Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1898-07-20
THE COTTON INDUSTRY.
now protection Has Benensed rhts
important Product OF Ameri-
can Farms.

study of the cotton mill Industry az this
country. How marvellous has been it,s
growth, and 70 what wonderful propor-
lions II has developed, Its magnitude
ls almost incomprchensible It's bless
ings TO America and American Ia Dor are
not within the realm of computation.
stood IN the corner OF room OF the
Borden mills.at Fan River. and watched
the belts chase their daily course in a
never-enCing race from pulley Go pull
ley; saw the spindlcs go humming their
thousands OF rounds minute; obse rived
the rows and rows OF machines; saw
the workers going from place TO place,
n small army of them; and felt lost
for words TO express the magnitude OF
the sight.
The Shatting was arranged SO that
one belt was running two machines:
yet it required over three miles 90 belt
ing 20 keep in motion all the machinery
on but one floor. In all Of the four large
buildings of the establishment there
were $500 persons az work, their wages
going TO buy American products 81 fac
tory and field.
Without protective tariff the cotton
mills, of which this is but a repre-
sentative, could never have thrived.
could never have contributed their
share TO Americas Industrial growth.
could never have given their employ
ment to American labor, could never
have created the market that there is
for American beef, and pork. and bread
stufs, and butter, and eggs. could not
have added their part TO the prosperity
of the American farmer.
Under the protective tariff the man
ufacturer has proSpcred. IL Is neces-
sary that he should in order that labor
may get employment and pay. but la
Dor has not been without its rewards.
American labor all along has been the
best paid on earth, and is to-day. Not
over paid. nor rs well paid as all would
like TO see, but the best paid, just the
same.
There are no goods on earth like
those O. America, no consumers OF mar
ufacturcd goods like the people of this
land. We're our markets open TO the
free competition of goods made by the
cheap labor OF the eastern world. no
one i'm reason could expect TO see the
magnificent institutions now estnb-
lished on American soil nor the armies
of the employed that keep up their
homes with wages drawn from cotton
mills.
Americas greatness, her towering
strength, her future IL i'm her homes
About the fireside. in the family circle
are sown the seeds OF good citizenship
patriotism, morality and all that Is best
in nation. America is greatest In
these qualities because IL has the best
homes, and il has the best homes be,
cause it's labor has most with which "a
provide them. Its labor has most be,
cause a protective tarlff has shielded il
from competition from the cheap prod
net OF underpaid workers in foreign
lands.
And yet protection has been argued
against from moral standpoint. What
moral right has 4 nation like this. with
its cotton. and coal. and labor. with IS
wonderful resources Ia all branches oil
! Industry. 10 let these resources go unde
veloped and buy OF other nations simply
because those nations have succeeded ia
beating their labor down TO q lower
basis Of wGges than ours2
The party and people who favor pro
tectivc tariff have often been accused OF
friendship for the manufacturer. They
are friends Of the manufacturer. but No
less friends of the laborer. True friend
/ snip for the toilers Is not in setting la.
Dor against capital aud capital against
iabcr, but in harmonizing their inter
csts, which are identical. That party {,
the trne friend OF labor which spend,
its time. not in abusing capital. but II
making il possible for capital to sell iti
/ products so that labor may have EN-
/ pioyment In producing more. In shut
! ting ont Of restricting the importation
OF the products Of foreign labor tn,
party Of protection has reserved oui
/ home markets for our home manufac
turers, and has been the real friend oil
our home labor. This is Is trne IN the
cotton industry as il j. in others. What
ever competition there may be at home
whatever disturbance there may be over
the wage basis Of one section rs com
pared with another. whatever dissatls.
faction there may be over an adjust
ment Of that difference. il must be re-
membered that an opening to foreign
competition would be infinitely worse
would complicate matters. would pre-
vent an adjustment that is sure 10 come
while competition f. confined to out
own land. and which could never come
with foreign goods a strong factor ir
the contest;
The American cotton mill worker
must stand upon the sure rock ofa pro
fective tariff. In that is his hope n the
future; in that has been his prosperity
Of the past.
T. q. PIPP.