The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-23
ENGLISH COTTON PARTY.
Letter Received from Britain Endors'
 ing Suggestion.

Governors of Southern States. execu-
 tive officials of railroads operating ir | that section, business organizations
 and authorities in the textile industry | back up by letter and telegram in this
 weeks issue of The Manufacturers
 Record the specific invitation of South
 ern financiers to cotton manufacturers | of Great Britain and the continent of
 Europe to visit the United States and
 make a personal study of cotton grow
 ing and cotton manufacturing possi- | bilfties of the South. Mir. Edward | Atkinson of Boston, Mass. Is convinced
 that the move to bring English cotton
 men over will be sure to attract them
 and that those who do come will be
 picked men. He proposes to join the
 party and suggests that the national
 Department of Agriculture detail a cnt-
 ton expert and an expert in soils and
 minerals to be of the party, and he l adds:
 This is a big enterprise of which we cannot yet begin to foresee the | benefit From Liverpool comes a let l ter from MT. Thomas R. Ellison, who has taken up the work of his father | as cotton statistician. who writes that the trip would be of great benefit | for all concerned. MT. Alfred B Shepperson of New York, who has just iCluIH Htu iIOIH d NlSll OI several weeks | of Europe, says that the most thor ough investigation of the South's ca- pacities can but result in the promo ton of her material interests by bet | ter understanding of her unrivalled advantages Atwood Violett of New | York writes:
 English cotton manufacturers are In need of great enlightenment and mucn of the prejudice existing in their minds because of the extreme advance in cotton last season has arisen, I am sure. because of their lack of acquaint- ance with real conditions bringing about the enhancement of values in | that direction"
 MT. W. w. Finley, second vice-presi- dent of the Southern Railway, has ex- pressed willingness to cooperate In a reasonable measure in affording any ! representative cotton mill people of Lancashire who may attend the pro- posed peace conference at Boston to review the cotton mill districts of the South traversed by his lines. and MT. M. V. Richards, the land and industrial agant of that system. writes: The South has reached a point in the development of its mill interests where 1t Is in position to invite the attention and investigation of the cot = ton manufacturers of the world. An international meeting, such as you pro- pose held at some desirable point in the South would be highly useful in enabling visitors to see for themselves that the production of raw cotton is capable of infinite expansion, and that it is merely matter of multiplying the number of workers in the cotton fields to insure the continued prestige of the South, both in the growing of the sta pie and in its manufacture. It goes without saying that we should be glad to cooperate to reasonable extent in affording representative cotton mill people who may attend such a meeting an opportunity to view the cotton mill districts of the South which are tra- versed by our lines"
 Captain J. F. Merry, of the Illinois Central Railroad, in sincere hope that the plan may be carried out and be supported by every one who in any way has to do with the cotton industry writes:
 The produce dealers of the cities and towns of the North have found it profitable to meet and mingle with the produce growers of the South. Manu- lecturers of hardwood furniture visit the forests and mills from which they obtain their raw material. This same principle on much larger scale is em- phasized by your suggestion that spin ners and growers of cotton come together"
 Of similar tenor are letters from MT J. C. Stubhs of the Union Pacific Rail road and MT, J. F. Holden, of the Chica- go Rock Island and Pacific Railway the latter saving:
 You know that cotton spinning has not been carried on very successfully west Of the Mississippi river, but with the large production of cotton in Ar kansas, the Territories and Texas. it would seem that the field is large enough for the cotton spinning indus try. and the officers of this company will cheerfully lend their support in that direction."
 Mayor Evan P Howell of Atlanta and Mayor Herman Myers of Savannah nave been prompt to tender the hos. pitality of their respective municirali- ties to the visitors, while the States officially have offered welcome through Governors D. C. Heyward of south Carolina, J M. Terrell of Geor gia' W. s. Jennings of- Florida, R. NJ Cunningham of Alabama. James K. Vardaman of Mississippi. N C. BIanch- ard of Louisiana. Jefferson Davis of Arkansas and S. w. T. Lanham/of Tex. as and T. B. Ferguson of Oklahoma.
 Among the organizations supporting the movement are, the Georgia Indus trial Association. the Atlanta Chamba, of Commerce. the Greater Mississipni Association. and the Farmers National Congress, through their officers, while the Manufacturers' Club of Charlotte will invite the English manufacturers to visit that pitv