The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-30
WORLD DEPENDS ON
AMERICAN COTTON
Southern Product To-Day Is One
of the Greatest Commercial
Interests.

IN Inc southern SldttS VI tue
Union is one of the great, perhaps it is
one OF the very greatest. Of the worlds
commercial interests. Our cotton is ex-
ported to all the manufacturing countries
OF the globe. and they all depend upon 1t,
not only for clothing, but far more for
material to furnish and keep in operation
vast Industries which give employment
and wages to many thousands. and
even hundreds of thousands, of people.
Recently In the city Of Marseilles.
France. NJ. Paul Bourdarie delivered lee
ture before the Chamber of Commerce. in
which he discussed this proposition: What
IL the United States should manufacture
the whole Of their cotton products, leaving
none for export?
In the course OF the lecture It was set
forth that the entire world produces "a,
100000 bales of cotton. of which the United
States contributes 10,5o0.000 bales. or 20
per cent. Moreover. Americans are At
tempting. with activity and persistence.
to monopolize the consumption OF the raw
material which they produce. and to this
end they multiply the spinning and weav-
ing mills OF their country, augmenting the
number OF spindles and installing their
factories alongside the cotton fields. The
consumption of American cotton in the
United States grew from 1000 bales in
1882 to S.90s 900 bales In 1905 and the prog
rapid since then.
In order to supply the G.15oooo French
spindles and the 10S.0O0 looms, the French
cotton industry pays each year for the
900 francs C5i 100000. which go to the
United States. India and Egypt. But even
under these conditions the French industry
finds ways of maintaining its position.
It would be different should the United
States succeed In consuming all the cot
ton which they produce: The 800 French
spinning mills and the go weaving mills,
besides the dyeing and finishing mills.
would then have to close their doors. thus
throwing into the street. deprived of the
means Of existence, $4,000 la5oring peo,
which the consequences would be dis
astrous.
But If there were no American cotton to
disastrous force upon the cotton manufac-
turers Of Great Britain. and heavily on
Germany and other nations. 1t would pro-
duce widespread calamity and reduce hum
dreds OF thousands Of people to a condition
OF starvation.
The speaker in question proposed as a
preventive OF the disastrous conditions
that he had pictured that the manufac-
turing countries of the Old World should
at once go to work to organize great sys-
TENS Of cotton production in the semi
tropical colonies of the respective coun-
tries. He mentioned that the French CO.
1onial domain is vast and varied. and in
most Of its cclcnies cotton grows spon-
tons under the Same making
efforts to escape the danger. Russia has
cotton fields in Turkestan, the production
Of which is being increased by. every
means. England possesses India and
Egypt, but the cottons produced in these
countries are employed for special pur-
poses. The British domestic industry.
would see itself similarly doomed IL Eng
land had no other territories. She has
found them in Western. Africa, where she
rursues experiments giving hopes of sue
cess. Germany is making similar expert
ticularly in Togo and Kamerun. Several
Of the French colonies are declared to be
particularly favorable to the growing of
Madagascar.
This is all very well in fits way. but If it
were practicable to carry out such an ar
cary In which to create the requisite or
ganixation and get it into operation so as
to give a reliable supply OF cotton. and be-
fore that could be conSummated the Euro,
the work people reduced to extremes of
misery. The real and the only remedy is
for the Southern States to increase their
cotton crop to meet all demands.
The South can produce a crop double the
sise Of that grown by employing the
requisite labor. The land is here. 1t
fully S,u cultivated a,Ia upon q system Of inten.
sfve farming; and as for the labor, that
can Be had. II there be not enough white
ployed. The manufacturing nations Of the
world are not going to be allowed to suf-
fer for cotton when we can supply them
With all they require Whenever our South
ern States shall be brought TO the test
they will prove equal to all that is re-
Quired Of them in the way of cotton
There is no good reason why the United
States should manufacture all their cot
ton. The planters can make money by
selling a large portion of their product to
foreign spinners. and they will do 1t.