The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-01-25

iCNClOpNCCG dIIN % Vic IoCiuC
I believe that Mr.. Seward was
right and thai in China there is a
market waiting, which will enable Us
to sell 10000, coo instead Of 10, 900, 900
bales above ten cents the pound.
II we could with so little effort de-
geiop market in locality IN North
China. it seems to me that it could
be done in all accessible portions of
the Empire.
1t ought not to be difficult to teach
thrifty people the superiority Of cot
ION over silk as an article of general
wear. It is chesp per, and the fact tina,
it will wash comnends it to q people
so cleanly in their habits. Then the
old saying, ''Chinamen never wash
their clothes and Japs never wash
their bodies," would be more honore6
in the breach than the observance.
All business is done in China under
system OF guilds conducted on SINH
lar lines to the Federation OF Labor IN
this country, and this fact properly
handled has proven help rather than
a hindrance to the introduction OF
American goods in China. You deal
with an orgar ization instead OF inoi-
viduals. II the cotton burned during
the past weeks had been made intc
cloth and sent into portions Of China,
where American goods are unknown,
it would be jar more sensible plan OF
reducing the surplus and making Gus
toners Of these silk clad millions in
the Orient.
But 1000 miles OF ocean roll be-
tween US and these markets, it must
be traversed by ships and each day
the difficulties In that respect multi
ply.
Our carrying trade is in the bands,
not only Of our commercial rivals, but
OF the nations who consume our raw
cotton and are therefore bitterly op-
posed to assisting any movement
where the ultimate effect must be to
advance the price Of cotton. II the
market for cords is to be extended
they will see to Is that it is done
under their auspices and then not on
such an extensive scale as to make
the staple scarce and high. The
American merchant flag is a stranger
On the high seas, and will be until
Congress takes some action which
will enable the American built an6
operated ship to compete with its sub
sidjz:d foreign rival. For years meas
ures to that end have been before
Congress, but the demand has never
come up frcn the people, because the
development CT this continent has
heretofore afforded ample scope, but
the days Of our national infancy are
gone ard We must go out into the
markets OF the world up. fon.iny
of equality with the other naS.ouS.
Upon the Atlantic our Carrying
trade is monopol'Zed BY enormous
foreign steamship lines that are now
circling the globe with their ships
that have e aperors, Kings and mobiles
for their advocates and stockholders
The nations Of Europe re joice in the
concentration Of the wealth OF their
people in their steamship liceS, they
are sustained by subsidies from their
Government and through their con
troll OF transportation they levy trib
ute upon all the peoples Of the earth,
md upon none does it rest more heav-
| lily than the cotton grower.
Less than three per cent Of our
carrying trade with Europe is in
American ships, a trade totally bill
lion and a half annually, two thirds
OF our trade with the entire world.
The first step in extending and en-
larging cur cotton market must be
transportation facilities. It it's asking
too much OF human nature to expect
those nations which are looking for
cheap cotton to develop new markets.
Cotton manufacturing has been intro
6uced into Japan, but has not flourish
ed, so I am Informed, because Ct the
imposs:bility Of getting theraw cot
toe. But for this I have no doubt that
Dy this time Japan's cotton factories
would be important purchasers Of
spot cotton.
j OThe New Orleans convention con-
slider 10 question in which the South
is more vitally interested than ship
ping. About 35 per cent OF the total
exports Of the nation are shipped from
Southern ports, while only about six
per cent of the imports enter at
Southern ports. The great bulk OF
our exports originate in the South or
IN the Mississippi Valley that drains
into the guilt. New Orleans and the
gulf ports are the natural exit, but
the great UI;eS Of railways run east
and west ard I do not suppose any
one doubts that there is a community
Of interest between these transcon-
5inental lines and the Subsidized
foreign steamship com psnies. That is
the combination which has always de-
feated every effort in Congress to pass
a bill for the development Of an
American merchant marine.
The same interests postponed TOR a
quarter OF a century the construction
OF the Isthnaian Canal, but under the
present vigorous Federal sdministra
tion this Is in sight, and then natural
laws can no longer be defed. God has
50 fashioned this country that the
natural direction for its export pro,
ducts to move Is north and south, not
east and west. New Orleans should bt
and some day will be one of the great
est. II not the greatest distributing
point in the world.
At present about 20 per cent Of the
ships entering North Atlantic ports,
come in ballast, while over 60 per cen,
entering Southern ports come in bal
last. This is a serious handicap to the
cotton grower, for his is an export
product. It means that every ship
coming in ballast for cotton charges
enough freight one way to pay the ex-