The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-04-15
CHEAP COTTON AS A BLESSING.
Stimulates the Development Of Cotton
Manufacture In the South.
augusta Chronicle.

the regular meeting Of the Beech Is
land Farmers Club on the 1st of Feb
ruary, the'cottou acreage for the COM
ing season was discussed. The state
raents of the members of the club
made it evident that no increase Of
acreage in this section was contem-
plated. Some Of them also reported
that they had purchased commercial
fertilizers at much lower rates than
last year. This would seem to contra
dict the rumor circulated by the
newspapers that there was a greatly
increased demand for this article, a
demand that was held to indicate the
intention of putting in 8 larger cotton
crop. The unexpected higher price
of cotton last fall had been a Godsend
to the half troopers and one horse
renters, who, like annual plants, wither
at the close of each season, to sprout
afresh in the succeeding one. It had
also lightened the burdens of the
veteran cotton growers. But 8 cents
cotton was not sufficient to dispose
them to dispense with the conserva-
tive methods which had sustained
them a generation during a continuous
collapse in prices, in their struggle
against the seasons and the markets.
They did not understand how Mr..
Shepperson could be certain that the
advance in cotton last year was due to
the manipulation of the future market
by Inman and Labouisse, and yet
maintain that no steps should be taken
TO suppress trading in futures. If
SPECTATORS can thus raise prices at
will, it must follow that they can de-
press them likewise. In either event
they suspend the free play Of supply
and demand, and interfere unduly
with bonafde producers. Information
as to the state of the worlds markets,
not accessible to individuals-such as
the half million bales in India and
three hundred thousand in Brazil held
back from the crop before the last and
dumped upon the market, holding it
down this season-might be furnished
in bulletins sent out blythe Depart
ment Of Agriculture to its neighbour
hood correspondents, placing them,
as far as a knowledge of facts goes, on
something like a parity with the cot
ton spectators. These experienced
cotton growers looked calmly forward
to a continuance of low prices. They
were not able to calculate what the
always variable consumption Of the
staple would be-, not the mere deliver
les to the mills, but the average per
capita takings of the actual consumers,
on which demand was based, and
which depended on the Industrial and
financial condition in each country in
each season. As little could they
estimate what the crop of this year
would be for the seasons alone would
cause an increase or decrease of the
outcome on the same acreage, Of more
than 80 per cent, making a 1000, 900
or a 5000, 900 crop as they were favor
able or unfavorable. They were going
to make cotton and they were going to
make it cheaply. They recalled that
during former periods Of high priced
cotton bankruptcy overlook and swal-
lowed up a larger number Of cotton
growers, and more utterly, than during
the low prices of recent years. They
realized that the South must preserve
its supremacy in the production of
cotton over all other countries. The
culture of this exotic and the estab-
lishment Of the great cotton industry
throughout the world had been largely
the work of the South. Our people
had been so well trained to this work,
were too skilled in it., had been too
successful at it, and had too much
staked on it to relinquish to others
any part of it. There was a vast
future still before cotton, while our
country consumed t%wenty-four pounds
of cotton a head, England only con-
stunned eight pounds, France six
pounds, Austria four pounds, Japan
81 pounds, and all the Russias barely
one and one-quarter pounds. Our
consumption was, not excessive; it is
the minimum that sufices to maintain
that degree Of cleanliness which is
next to godliness. IF the populations
of the earth consumed as ne did, it
would require rs, 600, 00G bales to sup
ply the demand, in the place Of the
Is, O0G, 900 bales which stat~isticians
say is the present crop Of all the
world. We can produce the 75,000,-
900 bales, all that is wanting is the
consumers; nothing will increase the
multitude of consumers like cheap
cotton goods. Cheap cotton has
another most important bearing on the
cotton belt. It is causing the extra
ordinary development of cotton manu-
featuring in the South, just as it has
also caused that taking place in India
which threatens taking from Great
Britain the cotton goods trade Of the
East. Transportation has been cheap
ened, but a pound Of cotton can never
all charges-be transferred
from our gins to the mills of Europe
for less than one cent. On cotton at
10 cents this alone adds 10 per cent.
to the cost of the raw material, with
at 5 cents it adds 20 per cent.
to the cost. The establishment Of
cotton mills is of infinitely greater
Importance to rs than raisingth the price
Of the staple by restricting its produc-
ton. Our FIVE last crops sold on an
average for 1897, 900, 900. At 10 cents
a pound they would have brought in
every year $50, 900 900 more; for the
whole five years $500, 600, 600, or the
value Of nearly one entire crop. If
our cotton had been manufactured at
not counting the savings on
transportion which would have been
divided between the mills and the
farmers, there would have been dis
bursed among us besides the price
paid for cotton $500, 000, 900 in wages,
and another $500, 600, 900 in rents,
interest, profits, etc. Surely the re-
cipients of this vast wealth would
have been customers for the varied
products Of our farms. Products now
shipped at ruinous rates to the manu-
Of the North, or rotting in
our fields.
A Investigation of crops to be sue