The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-01-25
SENSIBLE TALK,
The Future of Cotton Trade.

- ~ tuQS ulSCuSsCS al llilPot to's "
Inc drop IN the price OF GOTTEN Is eXci.lng
attention ali over the south ana a conNep-
llon has been called In New orleans W .on,
slder The questions relating 10 Tue colloh
INDUSTRY. l have seen muny reheu'es Pio,
posed Tor overproductlon, but have heard
hutning about uudei-consunlptlon ahu helI-
In lies On my oplniou) the only permanent
solution OF tue pronieui. win proper nneth.
DDS Of distribution there is room for u larger
crop OF cotton than has yet been produced III
lne South. IL is painfully apparent tnat
burning cotton, reduction OF acreage, etc., are
only temporary experiments ana VIII ahoiu
no permanent relief.
Can we find ut Wei and wider marBets LOT
our staple product? That This Wouid De d
complete remedy none can ooubt, ana lhal
such marx els exist none lauililar Win Ine
question Will deny.
Facing us ON The other side OF the glfoe are
the teeulDg millions oi CHINA, anu u was
among them that We found a market ior our
surplus, when the large crops o. inc late sos
gIutteu ali other mark cts. Five cents cotton
proved u great stimulus " inanulacturlns
| and led 70 the marvellous development from
1890 10 1900, when there was an increase ~ me
United States OF 81 per cent, while in South
Carolina The output from our mills ran up
from $40, 900, UOO 10 SAC, 000,000 finding u ready
market in CHINA. Indeed. demand lar out
stripped production anu theie WAS d steady
advance In the price OF spot cotton until the
China market was pracLlcaiiy CLOSED oy Tue
| Boxer lroubles; then speculation advanced
prices aunormaily and Instead Oh an expand
ing mark ct with advancing prices, we are III
the period of contracting market, with laiilng
| prices. IL Is evident that we are facing an
Olher era OF low priced cotton. eau we lake
, al vantage OF the situation and create sucn d
| widespread demand Tor cotton goods thal 10"
prlcts ana uVer-proQucuOn VIII never oe
heard OF again?
Culton is now below the cost Of production,
lower by comparison than IL has ever peel
before. It's Laturai advantages are sucn lpat
II we do nothing IL will take care OF Itself as
| IL has In me past, out 10y wisdom We can has
| ten The day when the king shall come 10 hls
OWL again and this, / apprehend, is The great
purpose Of a convention vi Inc COTTON gro"
ers.
China Is an old country with the stored
| wealth Of centuries, her people need our cot
ton, particularly The cheaper fabrics. Tney
| Ceueud largely upon SILK and he laugnlnBiJ
addeu that 80 great was the population that
If cotton were used rs Ia other portions oil lhe
world, and you could get each Cnlnaman 70
| add one luch TO the length OIL the Lall ol Ills
short, mat II wOu III consume the cotton crop
uflhe SOUTH" SO lar We nave only touched
| with our cotton trade one small section Ia
north China the export never exceeding
SIS, QUO, 600 in one year.
an industry amounting Lu S34O, 100000 annu-
ally should be affected Dy the Iuss vi al eX-
| port demand of sis, O0O, 600 or S2O .OOO,OWO, but
The sceptical have only 10 refer " the history
of the cotton trade for 1901. when exports u
| China almost ceased TO be convinced OF the
| vaiu, OF our AT present comparatively small.
eastern trade. Nineteen hundred ana Tour
has demonstrated beyond uuuDt, mat IN
spite OF the boil weevl.l, the Suutu can pro.
uucs a crop vi COTTON lar In excess OF Tue de-
| manu from present markets., hence Necessity
iorcss either The curLalIImenl OIL me crop Or
finding newer ana wider malkets;' no one
lIamiliar with present conditions believes thai
| without some proVidenlal disaster The croG
uI 1915 VIII De materially Ieuuceo. Ii Tue
acreage Is curtalleu, better CULTIVATION anu
The Increased Use OF Itrtltlzer Will make up
" Il Al N.uA inc lrJn IN IL
| of Two well sold crops IN our panks and he
long as we can buy mules AND guAno We Will
mahe cotton.
The south now has q practical monopoly in
| Lhe production OF cotton; this Bile snuuiu
keep aTall hazaros, lind new markets, ana
make enough cotton ~ supply The world al
lair prices. 49,
resolutions Will not reduce II, and l believe
| hat there Will w men In the eolton gro" e!s'
con who Will lake u more comprehend
slye view VI The Situation.
ConsIuering that Iii CHINA alone there Is q
population OI 400 OO, 0OJ, whose trade with US
Der capita Is now IntlnILesLlmal compareu
| With hat II is bound ID develop ln,the ears
TO come, who wnf undertake u. place Ii limit
upon lie quantity OF cotton goods that Tue
IOlIent viii consume? 'Traue follows The
hag." Undoubtedly The time was never more
fav Orabie Ior developing new markels Tue
| war in progress seems nearing an end japan
wul undoubtedly retain her position Oh Lie
malulauo Vi aSid NoiSc II wan
| De rapidly taught western InethOds anu un-
| der the tutelage OF Japan the Chluese empire
Will 10 opeDeu up 10 com merce as never Dt-
fore. With ALASKA, Guam Hawaii ato tne
| Philippines, We have huge stepping stones u
the OIIent, lrIeLd.y poIls anuer our own n
age; depols, bases oil supp aud II NEEDY ue
Tor our plOlecuoD, arseuals. Nearly oU years
ago u secretary vi Stale Predicted lhal iarse as
| was our trade with Europe, greater as II
might ecome, IL would In the tuliness OF lime
oe uwalled IN comparison Will. tne lneVlla.
Die development across The PACING. l believe
that Mr.. Seward was right and that IN emma
| tuere Is u market waiting winch Will enable
US To Sell 90, O0y!000 Instead vi lO.UOO,OO bales vi
cotton above 10 ceut S per pound.
Ii we could with 80 IittIe effort develop a
tuarket III u locality In norLn emma, IL Be-. ms
| 10 nue. That IL cuu. d be done In all ACCESS .u!e
PORTIONS oiLhe empire. IL ought not ~ be
u~lticult TO teach u Unity people tie superb
orlLy Of cotton over SILK rs an article vi geu
erai wear; IT, Is cheaper. and The Iact that II
Will wash III 1t To u people ~ c early
IN their nablus, tnal the Old say lug "Chtna
men never wash their clothes anu Japanese
never wash their bodies" would be NOR,
| nonored IN the breach than In tue observance
ALI business IS done in CHINA under a sys-
tenn OF guilds conducted on similar lines 10
Inc. federation Of labor in this country, and
this fact properly handled has proved u help
rather than q nindrance 10 the Introduction
OF American goods In China. You deal With
an organization instead of Individuals. Ii
the cotton burned during the past weeks had
been made INTO cioLh aud sent into portions
of China, where American goods are un-
known IL would be d far more sensib plan
OF reducing the surplus and making custom.
ers of these silk clad millions IN The Orient.
But 1000 miles OF ocean roll between US and
these q X cts, 1t must be traversed by ships,
and eacn day the difficulties In that res peel
multiply. Our carrying trade Ia in the hands
not only of our commercial rivals, but Of the
nations who consume our raw cotton and are
therefore bitterly opposed 10 assisting any
movement where the ultimate effect must be
to advance the prioe.o cotton. If the market
for goods Is to be extended they will see TO II
that it Is lone under their auspices, and not
on such an extensive scale as u make the sta.
pie scarce and high. The American mer.
chant flag is a stranger on the high seas and
will be until congress takes some action
which will enable A merican-buiit and oper-
ated ships to compete with Its subsidized Tor
eign rival. ~
The first step In extending and enlargipg
our cotton ct must be transportation ia
%cilities; 1t is asking TOO much Of human ma
ture 10 expect these nations who are looking
for cheap cotton TO develop new mark cts.
Cotton manufacturing has been introduced
into japan, but has not flourtshed, SO l am in
formed, because Of the mo possibility of get
ting the raw cotton. But for this / have no
doubt that by this time Japan's cotton tactic
ries would be important purchasers Of spot
cotton.