The foreign market for our cotton is. I am led to believe. fast diminishing. At the present time the cotton planters of the Southland are forced to compete with the cheaperproduced cotton of the Asiatics. This type of competition does not permit of the cotton planters of the South getting a fair price for their product. I am as much opposed to having the cotton planters of our country forced to compete with the intolerable nearslave conditions of the Asiatic countries as I am in having the industrial workers of New England forced to compete with the coolie labor of the Orient. One of the great outlets for our cotton is Japan. It is to be expected that Japan will be one of the foreign nations with which we will be expected to enter into reciprocal trade relations. The one great ambition of Japan is the eliminaI tion on our part of the Asiatic Exclusion Act. The setting aside or. at least. the modification of that act will be demanded by Japan before she will agree to enter into any reciprocal trade treaty with us. This is not an idle dream. as those who read the Washington MerryGoRound may have noticed in the Washington Herald of Tuesdayyesterdaythat Secretary of State Hull is credited with already arranging to ask for the repeal of the Asiatic Exclusion Act. Is it possible that the people of the Southland will tolerate such a surrender on our part even though It were possible to dump some of our surplus cotton in that country? To my mind. the Congress of the United States. in fairness to the people of the South. realizing that the great basic product of the Southern States is cotton and. further. that we must have an export market for that one great commodity. should make it possible for the cotton planters of the South to secure a decent return for their product.
Identified stereotypes
Asiatics are described as having 'intolerable near-slave conditions'.