The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-16
TO DEVELOP MANUFACTURES.
COL. GORDON'S POSITION ON THE
PROPOSED AMENDMENT.

should Decide the Question for
ItseIf-Hc Is, Therefore, Opposed to
State Exemption. But in Favor of
County and Municipal Exemption
at the Option of Each Community.
His Idea That Factories VIII Tend
Greatly 10 Relieve the Cotton
Grower.
| Col. w. w. Gordon, who was one of the
| representatives of the Cotton Exchange at
the recent convention in Atlanta to urge
a constitutional amendment to permit
municipalities and counties to exempt new
manufacturing industries from taxation
| for limited time, made one of the strong
est speeches upon this subject of any de-
livered at the convention.
Col. Gordon was upon the programme to
respond 10 the address of welcome, but
when the time came for this he suggested
that it would be best to take up business
first, and continue the speech making later,
which suggestion was adopted. AS chair
man of the committee on resolutions, Col
Gordon submitted the resolution calling
upon the legislature to pass an act sub
hitting to the voters of the state an
amendment to the constitution authorizing
such exemptions from taxations on manu-
featuring enterprises as will enable the
state to keep pace with the inducements
offered by other states.
Col. Gordon opposed the part of the reso-
luton fayoring exemption from state taxes
and in doing so spoke as follows:
Il want to say something about the res
olution and explain why l am interested
in this movement. 1 am not manufactur-
er nor am I interested in manufactures. 1
am and have been a merchant all my life.
But in connection with my mercantile bus
mess come in contact with and am in
terested in the welfare of many hundreds
of farmers each year, and it is in their
behalf that have come to this convention,
and | ask YOU to consider the status of the
cotton farmer of Georgia. Upon the broad
foundation of their prosperity rests the
success and. even the existence of our cities
and all other branches of industry and the
farmer in the Atlantic states cannot pros
per with cotton netting him only to AZ
cents. as it has done during the past sea-
son.
"The rice culture of the Carolinas and
Georgia has been crippled and Well-nIsh
destroyed by rice culture in LOUISIANA,
where a generation ago little or no rice
was raised
1.-The Mississippi valley and the states
west of the Mississippi are Gripping and
will eventually destroy cotton culture IN
the Atlantic states unless some remedy IS
applied and applied quickly.
IF cotton continues at present prices
for a few years longer there will be such
an emigration from Georgia and the At
It'll ank arnlE rob
of the bone and sinew of their population,
bur will leave so much land vacant that
the value of all land viii decline in the
country and all real estate in the cites.
From such calamity there would be no
refrigeration until after time the cheap
ness'of land attracted other settlers.
1T is useless to talk about reduction
| in acreage. because so many farmers make
their crops with borrowed money, or with
provisions bought credit that they
must plant cotton, for it is almost the only
cotton crop.
"Besides, this reduced acreage (even if
il were possible) would only be tempo
rary relief, because higher prices due TO
smaller crops would simply stimulate pro-
duc1on in competing countries. Necessity
is driving the farmer in the direction of di-
versifving his crops and raising his pro-
visions but il will require years to ac-
comrIish this change of crops, and mean
while the farmer must get sufficient re.
turns from his land and his labor TO sup
; nort himself and family or he will move
to where more fertile lana VIII allofo Del-
ter pay for his labor.
tWhat we are proposing now is to give
Inducements for factories and thus create
/ home buyers who can afford TO pay for
, cotton more than the distant spinner, who
has 10 pay freight and other expenses.
..Tha expenses between the plantation
LIN min
than one cent per pound, to the European
, mill two cents per pound. If there were
, factories in every neighborhood of Cieor-
ola sufficient to consume its cotton, tie
simmer could and would pay the farmer
more than our exporters could pay. Even
= If he did not pay an average of one cent
f more he would certainly pay not less than
one-quarter Of cent and more likely hall
a cent per pound. on the Georgia croI
- of 100000 bales this would be $3.50, COX
: which would go into the pockets of the
farmers.
.eThe experience of Savannah shows how
E the farmer is benefited by reducing oil
eliminating freight charges. The ocear
' bar at the mouth Of the Savannah rivel
has a depth of twenty-six feet at higf
tide Owing to distractions placed In th'
river during the war, the channel ha(
shoaled until the usual high water draf
for vessels to and from the city was abou
fourteen and one-half feet
In 1873 the United States Government
appropriated sums of money to improve
the navigation of the river but III
amounts were small and not sufficient fo
/ continuous work, and in the intervals o
work the river rapidly shoaled again.
"In 1890 Congress appropriated $4,000
and In 1892 authorized the work to be chr
ried on under continuous contract sys
TEN, looking TO the attainment OF twenty
six feet from the wharyes to the ocean
''The Government has expended less thar
100000 on this work and ;wcn
: ty-four feet of water has already becom
: on assured fact, and when the engineer
plans arc fully carried out the twenty-si'
feet will be Obtained
'In 1872 the exports and imports Of Sa
vannah by water amounted to S2OO0.0oO
now they are ls0.OO000O annually. This
was a gain for Savannah, but the greatest