The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-16
CHINA THREATENED BOYCOTT
WE SELL HER S25, OOO, 900 4 YEAR
~ TEXTILES ONLY.

Exporter Says Her Merchant Guilds Can
do What They Threaten to DO In
Retaliation Upon the United States
and That the Blow Would lie Hard One
A despatch from San Francisco printed
IN lHE Sun yesterday giving some details
| OF propot ,d boycott In China OF American
goods caused discussion yesterday among
the downtown merchants engaged in the
emma trade. According to the despatch
'he pronunciamento against American
goods e'nanated from the Shanghai Cham
Der OF Commerce, and some Of the mer-
chants here were inclined to believe that
deflhite action by the merchants guilds
! and the other commercial bodies Of China
mad not yet actually been taken. while
Others Interpreted the news from China
az meaning that American goods had al
ready been put under the ban in the Flowery
Kingdom
On one point there was no difference Of
| opinion: IL the Chinese commercial world
has actually put American goods on its
blacklist the result will be serious to Ger
tain branches OF American trade.
James S. Fearon, president of the Inter-
national Banking Company. head OF the firm
II
Interested in the China trade and who him
sell has long resided in China, said that he
had no further advices on the subject OF
the reported boycott than we're contained
In HE SUT despatch. and that he was
awaiting additional information with much
interest.
III such boycott is declared and en-
forced in the way that 1t is entirely possible
I,nA .. i - i 49,
results to American trade with China would
be very unfortunate. It would hit our
textile trade particularly hard blow Our
commerce in textiles in China has lately
shown very remarkable increase. In
the last six months of 1903 and in January,
February and March Of 1904 our exports
OF cotton cloth to China were e2,se5 ,4e7
yards, representing "A cash value Of only
sS,is7s5s, In the last six months of 1904
and the first three months of this year the
cotton cloth exports to China were go, 9e3, 239
Yards, representing n cash value OF 3ls,
O22 Al But even that does not tell the
country that turn out cloth adapted to the
Chinese market are full up with orders
for the utmost limit of their output for
nearly year ahead-until March. 1905,
in fact, and practically all of these advance
orders are for China.
Now If boycott upon American goods
were to, 20 into effect in China it would
ractically,cut off this large and very rapidly
growing trade. The effect upon the cotton
mill industry in the South would be little
short OF disastrous. And OF course what
would happen to our textile trade would
happen proportionately in other lines of
our exports to China
Under the Russian domination OF Man
churia our trade with China was rapidly
dwindling. The Chinese merchants thought
Russia would eventually close all ports Of
Manchuria, or 80 hamper outside com
merce as practically to kill it. and hence
they were afraid to place American orders.
But the Japanese victories put new COM
pllexon upon things. The Chinese mer-
chants believed that the Russian incubus
vas permanently lifted, and our exports to
China jumped at once. | do not doubt that
our textile exports to China will foot up to
over S25 900 900 on the year ending June 30
next.
"Now. this IL a good deal of commerce
to be threatened, nd whatever event threat
ems it ia a grave event. As to the ability Of
the Chinese to enforce boycott that they
once seriously undertook. there is not
doubt Of it. I know good deal about their
merchants guilds. and know they are very
powerful and that they will stick together
q solid unit in whatever they undertake to
do.
And the vorst Of il ia that our position
our attitude toward Cinnamon coming here
IL uNreaSOnahle ana Is ground Tor leRltl-
mate complaint. There is no disposition on
the part of those who are back Of this move
ment in China TO induce us to relax our re-
strctions against cooie immigration. All
that they ask ia that Chinese of respocta-
bility and of financial and social RESPONSE
bility have the same privileges of coming
and going in this country as other foreigners
have.
Il do not know yet how far this movement
against American trade has gone in China
but do know that 1t is capable of going
far enough to result in serious injury to
American commerce