The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-02-19

It is hard TO consider a situation
which has not hidden about it some
point of humor, and that of cotton IS
no exception to the rule
For instance. there Is our friend, Mr..
Walian, of Manchester, England, whose
views We're considered important
enough 10 be carried by the telegraphic
market reports Tuesday. Mr.. Wa.ian
sees in the present condition of the
cotton industry "a corner" by specu-
lators "in the states" and he calls
aloud as to whether "the British spin
ner will sit down TO this treatment
without a murmur." He declares that
"the position is simply the result of
American bulls holding cotton in the
states" which movement he designates
as intended ito take a few hundred
thousand out of British trade, and at
.he same time rob England OF her
custom by being able TO undersell the
manufactured article" The danger
ahead which troubles Mr.. Walian is
that "if the British spinner now con-
sents to the price. the result will be
permanent damage to our trade OF"
says he with prophetic ken, "he who
once deals with a competitor, won't
always or even often return to us" To
remedy this situation Mr.. Walian re-
sorts to the peculiarly British device
of considering the trade as being es-
sentially her own, by suggesting "a
trade commission to report to the nation
where in our worldwide possession cot
ton can be grown for the trade, and
thus make US Independent of our COM
petitOrs in that trade being able to
take their own supplies and then put
up the price against us"
How this feat, even II accomplished,
could help our friend, 1t is hard to see.
Granting that England could ind some
where else a place where cotton could
be raised It would still have 10 be a
distant place, requiring shipment TO
Lancashire before it would be manu-
featured. Time was when, with Ian
cashire the only mandatory In the
world, the south had to depend upon
her for the sale Of her cotton. and II a
competitor came into the field, it might
injure the sale of the staple. But we
have struck q new condition. II IS
no longer American planter against In
dian planter, but It is American plant
err and manufacturer against the would
be English manufacturing monopolist.
The English factor would have 10 pay
the expense of loading and unloading
the cotton from point OF production TO
point of manufacture. The American
SIMMER. on the field, is relieved from
this heavy charge, and It is In that
margin that lies his strength.
This brings to the front the only pos
sible remedy for the Lancashire cotton
mill owner. If he finds cotton held
in India suitable to his purpose. he
must move to it in order to gain free
dom from the heavy transportation
charges herein indicated. Once he
moves to India he is no longer an Eng
lish factor, but is an Indian, and while
he is in the moving business he might
as well save himself the experiment.
al cost of starting new cotton fields
and move to America at once.
The economy of the world demands
fabrics as cheap as they can be pro-
duced. The support OF those who
raise the raw material equally demands
that they should have a sufficient re-
turn for their labor. The only COM
promise possible, and the only one
which economic conditions will JUSTIFY,
is a union OF factory and field. 80 that
the producer, getting the best price
possible, will be sufficiently rewarded
and the spinner, relieved from unnec-
essary transportation cost, would be
enabled not only to pay this price to
the producer but to sell his wares at
such a figure that consumers can az
ford to buy.
There is a revolution In progress