The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-17
Japan Not Buying Heavily Since
Chinese Trouble Began.
HOW SHIPMENTS WILL BE SENT.
barton VI. shaw, New Orleans
Broker. Says Seattle Can Have
Southern Trade II Railroad
Freight Rates Are Adjusted
tration's Poiicy--Increases Prices.

Oriental orders for American COTTON nave
fallen OFF fully 50 per cent. within the past
thirty days is the opinion of Barton NJ.
Shaw. a large cotton broker of New Or
leans who is spending a vacation on the
Pacific coast and incidentally looking
into shipping matters in connection with
the transpacific trade. This Is Mr.. Shaw's
first visit to the coast and is due. he says,
more particularly to the agitation now
going on In the southern territory regard
ing the shipment of cotton from Pacific
coast ports
Prior 10 a year ago" he said last night
at the Rainier Grand hotel, "by far the
greater amount of cotton shipped by
southern warehouses from the Pacific
coast went forward from San Francisco.
In fact, we never thought of shipping via
Seattle, and IL we had. the high freight
rates would have been prohibitive. About
year ago the northern transcontinental
lines, in connection with the southern
lines from the Missouri river, made a rate
that attracted a good portion of the
southern trade to Seattle. Since then the
California lines have made a better rate,
and If the northern lines wish TO handle
our product this fall they must be ready
to put in a proper rate.
Cotton Shipments Via Seattle.
IAN things being equal there is no rea-
son why cotton shipments for the Orient,
houses, should not pass through Seattle.
Your service here IL quick and your ca
pacity is the only thing outside of the
freight rates that viii prevent you from
securing the trade.
There has been remarkable falling off
IN Oriental cotton orders since the trouble
in China began. This is more singular be-
cause our cotton business Is not with
China Japan purchases several times as
much cotton as China, which however, Is
principally for manufacturing to supply
the Chinese trade. The only way to ac-
count for the. falling of in the Japanese
trade is by the fact that large numbers
OF cotton workers in Japan have been
called into military service. Again. as
said before, Japan's cotton goods trade is
principally with China. Since the out
break of the trouble this of course, has
been broken of, and from these two main
causes Japanese new orders are very few,
and some placed months ago have been
cancelled. Had II not been for the trou-
BILE IN China the export cotton trade of
this United States would have been greater
this year than ever before
1--WE do not look for resumption of
Oriental orders until after conditions in
the far East become settled. Then there
is no doubt that IL will be. better than ever
in all the transpacific countries. and in
the handling OF this business on the Pacific
coast the use of the port OF Seattle de-
Ponds to q great extent on the transcon-
ttnental lines.
south for Expansion.
Politically. / know very little. The
South has never been more prosperous
than during the past two years. Our for
eign trade has increased, which we be-
lieve is due in great measure to the Nc
Kinley policy of expansion. With our In
creased trade has come increased prices
for our cotton product. and so there are
many Democratic expansionists in the
South. Sound money has also n great
many sympathzers in the South, for we
believe this policy of the administration
has been helpful 20. the country at large.
How much figure these sentiments will
cut in the coming campaign am not In
position to predict
1.-THE action taken by the legislatures In
several Southern states prohibiting the
registration. as voters. of persons who
can neither read nor write, IL not a race
measure at ALL While there are many
colored persons whom this law Will dis
franchise, IL will also affect many white
persons II IS Just as reasonable for any
state TO pass such q law IT is for a
Judge IN 4 Northern court to refuse nat
uralization papers 10 a man who says the
pope Is president OF the United States. 1t
is simply a measure TO protect the con-
stitutlonal rights and Will prevent the
herding OF illiterate persons by political
rascals who stoop TO such measures 70 at
tain their ambitions. In the North there
Is no necessity for such a law, as your
percentage OF tiliteracy Is comparatively
very small, even where II In found at all