The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1895-03-02
A COMMANDING POSITION.
[Commercial Herald 1

Ine present era OF low prices has
brought about condition OF affairs
which places the South in an attitude
to WIN a crowning victory in the great
industrial conflict now in progress
for the survival of the tittest,
meaning the strongest, in which the
victor will gain supremacy such as
few peoples have ever enjoyed. The
margin of profits in agriculture aud in
the manufacture of cotton and of iron
has been hammered down unul that
country which has even as little advan.
iage as five per cent. over It's rivals is
enabled to force them to fight against
odds and with the certainty of ulti-
mate defeat. They have been claiming
for years that they could turn out
their finished products at less cost than
their Northera competitors and these
claims, after being scoffed at for along
time, are new receiving due recogni-
tion and acknowledgment, even New
England having made this concession
to the inexorable logic Of events,
though claiming that the conditions Of
Southern success are merely tempor-
ary-the result of longer hours and ex-
emption from labor troubles. South
ern manufacturers know better than
this. They know their superiority is
the result of natural causes, formerly
arrested in operation because ofuufav-
orable condition, chiefly the lack OF
capital, but which are now beginning,
ant only beginning, 10 be felt N their
full force. The struggle over cotton
manufactures was Que OF absorbing in-
terest. First came the admission that
IN manufacturing coarse cotIons the
Southern mills had their adyersaries
at q disadvantage, next, within the
past twelve months, the same admis-
sion with reference to fine co,lous was
forced from reluctant lips, and the
world has, still moro recently. seen
Northern mills accepting the situation
aud openly preparing 10 build mills in
the South.
These victories and their substantial
fruits arc gratifying in the highest de-
gree, but nothing should be counted
won while anything remains to he
gained, aud there is field upon which
the South has victory to gain. Her
agriculturists, favored with a mild
climate and a fertile soil, should be
able TO distance all competition and TO
supply not only cotton to her growing
factories but all the food supply OF
their laborers. Vicksburg aud all the
farmers In this territory have just
heard from the highest authorities,
Prof. w. G. Stubs, s. NJ. Tracy, DR.
TAFT Butler and others, that the Gull
States, at least, have large margin ol
profit in growing the grasses, corn and
cattle. 1t is time to press these ad-
vantages aud TO meet not only the
growing demands ofthe homo market,
but Of the markets Of the world, for
provisions OF all kinds. Some have
argued that the market, how fully sup.
piled by the West, must be gorged by
q Southern surplus, and this Is true to
some extent, but not true in the sense
that the South will suffer by IL. Prices
will undoubtedly be dragged down
but only to a point where the South
can still make a living profit while her
competitors, as Ia the case Of the New
England mills, must either continue
production at loss or change iheil
base of operations and build up the
South. The Southern market alone II
no small item of consideration. Ar
mour says II consumes $140,000,O0(
worth Of pork end beef products alone
and that 1t IS worth far more 10 th,
trade than all the British aud European
markets put together. Let Southern
agriculturlsts reach out for their due
proportion of this trade and there viii
be no further necessity for soliciting
immigration, no more than now exist
for sending emlssaries to New Eng
land mills TO urge them to open facto
ries in the South. The fight will b.
won long before our stock-breeder
can supply half the native demand
Already Kansas City is purchasing
corn in the Delta aud paying 40 cont
for 1t, while planters claim that tn
crops cost is no more than twelve t.
fifteen cents.
This is the policy that will win and
fortunately, the policy that cannot bu
be followed, now that cotton planting
is so depressed. Moreover 1t will 8
cheaper the production OF cotton tha
few competitors will be able to sta
| In the race with the South in that fiel
o4s,,i..