The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-05-26
(NOrfOlk Public Ledger !

\A>oAioAh uUAtC lItukeF.)
Mr.. John Barrett, United States
Minister to Siam, in letter from
Bangkok TO the Baltimore Sun, writ
ten month before Commodore
Dewey achieved his celebrated victory
IN Manila Bay, gives glowing des-
cription of the trade possibilities of
the South in the far East. and es-
Pecially in the direction of wider
markets for raw cotton. A mighty
opportunity, he says, awaits the
South in that portion Of the world,
and yet it is an opportunity ap-
Preciated or improved by few. after
Cuba and the Klondike,n saws Mr..
Barrett, ''the far East to-day attracts
the worlds attention, but it has
riches in store for the South that
Cuba and klondike combined can
never give.' The far East" he
says, wants the South's cotton; it
wants it now, and it will want it in
increasing ratio every year; and it
Will take 1T too, in such quantities as
to add millions of dollars to the
amount of the South's income from
her king staple, and SO directly add
to the prosperity of every Southern
State-Provided only the South
seizes the magnificent opportunity
open to her, pushes the market,
developes the demand, meets with
fearless force the competition of
Indian, Chinese and Egyptian cotton,
insists on low through rail and
water rates from the productive
centres of the South to the ports of
consumption across the Pacific, and
finally-and above all the grand con-
slderatlon-secures an all-water, un-
broken bulk route from the seaports
of the cotton belt to those of manu-
facture in the far East through
completed and open Nicaragua
Canalr'
''Let us look" says Mr.. Barrett,
''at few facts. A portion of the
world whose combined area is nearly
100000 square miles, or 1900, 900
greater than the United States, has
its chief borders and only gateways
OF commerce on the trans-Pacitic
seaboard, directly opposite our own
Pacific shores. In these lands dwell
500, 200, 900 human beings, number
greater than that of Europe and
South America, and five times the
population of all North America OF
these 5O0,O00,OOO inhabitants 4OO,-
OOO,OOO are a cottOn-clothed, cotton
using people, and of the 5000, 900
square miles, 1000, 600 are section
OF country where cotton goods or
products are used and always will be
used more than all Others combined,
but where not over 100000 square
miles are well suited to cotton cul-
tivation and only tithe of the raw
cotton is raised that is required to
satisfy the demands of the entire
population and area. Do not these
facts suggest something to the plant
ers and exporters of Dixie?''
MIR. Barrett says that about one
hundred cotton factories have recent
ly been constructed in Japan, and
twenty in China, and that more are
being constructed or planned in both
countries. He says that he has
personally visited nearly every mill
and met nearly every manager in
China and Japan, and that a prefer
ence was everywhere expressed for
American cotton, the only drawback
being the freight rates. He urges
the planters and exporters OF the
South to combine to obtain the low
through rates needed, and, if neces-
sary, urge the steamship compa1i les
to provide increased facilities
Here is what Mr.. Barrett says reta-
tive to the effect that the construe-
ton of the Nicaragua canal would
have upon the South.
"Another fact, and the final and
most important one: If the Nicaragua
Canal were dug and in operation the
whole problem would be solved A.
mighty fleet of steam carriers would 1
Immediately commence to ply be-
tween Our Southern ports and those
OF the far East, and the cost of trans
pOrtation would be so lowered that
not only would our American cotton
supply and rule the Asiatic market.
but the South would be no longer
dependent on the demands of the
North and England alone.
This assertion about the canal is
not fantasy. but fact-not a
creation of my imagination, but Il
of careful observation and
study of an economic and transpor-
tatiOn condition. | have discussed
this point repeatedly Y with the leading
men of Europe and Asia.
and they are almost unanimous i'm
agreeing that the canal and its
m lnt Of hn a
and trade would enable
the South to supply the splendid
present and prospective cotton
market of trains-Pacific lands.
"As nail which / would drive home
to clinch this contention. | would
cite that influential Directors of the
Nippon Yusen Kaisha and the Pen
lnsula and Oriental, two of the most
powerful steamship companies in the
world, have more than once told me
that if the Nicaragua Canal is con-
their respective companies
will put on fleets of ten to fifteen
steamers at once on rOund-the world
runs. via the SueZ and Nicaragua
canals. with the special con sideration
that they can carry cotton from
America to Asia via the Nicaragua
route
Mr.. Barrett SAYS that although he
is a Yankee. and is now a resident of
the Pacific coast. his six years resi-
dence in the South enabled him to
study her resources. and now that
he has an opportunity to acquaint
Our people of the immense Possibili-
ties of the Eastern trade, he thinks
it his duty to furnish such informa-
tion to the South as well az to the
North and East. He says: