Birmingham state herald., 1895-11-17
A REMARKABLE LETTER John Barrett of Oregon Writes
 From Siam of Asia. A NEW MARKET FOR COTTON Five Hundred Million People Want the American StapIe-A Dozen Mills to Be Built
 in Asiatic Cities
A NEW MARKET FOR COTTON
Tou orIoans Times-Democrat.

very remarkable letter to President Me Closkey of the New Orleans board Of trade. the whole point of which Is that if New Orleans would build the Mica ragua canal she could ship cotton through it and across the Pacific to the ports of Asia. This letter is very much more interesting than anything else which has appeared in favor of the Nic- arauga project in the past quarter of century, and the readers of the Times Democrat will fully appreciate it.
 New Orleans has an opportunity to ex- tend her cotton market. Eastern Asia is about to provide that opportunity. The smoke of the Japan-China war has bare ly cleared away before smoke commences to belch forth from the chimney tops of great manufacturing plants. Cotton mills are being started and new com panies organized. From the present out look China and Japan bid fair to see within the next year the establishment of dozen large factories.
 Where will these mills get their cotton?
 This question is continually asked. The answer usually is, that it will come from England, which means from Amer ican second-handed or from India. At present neither China nor Japan furnish es cotton in quality or quantity to satisfy the probable demands of these mills.
 WI l nave to say OH IIllS SuDJecI IS the result of careful investigation, Ob- serYation and examination of minute de- tails Although I do not hail from the part of the United States which has cot ton its great staple, and I am the rep resentative of the United States govern ment to a country where the field is linn ited, compared with that of China and Japan, yet I am deeply concerned in the development of our foreign commerce and in awakening especial interest in the opportunity afforded by these transpa- cific countries
 If this letter will avail to arouse the attention of New Orleans exporters and cause them to appreciate the advantage of at least watching what I might term the "Asiatic revival" I shall be amply rewarded.
 Now will come clear to my point. Re gently prominent resident of Shanghai, who has made several fortunes in far Cathay," and who intends to make an- other before he dies, said to me: q wish the Nicaraguan canal were completed and open to traffic. I would start a steamship line to carry cotton direct from New Orleans to China and Japan. In an- other year we will have in or about Shanghai four big cotton goods manufac- turing plants in working order, and I know of half dozen other ports that are organizing similar establishments"
 This so impressed me that I asked him where the cotton would be purchased "In England" he immediately replied because with present conditions we can buy cheaper there than elsewhere. We do not want India cotton, but the Ameri- can product. On account of high rates direct from America, or overland and across the Pacific, we are placed in the remarkable position of being able to buy American cotton cheaper in England than we can in the United States"
 Do you really believe" I inquired, "that New Orleans could control the cot ton supply of this part of the world If the Nicaraguan canal were constructed?"
 "Without any question I do," he an- swered, "and I say 1t as a Brithfsher. who knows the field thoroughly, and who quite naturally would prefer to see Great Britain remain the chief force in Asiatic trade"
 This conversation is only one of a score of proofs that have come to my at tention that New Orleans will do well to watch the demand for cotton in eastern Asia, take steps to have hand in the pie, and enter with greater energy in to the movement to secure the early building of the Nicaragua canal
 Still another incident which has it's les Son. had the honor of being presented to the Chinese viceroy of one of the chief seaboard provinces. As he spoke Eng fish, an agreeable conversation was be- gun. Suddenly, in the course of it, was almost startled by the force with which he calculated the query: "Why doesn't the United States build the Nicaragua canal? If it belonged to Great Britain it would have been finished years ago. Look at the SueZ canal I am building cotton mill. I buy American cotton in England; 1t comes here through an Eng fish canal, in English ships. You build the Nicaragua canal and all that will stop"
 I was unable to satisfactorily answer his questions; but I could not help re- membering what he said.
 With a population of 800, 900, 900 back of it, this Asiatic coast must not only be- come great consumer. but a great man. ufacturer Will the United States in gen. eral and New Orleans in particular seize the opportunity? The undeniable proof of it's value is, first, the fact that Its im- ports from European lands already amount to hundred of millions of dol lars, and, second, the unceasing and in- creasng efforts of Egland, Germany and France to control the larger demand and wider field that is now being opened up.
 Cotton goods of many varieties have alw avs found ready market in China. Japan and Siam. bat the demand of the future is sure to far exceed that of the past. Repeated attempts have been made to grow first-class cotton in these lands; but with the exception of d few provinces in China, the results have been dscouraging. With an abundanme of cheap labor at hand. it is not surprising that factories should be established to make the kinds of goods wanted on the ground at competitors rates, after hav- ing imported the raw material In one sense New Orleans might be benefited if a demand developed through England for American cotton, but the most of the opportunity will not be made by sellers as if 1t was sold direct from the United States, whie the buyer may at any time change to another market if the Amer ican base of supply has not besn created by it's own promoters energies and at tention a permanent and growing de- mand for it
 In cGAclusion. would say to the busi. ness men of New Orleans and the south, ibat one of the greatest blessings of the Nicaragua ealal would be the placing of these developing oriental markets in srch proximity to them that splendid commercial results would follow Let them. therefore. redouble their energies for It's construction, and in the meantime do what they can to gain. first, prac- tical knowledge of. and, second. an ac- tual interest In the eastern siatio trade