The St. Louis Republic., 1900-10-12
To Natural Conditions and Not
Government Policy Is Its Pres
ent Prosperity Attributed.
COTTON TRUST IS A MENACE.
Brokers Say That This Combine,
Fosterrl hy McKinlryiSm,
Threatens 10 DESTROY the
Southern Planter.

Possibly at no time since the close OF
the civil War has the South enjoyed moro
genuine prosperity than al the present
time. Her stapl" pr"durts-~ottou rice, live
stock and fr'It-j,re all selling AT good
prices, creating a steady inflow Of capital.
which Is being iudiciOusly expended In the
permanent improvement os local Industries.
In the last two seasons .he price OF
cotton has ranged around or 10 cents per
porni.
Cnttl two years ago the cotton grower
was unable TO make both ends meet. For
the last two Seasons the price has been
above ! cents. and. in consequence. pros
perity and smiling plenty have flied tho
land.
Cotton IS not alone responsible for the
improved conditions In the south. There
has been e corresponding rise IN the price
Of nearly all tbs staple products.
The natural inquiry has been to what
cause can the presen; proai.e.i;y be
ascribed? The Consensus @, opinion among
factors and brokers ,-Io handle southern
products = ihIt fl T. attributable TO nat
ur;l conditions arising ont of proyideHtiai
cispensationS and are wholly Independent
OF any governmental policy
Shortage I'm Foreign supply.
none at all abroad have Increased the de-
mand by curtailiny the supply. and thus
naturally Increased the price. Besides this
shortage In the foreign supply, the increased
number Of uses to which cotton is put
IN the construction of fabrics OF the day
has greatly Increased the demand. Mercer
lied cotton now does duty, when. before
the process was invented. silk alone was
used, and cotton Is Lberally intersperSed
In cloth, IL having been found TO increase
Its durability and detract little from its
sppe arance- Then. In consequence of tho
wars ana rumorS OF wars, nearly oli In
tropical countries. thousands on thousands
of bales OF cotton have been manufactured
into canvas for tents and uniforms, which
the markets.
James ii. Allen. president Of the ST. Louis
Cotton EXchanse. saia: The present price
OF cotton is due 10 the simple law OF fup-
ply and demand. The supply Is small. and
the demand increasing. We have only a
moGerato crop in this country. and the
crop In both China and India IL very
short. Tho past cotton season was one Of
the most peculiar j ever knew. The bears
started out to put down the price by over
The planters he'd on TO their crops. and re-
fused TO sell except at fair prices. AS a
result he bears were badly squeezed. The
great Cotton Trust was beaten last year
by the planters, and II they hold on this
year they Will win again. No, don't think
that the Government had any more to do
the flood that swept Galveston. One thing
Mckinley has Goue-his administration
has fostered the Cotton Trust, which threat
ems the cotton producer as long as it ex-
lists"
MIR. wetyei Tells of Crops.
Nat WetZe, who has just returned from
an extended tour over the fruit and veee-
table growing districts Of the South, as
well as the cotton bet, in speaking of the
present prosperity in the Southern States
said: This condition was caused by large
crops and good prices of Southern products
ern farmers buy their supplies on credit
and expect TO pay when their cotton crop
is harvested so, rs rule. by the time
their debts are paid after the crop is
harvested they have nothing Left, For
several years the price OF cotton was very
lev. owing TO aTge crops in other coun-
tries, and of course, the farmers credit was
based upon. say, scent cotton. Last sea-
son. however. instead of scent cotton, The
farmer received nearly 10 cents. As a re-
suit he had not only enough to pay his
debts, but az much more I'm cash In addi-
ton. On account OF the heavy advance I'm
the price OF cotton, shortage abroad and
heavy consumption he was also able TO
get twice as much credit on his crop pros
poets as he coud in previous years. The
result Is that there is plenty of money In
the South and the people are prosperous.
In the fruit and early vegetable grow
Ing sections, farmers were equally for
turate In the wheat and corn growing seq
tcES OF the South crops were bountifuI
and OWING TO poor prospects I'm other sec
tons nigh prices We're realized"