The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-03-30
THE CHEAP COTTON PROBLEM

I
We took occasion in these columns
some time ago to commend an article
from the pen of Mr.. D. A. Tompkns Of
the Charlotte q. CD Observer, on the all
important question to the South OF the
cotton industry. In this article Mr..
Tompkins showed how the cotton crop
which Is now worth In the raw about
S30Q0OO,OOO "A year could be made 10 bring
a billion dollars a year. This he said
was 10 be accomplished by manufactur-
ing tho raw cotton In the fields instead
of sending it TO the mills OF New England
and ola England.
At the newspaper mems banquet night
before last Mr. Tompkins was called
upon for an address and enlarged upon
this topic What he says is the more
worthy consideration because he was
born. so TO speak, in a cotton patch and
for the past several years has been large
ly interested I'm the manufacture Of cot
ton in North Carolina. In his Richmond
speech Mr. Tompkins emphasized this
fact, which to us Is Of profound interest
that the very life Of Southern industry
depends upon low priced cotton.
In previous article on this subject and
In reply to the assertion from some
source that scent cotton had come 10
stay, we said that one or the other Of two
things must happen. If, as the planter
claimed. cotton could not under existing
conditions be proftably produced at that
price namely, that the priGs of cotton
would advance. or else the farmers OF
the South would learn a cheaper process
of producing g.. Mr. Tompkns Is Of opin-
ion that the South will learn TO make
cotton more cheaply, and declares that It
is TO the vital interest Of the whole South
ern country that this shall be done He
boots at the attempts that have been
made from time 10 time TO reduce the
cotton acreage and 20 increase the price.
The very moment that that is accom-
plished, says he. that moment will the
cotton manufacturing industry in the
South be retired. He directs attention
10 the fact that India and Egypt are now
growing cotton on an extensive scale. and
that half million bales OF Egyptian cot
ton were consumed I'm this country dur
ing the past twelve months. IT IS the
opinion of Mr.. Tompkins that the south
needs 10 discourage the cotton industry
of Egypt and India. or at least to COM
pete with 1t by producing not 100000
bales a year but 100000 bales at a lower
cost than ever before. lie argues i'm
perfectly logical way that with q great
abundance Of cheap raw cotton and
enough cotton factories largely 10 consume
the raw cotton produced the South can
find employment for its surplus labor and,
through these Industries. a market for
its farm products, and that # would thus
make IT'S cotton crop pay tenfold and
more what it now pays. Mr.. Tompkns
even goes so far as to Gay that each state
I'm the South could afford to pay 20 the
farmer a bounty OF ? cents pound on raw
cotton in order to get an ample supply
of raw material at lowest possible cost
lie has been making some calculations
for himself and concludes that IL is quite
possible la North Carolina by the method
that he suggests to make the cotton crop
OF that State worth as much as the cot
ton crop under present conditions Of the
entire South.
We say that we are intensely interest
ed in this thoughtful suggestion Of Mr.
Tompkins for we believe that his idea
is In keeping with the tendency Of the
times. This is a day Of cheap things. A
great deal has been said about the disas-
ter of low prices, but, to use almost an
every day expression of this paper. OF
which We fear our readers are tired, the
giant minds of this country are daily ex-
ercised with the problem Of how to make
the best possible article at the lowest
possible cost. The South has solved that
problem with reference to iron, and when
it solves the problem with reference TO
COTTON. the production OF raw cotton and
the manufacture of raw cotton into fin
ished produces, then we have no doubt
that there will be a fun realization Of all
that Mr.. Tompkins has prophesied We
say deliberately that the Tompkins idea
is, in our opinion, the most practical and
practicable suggestion before the South
ern people to-day.
Mr. Tompkns also had something TO
say about the necessity OF educating
workmen but we shall have to defer any
comment on that to another day as the
article is already too long.
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1t will be remembered that March came
I'm like u lamb
That bow and arrow brigade IN AguI-