The Philipsburg mail., 1899-11-03
Great Markets for Our Cotton,

this week devote the greater part of
the space at my command to very re-
markable and significant statement
made few days ago by United States
Senator Morgan of Alabama, who sees
much good in expansion. Mr. Morgan
prophesies that expansion will be the
salvation Of cotton, and is about to
start crusade in the south to spread
the new gospel. In his prophetic
vision he sees Manila the great cotton
market Of the world instead of Liver
pool. Instead of paying toll to British
brokers, spinners and shipowners, he
predicts the time is coming when
Americans in an American city in the
Pacific isle will handle two-thirds of
the cotton of the world, and save bill
lions to the cotton growers of Amer
lea. The bald statement sounds like a
dream, but the senator points to the
fact that the site of Hongkong was
barren rock less than sixty years ago,
and he asserts as port it ranks as
third, If not second. among all the
great shipping resorts of the world.
Senator Morgan visited Hawaii a year
ago and came back an ardent expan-
sionist but his constituents are
against expansion. He is seeking to
convert his people to the new gospel
to insure their support for his re-elec-
tion for the senate, and he has entered
upon a speaking crusade for that pur-
pose, but that does not detract from
the force of his arguments
1T seems to me that the acquisition
of Manila and the Philippines was an
act of Providence for the benefit of
Americans, especially the people of the
SOUTH" said Senator Morgan in speak
ing Of the future of the oriental
islands. ION my return from the
Hawaiian islands l accepted an invi-
tatiOn to make an address at San
Diego, Cal. I was taken sick and un-
able to speak there, but made the ac-
quaintance of number of prominent
citizens. | asked them why they did
not take advantage of their fine harbor
to establish line of steamships to
Asia to carry American cotton to the
consumers of the far east. They said
they did not have the capital / told
them it was not necessary to build or
buy ships. l explained that they could
charter vessels, and if they did not
wish to do that 1t was only necessary
for them to get the cotton and let
tramp steamers know there were car
goes to be had at San Diego. A short
time ago l received a letter from the
secretary of commercial organization
at San Diego telling me that $4,000
bales of cotton of last years crop had
been shipped from that port, and that
boats That is the result of simple
suggestion and a splendid determine
tion Of the feasibility of building up a
great trade. l am led to believe San
Diego will ship five times as much |
cotton next year.
''The experience of Jim Hill, presi-
dent of the Great Northern railway, |
tells the same story. He has to carry
cotton from the south across the
United States to his railroad in the far
yet he is exporting hun
dreds of thousands of bales. These are
facts of tremendous importance to the
south. Just pause and reflect that for
cotton twO-thirds of the worlds con-
suming people are among the peoples
Of Asia. What is the present process
Of reaching them? American cotton Is
carried by rail to river or ocean port,
across the Atlantic to Liv-
erpool and unloaded. There it is un-
baled, overhauled, depleted by the ex-
traction of samples, rebaled and much
Of it sent to English mills. 1t pays
storage, insurance, brokerage and
other charges, and then the cotton or
the cotton goods are loaded on ships to
be sent to Asia. After sailing down the
coast of Europe, the length of the Med
terranean down the Red sea, across
the Indian ocean and into the straits
at Singapore, those goods are still as
Tar from Hongkong as is San Diego. |
am satisfied cent pound can be
saved by shipping cotton and cotton
goods direct to Asia from our Pacific
ports This, in the aggregate, would
mount to billions in the course of