigorous climate OF New En-
gland. Labor in the South Is also
more steady and cheaper than in the
North But there is still another and
important consideration in favor of the
South as the chief seat Of our cotton
manufactures, which seems to have
been overlooked. The statistics OF the
Treasury Department show that seven
tv-three per cent. of all cotton cloths,
colored and uncolored, exported from
the United States go to countries stu
ated south of the tOrtieth degree Of
north latitude, or to countries whose
chief seapOrts are nearer Norfolk and
Charleston than Boston The develop
ment of our eXport-trade in cotton
piece-goods must for many years be
looked for chiefly in the markets Of
Mexico, Central and South America,
the West Indies, Africa and China
And these foreign markets can pe more
easily reached from the seaports of the
South than from any seaport of New
England. 1t American cOttOns are to
compete in foreign markets with those
of Europe they must utilize all these
advantages.
Old England, by means OF her tree
trade policy, IS now enabled tC import
annually LOO, 100000 pounds of cot
ton (mostly from the United States)
out of which she manufactures yarns
and piece goods of the value of $780,
100000 OF this total production of
cotton goods she exports and sells an
nually in foreign markets an amount
valued at about 1925, 100000. Moth
ing but our protective" tariffs prevent
the United States from reaping the
vast profits which our free-trade rival
reaps from the manufacture OF merl-
can cotton. OF course we can never
hope to do this while our ''prorection-
ist'' system is retained. The very
means we have adopted to shut out for
elgn manufactures from our markets
haye necessarily shut us out of the
markets OF the world. We can never
sell freely to other countries from whom
we refuse to buy freely. Unfortunate
lv, the statesmen of New South are ig-
norant of this changeless and invinci-
BILE law of trade. The people, however,
are not as blind as their politicians
A small, but very able Virginia coun-
try paper, the Nelson Examiner. com
mentlng recently upon the southwark
march OF the cotton trade to get the
advantage of cheaper raw materials.
says 1t would be the same in the
iron trade-the iron and steel manu-