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The Cotton Men Are Caught

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Parent Issue
Day
6
Month
March
Year
1895
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The iollowiuj,' article, taken from R recent issue oí the Detroit Journal, to wliich it was sent by Giles B. Stebbihs, shows liow the southerners are waking ïp tothe true condhion of affairs as it s down tliere, and where tliey made tlipir mistake : Editor Journal- Eli Perkins writes the American Economie! of a late interview at Palatka, Fia., witl) Judge Hunt. After discussing the loss to orange growers by the late frost, the judge said : "But there is anotherover-production n tlie south in a worse condition than the orange erop." "What is that?" I asked. "It is eotton, sir. Our farmers are now getting 3 1-2 and 4 cents a pound ',ir what we used to f?et 10 cents for, and it is going lower everv day. Wlien I thinkhow foolisli we southerners liave acted it makes me sick. We had the chance to save ourselves o fíe red ns and we threw il away. We are now convinced of own foolishness." "Well wliat have you done?" Iasked. "Wc could not have done worse," Baidthe jadge. "We know how tliat iheap wool is a substituto for eotton. Tliat is, cheap eotton was substituted for wool, bnt now cheap wool is a substitute all over the north for eotton. "Cheap Thibet, Asiatic and Australian wool used to cost froin 16 to 25 cents. We southerners thought it was smart to stab the wool farmers and take the 10cent tariff off of wool. We did it, and now that same wool is being sold to Northern knit shirt and cloth faetories for from G to 15 cents. With 6-cent wool the milis are throwing back our cotton. Who would not gïve two cents a pound more for woolen shirts or cloth than for the same thing made of cottou?" "How much cotton will this throw out of the market?" I asked. "A million bales, sir. A friend of mine, who have been in the New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts milis, writes me that 'cheap foreign wool is liurting the soutli more than the north. It will reduce the deinand for cotton a million bales,' he says, 'and send the price of cotton down to 3 1-2 ceuts to our cotton farmers.' Then see what idiots we have been on the sugar question!" "What have yon done?" I asked. "Why we southern men voted solidly against the bounty on sugar. Sugar was growing prodigiously in Florida, Southern Alabama, Louisiana, and ïexas. It was spreading all along [the Guit of Mexico from Lake Charles to Corpus Christi. It was going up the Brazos. In flve years, with the bounty which Germany kept on till she now makes $60,000,000 worth of sugar annually - I say in five years this sugar would have taken 2,000,000 bales of cotton out of our way and put $50,000,000 worth of sugar iu its place. Think of it, we southerners have cut off the deinand for cotton a million bales in the nortli and increased our product 2,000,000 bales in the south." "What made you do it?" I asked. "Oh, politics. Dog-on silly, idiotie politics. We thought we must back the Democratie party, and now they've swamped themselves in the north and made paupers of us in the south." "And what do you propose to do?" "Why let us put the wool tariff back and let our cheap cotton take the place of Asiatic wool, and then put the sugar bounty on again and send sugar into the cotton fields. Editorials in the papers and prayers in the churches won't save us now. We must quit politics and use our brains !" Southern planters are now trying to combine and reduce wages to 50 cents a day for men and 40 cents for women ; -dire necessity driving them to this best measure. But Judge Hunt's plain talk shows "the solid south" is in danger. What will the Democratie party do without that solid ally and ruler? lts case is bad. Let Republicana in congress and out be active and wise, and give it rope enough, that all may be glad in 1890 to see how it has hung itself. Tae demócrata nonihiated the followieg (ticket Thursilay at their convention. in Sagtnaw : For associate jusïLce ot tiie suprerne court, the present lncumlcnt Judgo J. W. McGrath ; for regaats of the Umiversky, Judge C. J. J'ailtlioi]), of Petoetoey, and Hon. Stratton D. Brooks, of Mt. rieasant. The people of the state, especially the stnte militia, and the mcmbers of G. A. II., vrill be shocködto leari of the doath of Gen. Chas. L. Eaton, at Detroit Wednesday. Hé was attemding the funeral of Green Pack, and just as the bemedicüon was pronounced, he dropped dead with a stroke oí :ipoplexy. Gen. Katon wa known all over the i;tate, and liad Iriends w!hrevier known. Ilis death will causo a ïeeling of sorrow from one end of Michigan ito thO other. 'Ilie commisslon appoiated by the democratie leïlslature of Tennessee is now going tlirough the farce of pretendiing to decide the gubernatorial contest in that state. They are almost certain to gi-O the place to the democratie incumbent, vven though, on the face of the returns, the republican candidate was elected. The task of breaking tlio Dolid south is a difficult one, but it will bo acconiplished in good time.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier