The Van Buren press., 1899-12-16
Senator Pettigrew's Opposition td
the Expansion Policy.

! Senator PettigreW Uppasltioh W
the Expansion Policy.
At a recent meeting of the Cotton
Spinner Association of North Carolina
resolution WAS adopted tavorlng the
'sopen door policy in China ii vigorous
prosecution of the Philippine war the
construction of the isthmian canal, the
! LAYING of a cable across the Pacific, the
co operation of this country with Great
I Britain and Japan in the eastern policy,
the development OF the merchant marine
and large increase in the navy.
Senator Pettigrew, who is one OF the
most bitter Republican opponents of the
policy of expansion. has written letter
TO the president of the Southern Cotton
Spinners Association in which he assails
the trainers of the resolutions with
ridicule and contempt.
He saws in this letter, which is ad
dressed TO J II. McAden, NJ D.:
I have received copy of the reso-
lutions signed by the cotton yarn splnners
of your association, in which they ask
the United States to branch out into an
almost limitless series of expenditures
prompted. | presume, by the hope that
they may thereby sell more cotton yarn.
For my part, | cannot understand
why the representatives of the people OF
the United States should expend hund
reds of millions of dollars in the develop
ment of questionable policy of world
wide complications in order that the
cotton spinners of Charlotte and some
other communities may boom theiI
especial business interests through the
sacrifices of a tax-ridden people.
What do the Charlotte cotton spin
ners know about the preservation of the
integrity eff the Chinese empire through
the suggested active interference OF the
| legislative branch of the government oi
the United States2 am inclined to the
opinion that they do not comprehend
the scope of their request-that they
have not maturely considered the vast
consequences that might naturally bt
expected to follow.
"Why should the people of the United
| States be taxed to construct an lsthmu'
canal, or to place thousands of miles ol
cable in the bottom of the Pacific, or tC
prosecute with vigor war in distant
country, simply that the mercenary
| hopes of the cotton splnners IN youl
| locality may be realizedY
s.Of course, you would want veul
yarn, when spun, introduced into the
distant countries mentioned in your
resolutions free of duty, and therefore
you cannot consistently object if tht
yarn spun in competing countries SHOULD
be introduced into the United States fret
of duty. You may not realize the
magnitude of oriental competition. A
large modern cotton mill, making yarr
as good as you make ut Charlotte (no
as good perhaps as the best you make)
operated by Chinese laborers alone, Il
located at Hanchow, China. This mil
has "a 900 spindles and 700 looms IL
operation. The average wages paid al
the men, engineers, weavers, spinner
and carders, is 81 IS a month in on
money, and they board themselves
Not single person other than nativ,
Chinese is employed in the mill. Their
are eight or ten such mills In Shanghai
and more are being built
Il see YOU also resolve that Congress
should increase the navy. | suppos
you ask for this additional armament 81
that the government can afford pro
protection to your yarn while tits atioat
You want us also to enact laws giving
large bounties to American ships II
carry your yarn to distant people VIII,
earn only from to 10 cents day.
.Your cotton yarn representative
recommend if it be necessary. co
Operation of our government with tn
governments of England aud Japan, t
preserve aud protect a common trad
interest and treaty rights for unrestricte
commerce in China and other easter
, countries. OF course, unrestricted CON
merce means free trade. Therefore
means the introduction, without duty
of Chinese made goods. But what is
be understood by the clause If it b
necessary Do you mean that on
government shall become party t
world wide complications by formin
an alliance with England and Japan,
il is found necessary to do so in order t
sell your yarn? What sort of Il paterna
J government do the yarn spinners want
} after all, that they advocate such Vas
expenditures on the part of this govern
ment and urge a policy that would in
evitably lead to dangerous and un
American foreign complications Ii
! effect, do YOU not ask that the govern
ment make war in order that your specia
industry may flourish? That our fleet
of war vessels be enormously increase
to guard your special industry while 1t
wares are upon the scar
Ion the whole, it seems to me tina
your resolutions are rather remarkabl
as an embodiment of comprehensiv
grasp of great situation, and that al
that is necessary to do in order to hav
your recommendation entirely com
piled with is to give to the people of thi
country knowledge of, and participatio
in, the vast learning and sublime states
manship which certainly must b
possessed by the cotton spinners O
Charlotte. After that the people of tn
United States would probably insis
upon your abandoning the cotton spin
ming business and taking charge of tn
government.
Give us Trade Schools.