The Washington times., 1902-04-15
Opposition May Accept
Platt Amendment Re-
enactlng Geary Law.
SENATOR M'LAURIN'S ATTACK
Objects to the Measure as Injurious to
Southern Cotton Industry - Senator
Foraker Denounces Exemption Clauses
as Violating Treaty Rights

The onslaught on the Chinese ex-
| clusion bill continued in the Senate
yesterday Two Senator's. Democrat and
Republican. made speeches against it.
| Senator McLaurin of South Carolina
attacked the bill from the commercial
! standpoint. and Senator Foraker from
the point of legality and equity Both
| made telling points. and both declared
I their intention of voting against it.
I Nearly the entire Republican side is
! against the bill in its present form, and
many Democrats also. The belief is grow
ing that 1t has very little chance Of
passage. One poll yesterday resulted in
! the announcement that there will be
| fifty votes in favor of the Platt amend
ment. re-enacting the present law
Measure May Be Recommitted.
| 1t is thought to be possible that In
| stead of defeating the bill directly. a
motion may be carried to recommit ii.
Otherwise ID is said that the chances
greatly favor the adoption of the sub
| stitute
For the first time since his encounter
with Mr.. Tillman, Mr.. McLaurin of South
Carolina addressed the Senate yesterday
/ afternoon.
He announced his opposition to the
pending measure. not only because II vio-
lates the existing treaty between China
| and the United States. but because of the
commercial phase of the question at ISSUE
! He contended that the result of the pas
/ sage of the bill would be directly and
I irur aJi al
South. and especially to the cotton pro-
ducing and manufacturing States.
Advocated Geary Law.
He declared that there was no differ
eifecting a complete exclusion of Chinese
laborers from this country. but he main
tanned that existing law effected this as
well as the pending bill would Instead of
deriving benefit from the proposed change.
a positive and serious injury would be
done. By its restrictive action and in
imical spirit, the pending bill was, in Lis
opinion calculated to kill our trade with
China.
The plain business proposition at the
basis of the whole question, he said. was
whether il is fair play to th. people OF
the South, just as they are beginning 10
prosper in manufacturing and commercial
enterprises, after long years of trouble
and privation. to tear down and crush
their new enterprises on the assumption
that such ruinous policy is necessary
in order to keep out the Chinese. when
in point of fact IL is not at all necessary
and the Chinese are being kept out by the
existing law
He proceeded to show in detail that
South Carolina is now the second cotton
manufacturing State in the Union, and
that this industry gives employment to
62.1 per cent of the wage earners of the
State and turns out 500 per cent of the
total value of the manufactures of the
State. The prospects were that withic
the next ten years South Carolina would
I take the place of Massachusetts as the
| foremost cotton manufacturing State in
the Union.
Prospect Could Be Blighted.
This prospect could only be bligbted by
a shutting down of the export demand for
American cotton cloth. which for the cur
rent fiscal year would probably exceed
$50 600. 600 in value. OF this export de-
mand, so per cent is represented by our
sales &c China. and it is on the continu
ance and increase of these sales that the
prosperity of the cotton industry of the
country absolutely depends.
He showed how the Boxer disturbances
in China in 1900 had affected the market
and threatened the cotton textile indus
try of this country with decentralization.
In the first eight months covering the
period OF the disturbances our exports OF
cotton cloth to China decreased from ST.
600 900 n month TO less than SIS 900 a
month. After the Boxer troubles had
been adjusted the exports increased to
between s1000. 900 and 81. 100000 a month.
The condition of commercial warfare
between China and the United States that
would be brought about through the pas
sage OF the pending bill would undoubtedly
cause the trade to again shrink. The
the mills. of whom there were perhaps
90 900 in South Carolina, and the effect
would be felt acutely in every cotton pro-
ducing and manufacturing State.
A Vast Increase.
in the last twenty years the manuIac-
ture of cotton in the South has in
creased more than 200 per cent. and its
further development is certain il We can
but retain control over the markets OF the
Orient. The chief products of the South
ern mills are exactly what the Chinese
want-coarse sheetings and drills. He
concluded by saying:
CONTINUED on Fifth Page)