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Show chandise balance of trade in our faTor in 1898 was $302,944,342." But even should, against all ealculSttious, Mr. Harrison be defeated and Mr. Cleveland become the president of the United States for the ensuing four years, there is no possible chance for the disturbance of the McKinley bill, for that bill has come to stay and it attempted disturbance by the Democrats is to one who observes political work closely a theory and not a fact. There is not Democrat in ten in this country who believes ia free trade. The average American politician loves to hear himself talk, in order that he may have something to talk about, but be Is also, as a rule, a good business man and knows when he is well oft. During the last session of congress aa attempt was made to revise the McK inley bill and, at the rate of time progress was made, it would have taken 800 years to have undone the work of William Wil-liam McKinley, jr. The senate is Hepublican and is likely to stay so for years, and, as long as is the case, you need never fear that the Mi Kinley bill will be disturbed. dis-turbed. Answering your question in regard to the cotton cot-ton crop, I ti to say that the report ending August Au-gust 81, 1S9.I, giv ei the lumber bales at 9,035,879. An average increaee is noted in the different states, particularly in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas. North Carolina gained &,4u0 bales, South Carolina gained 21,000 bales, Georgia gained 14,5J0 bales aud Texas j gained 22,,00 bales. Owing to the exceedingly low j cost of raw material an impetus has been given to cotton spinning never before known in this country. The increaee in southern mills is, according to statistics, as follows: Oa a basis of percentage it was 13.5 per ceut over last year and '25 per cent over two years ago. From S3 mills at the close of 1890, the total, including new, ld and idle, has increased to 856 mills, and today there are 350 mills in operation, against 270 at the close of August, 18, and 237 at the tame period in 1851. The nnmber of spindles in operation is now l,9?,e0, an increase for the past season of 174,-970, 174,-970, and a total gain since September, 1S90, of 833,439 spindles. Fully realizing the deep interest yon take la these questions, it is, after all, but a secondary issue when compared with the great silver problem prob-lem which confronts the entire civilized and semi-civilized world and no one can tell how or when it will terminate. In our own country, neither political party dare undertake the solution of the question. In your country, Gladstone has already declared against it. Judging from taese two conclusions, the monetary mon-etary conference will prove a farce. In the meantime mean-time ocr mines are shutting down and, in Colorado Col-orado alone, 6000 miners quit work In a single week. These men will have to Cnd work in different differ-ent directions aud, whether E crope will be benefited ben-efited by the closing down of our silver mines and by compelling thee men to seek work in other channels, remains a question open for debate. The greed of the mo ney-sh?rk is at the bottom of it all, and when problems become so complicated compli-cated thst legislation cannot soUe them, the people peo-ple are at last compelled to rise and, by mighty stroke they'll cut the Gordian knot, which now defies all legislative statecraft. Fked Simox. TARIFF, COTTON AND SILVER. There never was a time when the British merchant aud manufacturer watched American politics with keener interest than now. American statesmanship states-manship has become a subject of international inter-national moment. The future policy of the United States, in its dealings with the tariff and the currency, is almost as vital a concern in England as in the United States. A business man of Manchester, England, Eng-land, recently wrote Fred Simon of this city in regard to the probable future of the tariff and silver questions and the development of the cotton interests. Mr. Simon's reply is of general interest and we quote it here for the benefit of the public: Otcar H. Bekrtru, Keq., care of Ifesert. Lou it Behrtn A Sou, 131 Portland street, Man-ehetter, Man-ehetter, England. Dsar 8m: "So I give to your reverence, to help pass the time, Three questions to answer, in prosa or in rhyme. Of bishops In knowledge, they say you are peer, So learned, that almost tha grass grow you hear." When I first read yonr kind and pleasing letter of the 6th of July, which was forwarded to me to New York City, Involuntarily, the above lines, from an old German poem, came back to memory and I concluded that by the letter written to you on the tilver question, I had, to use an American pum, rut ray ioot mio u, as you unaoumeaiy took me for a man of wit and knowledge by propounding pro-pounding these weighty questions contained in your letter to me, and, knowing this not to be the case, "For I have neither wit, nor words nor worth, but am, as all here know, a plain, blunt man, who speaks right out." j And, In the same perplexity in which the abbot found himself, with the three questions propounded, pro-pounded, and who, finally, through the aid of his shepherd, was able to extricate himself; so have I cast about for a shepherd to help me and, l y ge.t.ng some information here anufome information informa-tion there, corresponding wilh the secretary of the cotton exchange of New York and with the secretary of the cotton exchnnge of New Orleans, watching the political horizon closely in the meantime, 1 feel at lirt in a position to attempt to answer yoa; but I would beg of you to simply take these answers for what they maybe worth, nor lay too much etress npon them, an, even ti er close investigation, we may y t be mistaken, and 1 would not like to be the cause of leading you astray in any calculations you may see fit to make. From all prerent indications It is more than likely that Mr. Harrison will be elected for a second sec-ond term. The eilsct of the McKinley bill have exceeded the m st sanguine expectations. Export and Import trade has steadily Increased, agriculture agri-culture has been mora profitable than for mucy years past, manufactures and commerce have nourished, the trade with South America has almost trebled, the wages of the workinman have been increased, ani in all directions are indication that tho McKinley hill has been the wisest legislation whih our country has euacted in a law for many years. From static tics gathered, the following increase in buciness may be noted, and as they are tttken in a cond -nsed form from the lctie.- of acceptance of President Harrison, whose authority for the correctness cor-rectness of the ng!irM cannot be questioned, I hope that the suae may be of nsa to you in more than one direction: "Taking all the conntries which accepted the reciprocity offer made by that act, our trade to June 80, increased 23.73 per cent. With Brazil toe increase was nearly 11 per ct-nt, with I Cuba E4 8, and with Pr rto Rico 84 Der cent. Dur- j Ing the firut half of 1892 Spain sent less than 1000 bags of flour to Cuba, while the Vnitsd States st-nt to Havana alone V.S, 187 lain and about as much more to other pcrts on the island. Our export products to Germany increased g.Oo.Wl. American coal went to Cuba to the extent of 150,000 tons, wher formerly there had been no market at all for it. "Uudir the new tariff law there has been an average av-erage advance in wagf-s of .75 of cno per cent. There has bei n an advance In thi price of all farm products of 1S.S7 percent, and of all cereal of S3. 80 per cer.t In New York, as the report cf th Democratic labor comm ssloncr xhows, the aggregate aggre-gate sum paid in wages has increased .6,377,375.00 and the production 31,315, 130.00 over the previous previ-ous year. "During the last fiscal year, there was produced in the United States 18,240,83.) pounds of tin plate, and a comparison of the first quarter, SSi, pounds, with the last quarter, 8,000,000 pounds, shows tie development of the industry. Tho treasury expert estimates that at the end of the year our production of tin-plafe will be 200,000,'XX) pounds. "The anneal value of our foreign commerce has increased more than $ 100,00 ),000 over the average of the prr-caui-.ig ten yare, and more than $-U,-OJO.OOJ over 110, the last year unaffected by the new tariff. Onr exports in 1SJ exceeded those of 1S9J by more than $172,0)0,000, and the average by ten years by $383,000,000. Oar exports of breadstuff s increased over those on 1890 by m re than $144,000,000, of provisions over $4,000,000, and of manufactures over $8,000,000. The mer-j |