The Washington herald., 1909-08-15
by 5. A. ARMSTRONG.

Cotton is king,
Its sovereignty makes the Southern
farmer monarch Of the civilized world
This chief product Of more than a million
Southern farms clothes the human race
and clothes II cheaper than any other
product known
Its manufacture from fiber to cloth
turns millions OF spindles in America,
England. on the Continent and in the
East. Its uses and those OF its products
are as varied. almost as the needs OF
man and beast. Let the cotton crop OF
the South be cut of for a single year,
and every market OF the world would be
paralyzed.
Yet the cotton industry is still in its
infancy. To It's development, as demand
increases. the Southern States will owe
within comparatively few years a COM
mercial and Industrial supremacy which
the mind Of man can as yet hardly grasp.
In the year 17ss Liverpool imported
from the struggling American colonies 500
pounds Of cotton. and two years later our
forefathers shipped TO England $500
pounds.
In 1876 the South exported 3,030oOo bales
and last years exports trebled that
amount. Now, after supplying our Amer
lean mills with over 100000 bales. the
South exports enough cotton annually TO
buy the sum total Of all other agricul-
tuTal products exported that year from
American soil.
Most Valuable Product.
In other words" 70 quote the remark
4
on figures furnished IN 1906 by the United
States Department Of Commerce and La
Dor. take all other animal and vegetable
products-wheat, corn, barley, oats, rye,
flour, meal. oatmeal fruits. vegetables.
tobacco. wine cheese. cattle. hogs. horses,
sheep, beef. pork. mutton, butter. canned
goods, lard. oils. wool, hides. skin. &c.
the entire contribution, except cotton
furnished the outside world by every
American farm, ranch. dairy, fruit farm,
and garden, from Maine TO California.
from Michigan 20 Texas, from Alaska TO
Hawaii. including the Souths own not
unimpOrtant share-take all these, and
with the proceeds Of one years cotton
and cOttonseed exports. the Southern cot
ton grower can buy the whole colossal
aggregation. stu have a surplus Of sew
be ready TO start business again with the
more than S20o.0OoO 900 he gets for supply
Ing the spindles Of our own country"
WI Ting-fang once said 20 Senator Nc
Laurin. Of South Carolina: If my people
wore cotton as they do in America, and
every Chinaman should add one inch TO
HIS shirt. IL would consume the entire cot
ION crop OF the South"
Means Much 10 the World.
The witty and now famous words Of
the Chinese Minister indicate the future
IN store for the cotton industry. Out OF
10000 100 population Of the world. only
100000 go fully clothed. about $50. 900
go partially clothed. and 25O,0OO00O alto
gether naked.
The Department OF Agriculture has es-
timated that 10 clothe the entire world a
crop Of 100000 bales would be necessary.
Thus the expansion Of cotton production
has no limits Lieut.. Richmond Pearson
Hobson declares that China alone, when
altogether civilized. viii consume the
worlds present crop. Since 1870 the in
crease IN the consumption OF cotton has
been enormous. Japan, China. and East
india having drawn upon the fields OF
the South.
civilized, but as savage and seuli-savage
peoples advance In civilization they con-
sumo more and more cotton. Further
than this, the demand Of civilized coun-
tries for cotton increases annually as
standards Of living become higher and
more costly.
The future Of the cotton industry Is
practically Hmitless but what are the
possibilities Of supplying an ever-increas-
ing demand for cotton2 Neither I'm cheap
ness nor utility can wool or silk ever
take the place Of cotton, nor has the in
genuity Of man found any substitute for
H. The wool industry is rapidly declining
fact which makes cotton more than
ever supreme.
Looks TO the south Alone.
For an answer 10 the question Of sup
ply The human race looks TO the South
alone. for the Southern States hold
monopoly on this. the dominant industry
OF the world
It IS true that about 20 per cent Of
of the worlds cotton supply is grown In
South America. Africa. and the far East,
but this Is as inferior I'm quality as It is
limited in quantity. India was the first
cotton producing country in the world.
and England, IN the hope Of becoming
independent Of the South's cotton crop
has spared no effort 20 stimulate Indian
production. Yet the crop in that country
IS decreasing. The whole Of Africa Is
declared by authorities 10 be incapable
Of producing more than $4,000 bales in
year, though Irrigation VIII probably
change these figures.
II any nation were endowed with the
climate and soil which would enable it
10 compete with the South IN cotton pro-
duction, however. this would have been