The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-27
'ASHCRAFTS ON COTTON
NORTH ALABAMA MEN TALK OF
 MOVEMENT.
They Are Interested in National Project to Extend Market for Ameri- can Staple to the
 Orient.

ErlSIer ASncTdIt OI FlOTtnCc, ouS Ol the prominent members of the commit- tee of the Southern Cotton Association, who waited on President Roosevelt in February with view of opening the foreign cotton market to greater ex- tent, came to Montgomery yesterday and spent about an hour in conference with President w. H. Seymour of the Alabama Cotton Growers Associ ttion.
 Mir Ashcraft made an excellent report of the work of this important com mittee of the Southern Association He makes the prediction that before an- other year the South will have Federal aid in it's search for Oriental cotton trade. The belief was expressed that an appropriation will be made at the coming session of Congress for Cot ton Trade Commission which will be charged with the exclusive duties or exploring the market for the raw sta- pie and the finished products of the United States mills.
 "President Roosevelt received us most cordially" said Mir. Ashcraft yes terday, and from our interview we judge that he will take a strong hand in promoting national legislation such as we want. Certainly the Southern members of Congress will rally to our right measure is put to Congress and l recommended by the President, as he 
 | has promised. 1t will pass"
 Asked if the desirable legislation was secured what would be provided Mir. Ashcraft said the appointment ef commissioners to Japan, China and other Oriental nations is In view with 1 the duty of coming in contact with tkc merchants and creating a market for | cotton and cotton goods. It is calcu- lated that when the Chinese. the Jap anese and the inhabitants of the coun- tries bordering on the Persian guif arc shown the advantages of cotton clcth- ing of all sorts manufactured ;n America, the trade will be increased by at east 100000 900 bales. If the Unit ed States is not too slow in enforcing it's commercial demsnds at the close of the Russo Japanese war. the work of these commissioners would be most timely. MT. Ashcraft was accompanied yes- terday by his brother, Lee Ashcraft, who is a prominent fertilizer manrfac- turer cotton mill operator and owner of a rolling mill tn Florence. He has. like his brother, made a study of tte possibilities of the great Oriental trade ih cotton goods. He says there IS no calculating the prosperity that will come to the South if the proper steps are taken to show the virtues or American manufactured domestics, ducks, etc, and the various yarns.
 The South has the monopoly of she cotton produce Of the world" said Lee Ashcraft, "and there is no way Of get ting around 1t. What we must 3o is to hunt the market and open it up If we should fail of national legislation, a strong effort will be made, under the auspices of the Southern Cotton Asso- citation, to get the cotton growing States individually to appoint com missioner to the Orient to work up the
 L.. n have but one handicap and that is the maritime laws of the United States. The laws are too limiting, in my opinion, in that they allow only Ameri- cans to enter the service. For this reason there may be some trouble in competing with the manufacturers of other countries.
 The cotton mill in Florence which the Ashcrafts own has closed large contracts with buyers of finished pro duets in Shanghai, China. They are staunch believers in the cotton future of the South and do not depend upon the willingness of the growers to re- duce their acreage to substantiate their beliefs. They are thoroughly in accord with the designs of the South ern Cotton Association in so far as it will seek to ever increase the demand for tho staple and plan for systematic marketing of the great money crop of the South.
 But these are the grand purposes of the Southern organization as conceived by the leaders of the New orleans con veltion last January. Tine curtailncnt of acreage and fertilizers is only temporary plan for tiding the people over the present condition of surplus production and to guard against an even greater increase this year. If this is successful all the energies and brains of the South and the associa- tion can be concentrated on the market problem. It is believed that the cot ton Is worth 10 cents and that the de- mand can be secured for any produc- tion at this price.
 In his call on President Roosevelt, Erister Ashcraft was accompanied by his fellow members of the committee, Senator McI4aurin of South Carolina, and John NJ. Parker, ex-president of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange.
 MT. Ashcraft said yesterday that he will be a delegate to the annual meet ing of the National Cotton Manufactur- CTS Association May 10 n Knoxville, Tenn. He will then, most likely, urge the appointment of a committee to CO., operate with the committee of the Southern Cotton Association on the foreign market question. This will in sure q better mutual understanding be- tween the cotton mill men and the growers as to the nee essity for finding out the market.
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