The southern press., 1851-10-11
$4,000
General convention Of Cotton Planters.
MEETING OF THE COTTON PLANTERS OF LEON
COUNTY, FLORIDA.

MEETING OF THE COTTON PLANTERS OF LEON
COUNTY, FLORIDA.
AT a meeting of planters, convened at the
Courthouse in the city Of Tallahassee, on
Saturday, the 26th ultimo, Col. Robert Butler
was called to the chair, and, after a brief expla,
nation of the objects of the meeting, Col. John
Parkhil, and DR.. G. w. Holland, were appointed
vice presidents, and B. +. Allen requested to act
as secretary.
On motion, committee of FIVE consisting of
James L. Broome, Edward Houstoun, t. X.
Leonard, Richard Hayward, and George Whit.
field, were appointed by the chair to present
business to the meeting.
The committee retired for few moments,
and through their chairman, James f. Broome,
submitted to the meeting the following report
and resolutions:
Your committee have had under consideration
the subject of Cotton Planters convention, and
beg leave to submit the following report:
There is, perhaps, no interest in the world
surrounded with so many difficulties, or subject
to 80 many disasters, as the cotton planting in,
terest The great irregularity in the production
caused by the seasons, and the appearance oil
non-appearaIce OF numerous enemies peculiar
to this plant, produces fluctuations in the price
such as appear to visit no other great interest.
Whether these fluctuations are necessarily incl
dent 10 the production and sale OF this staple,
appears to be a question which has yet engaged
very small share Of tina planters attention
How far the difficulties which surround US are
attributable to over pro 1uction, or to irregular
production, or how far they result from making
our controlling markets too far from our own
gin houses, vr how far remedy for our evils
might be supplied by jndicious concert Of nc
81 nlo nra nj
in which we seem to feel but little concern
These, and many others connected with this
subject, might, as your committee believe, be in
vestigated with great benefit; and such labor
would be peculiarly appropriate to cotton
planters convention.
Having met for the purpose OF considering
the expediency Of calling on our cotton planting
brethren to meet us in convention, it is perhaps
proper that your committee should present the
reasons which induce them to advocate such a
call. These will require, to some extent an ex-
animation of the causes of our difficulties and
the possibility of applying remedy. In this
examination, the first question which presents
itself for our consideration, is the question OF
over-production.
The depressions in price to which we are
forced so often to submit are attributed, gen.
orally, to over-production. To ascertain wheth-
er this has been the cause, aggregates must be
looked to, and not the relative production and
consumption of any single year. For the Pur.
pose of testing this matter, your committee have
gone back as far as the year 1925, and find that
up to the year 1850, the production has not
exceeded the consumption. On this subject
they present the following table, in which is
shown the average annual production and aver.
age consumption of the world, for each period
of five years, from 1875 to 1850.