The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1897-12-29
RAEING over ASHES.

o. figures, which are published else
where in this issue, which are as mis-
leading as its assertions ale uC-
founded.
We have DO right to complain OF
our contemporary evident want OF
courtesy in neglecting to publish
ia his own columns sour rep!y so
that his readers could Judge tor
themselves as to the merits Of tie
cont ntions of an article which he
decl,r. S to be "weak." 'untenable,
s.lame," and "impotent conclusions
nor did we desire il if such course
was not suggested by spirit of fair
ness. We are contentcd in the TACT
that intelligent readers generally
form a pretty correct idea Ct the
strength of a criticised article when
the critic fears to lay the article III
question before lis readers before as
serting that is c; intentions were lame
and untenable.
We not only questioned the accr-
racv of our contemporary's authors
but in strong and evidently unan-
swerable arguments contended that
Egyptian. and other foreign, cotton
was destined to have an adverse in-
fuence upon the cotton market CT this
country, 10 the financial loss Of the
cotton growers Of the South unless
duty was put upon the former snf-
fcient at least to eGualize the dlf-
ference in the cost of production III
the two countries. To which the
Advocate, at loss for a better answer,
attempts to evade the issue by as
se1ting that Great Britain and her
continental neiehEors had been ran
sacking the world to find some fav-
ored land that would produce staple
equal to ours. For the strength Of
our contemporarys contention, this
is a fatal admission. Great Britain
and her continental ne;ghbors have
found the favored land which pro
duces cct:on which equals, and is in
some respects. experts affirm, supe-
rior staple to ours, because its color
makes the use of dye unnecessary
and the fneness and toughness Of tex
ture makes in admirably adapted to
the manufacture of the fine grades Of
goods. This being admittedly the
case, as is also the further considera-
ton that cotton can be produced
cheaper with the half starved and
half naked labor of that country
than it can be in the South is it not
preposterous to contend that Eng
land, with her vast wealth, and busi-
ness foresight would now shut her
eyes to the grand possibilities Of this
land for which she and her cont
mental neighbors have been searching
so long, and especially so when some
of that favored land is part of her
own domains. Egypt, Africa, India,
Mexico, and South America all raise
cotton, and as, according to our con-
temporary, cniy 100000 bales of
foreign raised cotton finds its way to
this markef, it is clear that it goes
TO other markets aud it must neces.
sarily follow that there is a falling
off in the export Of Soatbeln cotton.
As to the figures used by our con
temporary, he must be in error as to
their authorship or they were taken
from the census taken in 1890, Vol.
III, which has just been sent out
by the Interior Department, and as
nearly a decade has passed since the
taking Of the census, and since its
taking wonderful, almost magical,
progress has been made in the devel-
opment of the cotton industry in the
South, they are absolutely valueless as
evidences Of the correctness of the
Advocates position, and strengthens
the contention Of the Dispatch.
Again is our contemporary in error
when he asserts that the Democratic
party has been fighting the tariff for
nearly three quarters of a century,
The threatened war of which be
speaks, happened under strong
Democratic administration, the policy
Of which was high tariff: This policy
received the support and approval of
a majority Of the party, but was con-
demned by therich aristocratic plant
ers and factors in and around Char
lesion who shipped cotton to and |
bought goods direct from England
AID France, and they cared not arrow
of pins how much the middle and
working classes would lie protected
in the products of their labor by a
high tariff so that in the qualification
of their love for pleasure and fnely,
they could continue to receive their
eiltc or1 cafin op1 ,,urp1a on3 tine