The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-23
SHAW ON PROTECTION.

Secretary of the Treasury Speaks to
Chicago Audience on the Evils He
Says He Sees in Free Raw Material
VS.. Protected Manufactures.
Chicago, Sept. 22.-Secretary OF the
Treasury L. NJ. Shaw delivered ~ adj
dress at North Side Turner Hall to-
night in the interest of Congressman
H. S. Boutelle. The secretary took for
his subject. Commerce" He said:
Il notice the Democratic party in
Massachusetts recently adopted plat
form reiterating the old Democratic
demand for free raw material. to the
aVowed end that our manufacturers
may be able to compete with other ma
tlohS IN the export trade of the world.
Conceding the Democratic conten-
ton that wool delivered at the fac
tory, iron ore delivered at the fur
mace, hides delivered at the vat, cotton
delivered at the spindle, is raw mate
riai' let US inquire where 1t would be
wise to place them on the free list.
Inc United States is the home OF
the cotton plant. We produce three
lourths of the raw cotton of the world.
ana because we produce so much and
import the merest trif1e, and that of a
quallty we do not produce, cotton is
Kept on the free list To put it on the
protective list would neither yield rev.
enue nor afford protection, for, as l
may say, three-fourths of it is grown
mere. We do protect it as soon as it
leaves the spindle. Cotton, then, af-
ioros an Illustration of what can be
zone when our manufacturers have
Iree raw material. Now note results.
we actually c~~-ert into yarn and
textiles, and l speak in round num-
pers' one-fourth of the cotton fiber of
the world.
VI this we export $50 900, 900 worth.
we import $40000,000 worth of manu-
Iactured cotton. For the sake of the
argument, assume that the fiber in
our exported cotton manufactures
ABOUT offsets the fiber in imported cot
ton manufactures. This being true. the
american people then actually con-
sumo, wear out one-fourth of the cot
ton nber this world produces. We do
this in the face of the fact that the
people of the world barring a little
belt in the Arctic regions, wear cotton
II they wear anything. Thus, by means
OF protection, we afford and keep for
ourselves one-fifth of the ultimate cot
ton consumption market of the world
Does this prejudice us in the outside
market? 1t ought not to.
The Democratic party demands free
raw material, and 1 say we have free
we have when we go out and compete
in the outside cotton trade of the
world?
Inc various commercial countries of
the world. including the United States.
export in the aggregate $685., O00. 900
worth of cotton manufactures, OF
which we export 1872, 900 900. In other
words, by reason of free raw material.
we are able to secure only per cent.
OF the export trade in cotton man
fractures Mark you, we get 70
per cent. of the export trade in raw
cotton, but only per cent. of the ex-
port trade in manufactured cotton. We
get the one because we grow the cot
ton and the world wants it, We lose
the other because with cheap labor
the outside world can manufacture it
cheaper than we can. So they take
the raw material off our hands, man
ufacture, put on the worlds market.
and get 95 per cent. of the export trade.
while we, with cotton grown on our
land. because of high priced American
labor, are able to get only per cent.
of the export trade
DO you say this is discouraging ?
Look at my previous figures. Because
of our high priced labor and the ca
pacity of our people to consume, be-
cause of the good clothes we wear, be-
cause we do not patch and mend. and
some times burn to save laundry bills,
we keep for ourselves and thus actual
~ supply one-fifth of the worlds ag-
gregate market for cotton manufac-
lures. And we both maintain our high
wages and make our people secure in
orr own markets by means of our pro-
tective policy"