The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-09-10
Stand by Your Oars.

ne INdHCueSleT SpluueTS ndNllS uc-
cided to suspend the purchase of cot
ton, The Constitution advises the
farmers of the country to stand by
their oars.
There were 100000 bales of cot
ton manufactured last year. There is
no marketable stock carried over. The
| crop now coming into market is at
least one and nalf million bales less
than the minimum consumption of the
mills. IL the English spinners do not
like the situation. we are sorry, but
we are not selling cotton this year at
sacrifice. Not this year-some other
year, perhaps-but for the present we
hold the whip-handle, and we propose
to hold on until some things are right
ed up in this world.
Not that we would be unreasonable,
or that we would advise the farmers
of the country to make eXactions in an
emergency which would not be Justl-
fed by sound business principles. But
there is a mistake somewhere, and We
incline to the belief that 1t consists In
having the mills 1000 miles away
from the point OF production. The BUS
mess never yet existed which couiu
carry such a burden as this, and valu-
able as is the cotton product, 1t cannot
carry it. The cotton Is worth just SO
much on the wearer's back. 1t is the
farmer who has to pay the tolls ana
freights all the way to New YORK.
across to Liverpool, then of the manu-
featured stuff through the Suez' past
Alden and into Hong Kong. These in
termediary charges must be loppeu
N
ready enjoying the benefit of the lop-
ming: his neighbor. the cotton planter
has found it out, and the only recourse
OF the English spinner now is to come
over and join us. We have fine water
mowers. excellent labor, abundant
TRANSPORTATION facilities, everything. IN
fact tn make the Englishman feel
happv. We have today in Georgia one
such Englishman-Mr Edward Lang
who will furnish all necessary lnlol
nation to his old friends. ana wno
will engage to meet them upon thell
arrival in New York, and show them
through the country from virginia 10
Texas. "a
All this by way of preliminary ana
encouragement. but now to the pres
ent grievance. The present sltuatloh Is
brought about by the prospective oe-
lay and shortage of the new American
crop which has brought the cottoh
manufacturers OF the kingdom face 10
face with what are pronounced the
most serious conditions when they
have had TO weather since the exports
of cotton from the United States were
stopped during the civil war. Inc
meeting of the master spinners held IN
Manchester yesterday to consider an
indefinite shut down of the mus, was
the result. The total supply of Amerl-
can cotton on the docks ana In tine
warehouses of Liverpool does not eX-
coed $50. 900 bales. only half of which
is said TO be disable. The scantiness OF
this stock may be judged from the
fact that the average weekly consump-
+ion Of tho Lancashire mills is $4,000
bales IL was in view of this situation
that Mr.. James Lowry Whittle. man
aging director of IIorrockses, Crewd-
son & Co. said the other day;
If ANYTHING were needed to demonstrate
our complete dependence on American cot
ton. present conditions would Suppty It.
We are al absolutely helpless as q loco
motive without coal, ana what Is PEI
marlly responsible for the fact IS that
the southern planters in the Chltea states
=
than $500 600 bales, while the world 1e-
mands an annual American crop of not
less than 12,000 600 bales. 1t Is mystery
10 us what influenced your planters thus
to fail In providing what was expected OF
them. 1t may have been that they tound
that the land hitherto planted with cotton
could be devoted to some more prohtaple
purpose. but, whatever inspired them,
they Will be guilty of costly ShOrtSlEhted-
ness If they continue to permit their eN-
ports to England to be SO persistently low
as to force prices arbitrarily high.
While we freely admit that We prefer
the staple American cotton to any other
available we shall he compelled to find
new source of supply as soon as the Amer
lean article becomes a luxury. midas
cotton resources would offer an inviting
field for development If conditions force
us to turn from America. Twelve cents
n pound is about the limit to which Amer
lea can afford to boost its export cotton.
CT course, we appreciate the con-
Germ which Mr.. Whittle must feel, but
he will find that it will be much easier
to move the Lancashire mills to this
country than it will be to change the
scene OF cotton production. While Mr..
Whittle and his friends may be en-
gagged in chasing agricultural rain
bows the southern spinner Will have
taken their market and they will
have no one to whom to sell. He must
take into account the fact that the cot
ton raisers of the southern states are
not an aggregation of mere laborers
content with slave wages, but that
they have the ability to invade or Gre
ate markets of their own.
Meanwhile. the southern planters
are not in a hurry to SELL and cannot
be coerced.