The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-09-21
eH|NA's COTTON CROP.
Does the Empire Grow as Much
Cotton as the South !?

Charlotte, Sept. 15.-This weeks
issue Of the American Cotton Manu-
facturer will say: A not inconsidera-
BILE body Of people are prone to under
estimate the potentialities of the
teeming millions of the Orient, they
sneer and scof at the idea that the
Chinese will ever become other than
they are, indeed we heard the other
day, a lawyer, who is also man OF
affairs, gave utterance to some such
opinion. His knowledge of the sub
ject could only have been acquired by
a cursory reading on unimportant pro-
vincial papers. The real reason un-
derlying the gigantic struggle now on
between Russia and Japan, is the de-
termination on the part Of the rulers
of the former country to secure for
themselves the trade Of as much of
the empire as they can, and this to
the exclusion of all others. Until a
few years ago the Celestial empire
was shut out abolutely from contact
with modern progress by an inherent
and general aversion among the mass
of the people to intercourse Of any
kind with outsiders. This repug-
nance went so Tar as to breed savage
desire to destroy every discovered in-
| truder; knowing little and caring less
for anything the "outside barbarian"
might think or do. Probably the war
will decide before very long whether
they will be leavened by an admixture
of modern freemen or be absorbed and
bottled up as far as trade is concern
ed by the autocratic and semi-barbar-
Gus Muscovite. No group of individ-
uals is immutable, and the Chinaman
will in short time either become a
more valuable member in the commu-
nifty of nations or he will be suhjugat-
ed. The change will be rapid, as time
is measured in the birth, grown and
decay of nations. From sleep as
pacific as the ocean dividing the Oldest
empire of the East from the youngest
republic of the West, they will one
day awake, possibly with vigor cor
responding to that shown by their en-
ergetic neighbors, the japanese. Ex-
anime the future Of such nation re-
| vivifed. Their adoption to changed
conditions, their economy versatility
and stoicism are today inherent vir-
tues, these characteristics are demon
strated by the yellow denizens of our
own country. Again study their past:
Their historical records 60 back to
forgotten times and supply many miss
ing links in the ancient history OF
Western nations. To them we owe the
compass, silks, pottery and gunpow-
der. They had, even before we mocI-
ems dreamed of such things, litho-
graphy and block printing, canals and
vaccination.
| This terra incognita is of immense
| Importance to the future of the un-
iversal cotton growing and manufac,
turing industry.
I The native grown cotton of China
has been variously estimated as being
equivalent to from 1000, 600 to Il, 600,
600 bales per annum. An examination
of interior conditions SO far as they
are known to exist will throw an In
teresting light on their domestic cos
ton culture and manufacture.
| From cotton is made the clothing
of the people. This is more so with
them than with Western nations who
use large quantities of woolens fol
outer garments. The masses use cot
ton almost exclusively. T-e poorer
folk wear garments padded after the
fashion of a bed comforter during
the winter, while such of the people
as can afford to do so, wear severa
suits of cotton apparel one over the
other
Considering the unimportance o.
the Chinese cotton mills it can be saic
that approximately the whole of the
raw material from which the garments
of these 400, 900, 900 people are made
must be native growth. In that mys
terious hinterland there are scattered
little cotton patches. Not measured
as patches are with us, in twenty
to thirty acres, but in units of eighth
or quarter acres, or even less. Mil
lions of the people growing enough fol
their own requirements, and peddling
the small remainder among the neigh.
bors in the inevitable wheelbarrow,
selling a handful here and another OF
two there.
Forty years ago two-thirds of the
value of the exports from Tiensin con.
sisted of raw cotton. 1t has long age
y disappeared from the export list.
Consider the possibilities of com
mercially free China.
In 1900 the United States hao
roughly 16, 600. 900 inhabitants and oul
mills used 8, 49,, 600 standard bales OF
cotton of 800 pounds each. If then we
consider our exports of cotton goods
as not far from being offset by our i'm
ports of similar articles, we used %. {
pounds of cotton per capita, and to
manufacture this We operated 20, 009,
600 spindles.
Whenever the price and quality OF
mill made goods force out the band
made clothes of China, if their people
US but - per cent. of the American
consumption per head they will use up
no less than 1900. 600 bales. The
probabilities are then that today
China grows somewhere about 10, 600,
OJO bales of cotton which is converted
into cloth by her own people.
On the American basis of spindle
production this means that to the
cotton trade of American the "open
door, throws down the bars to an
&Lo ,,,;Ile of +I.o world of