Weekly Jeffersonian., 1907-01-24

would be an extremely moderate eSt1-
mate to say that the average amount
of cotton goods which they should be
enabled to use every year is $40
apiece God knows that is small
allowance, but yet if we could so
change conditions that the purchasing
power of the people could be increased
so that they can buy $40 apiece of
cotton goods, you will see at glance
that we could consume here at home
100000 bales of cotton, to say moth
ing of Great Britain, to say nothing
of continental Europe, to say nothing
of Central and South America, to say
nothing of the five hundred millions
of people in China, Japan and the ISL
ands of the sea- Instead of making
too much cotton we are not making
one-haIf enough. The trouble is that
the market has been destroyed, as fast
as you have been increasing the goods
that go to market. Bend every ener-
gy of your mind and soul to the great
indispensable task of controlling your
market. How can this be done? By
lowering those high tariff walls which
seal you up within monopolized mar
ket and deliver you an easy victim to
the monstrous rapacity of the trusts.
Let me give you an example. A few
years ago President Mckinley saw the
necessity of making treaties with for
eign countries which would enable the
producers of the country to escape
some of the awful conditions which
had resulted from his own act. James
G. Blaine, perhaps the broadest mind
ed Republican which this country has
ever seen until the era of Roosevelt;
was in favor of reciprocity treaties.
Hon. John A. Kasson was appointed
to go abroad and to agree with for
eign nations upon commercial treaties
which would be reciprOcally beneficial
to the treaty making powers. One or
these treaties was made by Mr.. Kas-
son with France France asked a
slightly reduced tariff on cotton stock
inqs. In return she agreed to better
terms for cotton seed oil. 1t is esti-
mated by those who have examined
the subject carefully that the Kasson
treaty would have Increased the mar
ket for cotton seed oil, there
by benefiting every cotton grow
er in the market to the ex-
tent of $2O,ooo,ooo per year Did the
treaty go into effect. No. Why? Be
cause a little cotton mill in New Eng
land, which was engaged in manufac-
ture OF cotton stockings saw tndC IL
would not make it's so per cent profit
if the duties were reduced, and would
probably have to content itself with
the net gain of only 80 per cent. 1t is
the disposition of the stand patter to
keep all that he has got, and to grab
everything else that is left, so that
he will hog the whole situation. The
New England cotton mill which was
~, h. 70 or Of hnc
cry, applied, of course, to the manu-
facturerS' association. The manufac-
turers' association needed the wall
and the prayer of one of its members,
and the consequence was that a pow
erful pressure was brought to bear
upon congress. Obedient to this pow
erful organization of manufacturers
the senate rejected the Kasson treaty.
Thus, one little New England mill by
organization knocked out all the mil
lions of cotton growers who were not
organized, and who had no powerful
associations to tell congress to kill
that treaty at it's peril. The cotton
growers of the south lost annually a
trade of $2o,ooo,ooo, and it was be-
cause one little New England cotton
mill objected to the treaty.
Where were the senators of the
south, that they did not h ed your in
terest? Where were the great leaders
of the Democratic party of the south,