The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-08

vat been successfully tabulated. But
| there are unwritten laws IN the COM
merciaI world which are almost as I'M
| mutable and imperative As me Jaws -
,bn universe. One Of these ie that, on
m equality quantity of goods. thos" oil
fared ar the lowest price viii
the market. The corollary of tGl> ie
thar the wiser method for the cotton
PLANTER and the manufactures 10 pursue
i not 10 seek a test OF the market ny
straining ii 10 its breaking point. pul
10 devote their energies ana tntlr ei-
fnrrs toward all possible reduction III
prices upon the finished product. In that
| direction and in that alone lies 4 sue
cessful future for American cotton. IN
tha possibilities along that line lies 4
| future OF marvellous hopefulness Tor
rho South. In that direction hes the
only hope for the mills of the North.
Employment FOR operatives ana uiNi-
| dendS for stockholders will depend. IN
rhe coming days. more and more upon
| the ability of our mills 10 find 4 foreign
| market for their product. Inc increase
OF orr export trade will depend Largely
| upon the price at which We are able 70
| Law down our goods abroad III onnpSti
| ton with the product of other nations.
For the attainment Of this eng, the
| SOltn DOSStSStS llaliiItSb
Ii is needless to enumerate them all.
they shorld be familiar 10 every one.
| The elimination Of the profits and com
| missions of middle mGn by the transfer
Of raw cotton. limos directly. from
| field TO mill: the minimizing OF the
| items of insurance and freight on raw
| material: avoidance Of the necessity or
\ expense for compresSlng. ana other
minor charges to which the bulk of our
cotton product IS now subjected; ready
access to shipping ports on the coast;
all give the Southern mill Il marked
advantage over all others III the foreign
market. The opening of the Nicaragua
canal, whiolr is certain to come in the
| course OF time. Will open an endless
market in Pacific coast ports which ar"
more readily reached from our Gulf
| cities than from any other ports in the
world.
The economy of manufacturing cost
| must be supplemented and supported
by the producer Of the raw material.
The planters aim should not be to see
| how much he can get for his cotton.
| but to see how cheaply he can raise IL.
business methods must DE adopted on
rhe plantation; the WiSeSt. system OF
intensive farming employed. The day
Oh lilSt IIo1flS dllI easily Ildtit lllolt.N
is past for the business man and the
farmer and the planter. Money making
! now depends upon hard work and the
closest attention to economy in details.
This is doubtless an unpalatable fact,
| but il is. nevertheless. Il fact which we
are being forced to realize. The advan-
tage of a trust lies in its possibilities
Of economy III administration and dis
tributiOn. The HISTORY OF trusts shows
that, with the exception Of Il very few
unique instanceS>.anO such organization
has proved Il permanent success unless
it gave TO the the general public some
marked benefit as n result Of its exist
cnce. Many trusts have been Organ-
lied for the sole purpose Of playing
hog" but they have died, almost with
out exception. an early and i4nominious
deaths. The Stanard Oil Company has
lived and made its millions, but it has
cut III halves the price of every gallon
Of OIL which the poor man uses. 1h"
wire nail trust attempted to more than
double the price Of nails, and wen 4
pieces in a few months. The anthracite
coal trust, one Of the few unique eN-
| ceptiOns, lives and make its millions
by reason Of its monopoly, but it IS
hated and dcspised by all. These three
instances stand as types Of the distinct
classes Of trusts. Commercial success
to-day depends upon the profits made
by reducing cost and not upon increas-
ing prices. SO. and SO only, Will AmerI-
ca dominate in the cotton market of the
world. So. and SO only, will the Ameri-
lean mill absorb the product Of the
American plantation, and both mill
and planter receive the fairest equiva-
lent for time, labor and capital.