The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-02-26
THE COTTON PROBLEM.

IN IA StbNDht NV = hoe
phia Inquirer says it probably would
be a good.thing forthis country if no
such action were taken and cotton
be retained as one Of the contraband
articles, since such action would
have a tendency 10 compel the
United States to keep its raw cotton
at home instead Of selling it TO for
eign manufacturers al starvation
prices to enable them 10 make big
profits out Of its manufacture into
goods and the distribution Of such
goods to the world at large.
Commenting upon this view OF
the matter, the Inquirer says:
ut seems utterly absurd that the
United States, with all this raw ma
terial at hand, should be content TO
sell il at little profit in order that
other countries may become rich and
powerful from handling it, II this
cotton we're to be kept at home it
would have 10 be manufactured into
goods right here, and the status Of
the nations foreign trade would be
fixed definitely, securely and COM
mandingly. We are in the position
to supply practically the world with
cotton goods, and yet we neglect TO
grasp the opportunity. Just as we
have permitted other nations TO
capture the ocean carrying trade, we
have been satisfied with selling
them raw cotton at beggarly prices
in order that il may be manufactur-
ed by England, Germany, Switzer-
land, Belgium and other countries,
when we should be doing that enor-
nous manufacturing business our
selves"
While our Philadelphia contem-
porary is undoubtedly correct in
that it would be better for
us TO manufacture our raw cotton
into goods at home and supply the
world with the manufactured goods
it needs, reaping the immense profits
ourselves which other countries now
make, the fact remains that the
buildings up Of a vast manufactur.
ing industry is not the work of a
few days, but the slow development
If years. II is no longer true that
we ship all Of our raw cotton abroad
be manufactured, since we now
spin and weave five million bales Of
/ into cloth at home, both for do
nestle consumption and for ship
nent abroad.
The cotton manufacturing indus
loo nloue wonderful suldes IN
he United States in recent years
particularly in the Southern States,
md it is not beyond the realm of
probability that the day will come
when we will manufacture placti-
ally the whole of our cotton crop
nto goods at home. In the mean.
ime it is Of the highest advantage
o have foreign markets ready and
to absorb the surplus of our
'otton production. No industry adj
.ances by leaps and bounds, but is
he product Of steady growth. The
manufacturing industry has ad-
'anced probably as rapidly as any
ther American industry, but it
would not have been able to have
Imported the raw cotton industry
( the South unaided nor have alb.
orbed the constantly increasing
reduction, hence the export trade
as been a decided advantage, and
is a mistake to hold that a meas
re calculated to damage the export
rade would be Of advantage to the
.omestlc manufacturing branch Of
( the industry.
Although it is a fact that we still
Xport more cotton than we manu-
into cloth at home, it is also
fact that we now consume more
aw cotton in our domestic mills
han the whole cotton crop amount
d to a little more than a genera
ago, This is certainly progress
} be proud Of, and it is difficult to
Understand how il could have been
lore rapid or substantial IN. o.
icayune,