The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-05-06
DAWN OF SOUTH'S PROSPERITY

Correspondence st. Louis Globe-DemoeTat'
Galveston, Texas. April 27'--From all
portions Of the South come reports OF IN
dustriai activity, good credits. good coliec-
lions, better business feeling and prosper
ity generally. All of this Is pleasing, ana
indicates that in a small measure at leas''
the South has participated In the wonder
full trade revival that has swept over the
North. Some persons accept the present
situation as the South's full share In the
great wave of business expansion. They
do not seem to appreciate that boom or
panic is not felt in It's flush In the soutn
until nearly year after 1t has been RAM
pant 10 the North.
Perhaps 1t is idle to speculate upon or
endeavor to forecast the future, but surely
present signs all point to a period OF pros
perity without parallel in the land OF cot
ton--a prosperity such as will SO far over
shadow present conditions as to Challenge
the attention of the whole country.
Is 1t possible for the reader TO appreciate
what would result If the whole South were
suddenly to have its buying power In
creased by 80 per cent?
Is it possible 10 appreciate the effect
these millions upon millions of dollars
would have upon every phase OF Southern
life?
Today, unless all signs fail. the South
land is on the threshold of its real pros
perity, prosperity that will throb through
every vein of the South and stimulate the
cotton belt as 1t was never stimulated be-
fore. Nothing 1t would seem, can block
this accomplishment unless it be an up
heaval among the nations of the earth,
that will cause a dsarrangement of the
whole financial system.
~
The money crop OF the South is cotton
1t has been 50 for nearly 100 years. 1t
will probably so continue for many years
to come
The cotton situation OF the world today
is peculiar The milling industry is re-
markedly active, contracts for dry goods
being booked, in some instances, to 1901.
Nearly every spindle in the world is in
use, At the same time the worlds stock
of cotton is nearing exhaustion BY the
time the cotton crop now being plane ed Is
being picked the supply of cotton in the
hands of spinners Will be the smallest in
of the fact that the mill capacity of the
United States and Of 'eyeral CT tae Euro
pean count'j,s will be considerably in
creased IL the time of the marketing Of
thT Lext cotton crop.
From this it will be seen that there will
necessarily be a great demand for cotton
next fall. The generous rains of the win
ter ana Of early spring are laying the pred
lcate Tor good crop and IL is the ex-
pectation of the men in the trade that
a yield near the bumper line in size will
be grown. 1t matters little to the South
ern planter whether the crop is a record
breaker or whether il is OF moderate size.
He is virtually assured. by reason of the
depletion OF the worlds stock of cotton
OF price for his lint and for his seed that
Will make him look upon the year 1900
as grand one for the South's great staple
The South will get for its next crop of
cotton, If present prices of futures" of
the new crop are maintained, lie per
pound. These quotations, it may be well
TO say are based on the expectation of u
Dig crop. If disaster should attend the
growth of the staple there will, neces-
sariiy, be such an advance in prices as
VIII make the return to the planter equal,
II rot exceed. what he can reasonably ex-
pect from big crop.
~
Here in Texas contracts are being made
with planters for the cotton OF the coming
crop notable instance in this connec-
ton is the contract of ex-Lieutenant Gov
ernor George t. Jester, who has farm
near Corslcana. He has contracted with
H. H. Scales, president of the Coleicana
cotton seed oil mill, to deliver to him 200
bales OF cotton at round price of Z LIE
per pound, Mr.. Jester to deliver the cotton
as soon as picked.
On the basis of the quotations now rul-
ing in the Havre, Liverpool, New York
and New Orleans markets for the cotton
of the new crop, it seems safe to say that
the South will get 7 lee for its cotton OF
the yield of 1900.
If Z lac per pound is the price study the
result.
In 1898 America produced its greatest
cotton crop In that season the crop by
States was as follows:
ststes' Bales
alspd'na ''''..''.'.....'....... 1,l59,0U
ARKANSAS ..'..'.'............. $4,000
y loFiaa $500. ..........,........ 10000
Ieoisa '''''.''............... 1,536,0
i-ouls.ana ..'....'........,.... 5yu,Uo0
NJ mississippi ..................... 1,522, 900
North carolina .................. $4,000
south carolina ..,............... 1912 900
! ehhessee, etc.,. 4l4,O00
Texas and Indian Territorv o - noo