The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-12
COTTON AND 4 COMING "wHIRL-
WIND"

WIND"
The recent situation in cotton, which
| sent the price to high figures, con-
tinues to agitate certain of our esteem
| ed New York contemporaries. The
! Press is among those most perturbed.
! 1t foresees dreadful things as con-
/ sequence Of what it is pleased to call
the POTION corner" No DOGGY of
Halloween ever presented more fright
full aspect than that conjured up by
! the Press. It says: 80 far as the
cotton planters of the South and their
agents are responsible for the condi-
ton Of affairs which has prevailed dur
ing the last few months in the cot
ton market, just so far have they
been sowing winds from which not they
themselves probably, but their poster
ity. are likely to reap whirlwinds. The
curtailment of the cotton supply was
like a blow in the face to England
and was felt in every manufacturing
country in the world" After more
comment along the same line the Press
concludes: The tyranny of the Amer
lean cotton corner has caused the Eng
lish to issue their declaration of in
dependence"
Our contemporary, we think, is I'M
duly exercised. The whirlwind that
1t predicts is to blow out Of tie cot
ton fields of Asia and Africa. Why
has it not blown before? Is this the
first time that cotton manufacturing
Europe has been face to face with
high prices for American raw cot
ton? In the sixties, during the war
between the states. there was practi-
cally stoppage of the American cot
ton supply; did not Europe attempt
then to make herself Independent of
America for raw cotton? She did
and she failed. Nor has there been any
time since when Europe would not
have taken speedy advantage of any
opportunity to develop a raw cotton
supply independent of America. For
years experiments have been carried on
in both Asia and Africa but none has
promised such success as would ma
terially interfere with American cotton
growing.
The recent cotton corner" was the
result Of a shortage in supply rather
than manipulation. The "curtailment"
was due to providential causes, over
which the planters had no control
The situation offered opportunities for
spectators to take hold upon and make
some money, and they took advantage
of them. When SPECTATORS fail to take
advantage of such situations, human
nature will have been cast in a diff
ferent mold. The commodity makes no
difference if it had been wheat, or
corn or pork, instead of cotton, the
outcome would have been the same.
In so far as the matter of American
speculation is concerned.
But there is this further considera-
ton to be taken into account, in con-
nection with talk about "whirlwinds''
striking the cotton producing section
OF the United States; has it not occur
red to the New York Press that the
cotton manufacturing interests of this
country are growing rapidly, especial
- a. lHV 0OulH' Is IL not reasonable
to- suppose that, by the time that ty-
phoon from the. cotton fields of Asia
and Africa begins to blow, this country
Will be manufacturing into cotton goods
pretty nearly all of the raw cotton
1t produces? If we can grow cotton
here more economically than elsewhere
as we have been doing. and if we can
manufacture it as cheaply as any other
section or country, what have we to
fear from the prospective ''whirlwind'
from the fields of Asia and Africa?
We find nothing in the DOGGY conjured
up by the Press to be frightened at.