The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-09-06
THE COTTON BAGGING TRUST.
What the Farmers of Georgin are Going
to Do to Help Themselves.
From, the Atlanta Conssit,.tio,

N1iAt tuS dElA6Eb u 06UESth oRO 0OAH6
to Do to Help Themselves.
From the Atlanta Constitution.
Now is the time for the Farmers ALI.
ance to take stand.
The producers of Georgia never had
better opportunity to assert their man
hood.
The great question is, shall the men
who make the cotton consult their own
interest in baling it for market, or shall
they bind the Aeecy stable at the dicta'
tion of others-to their interest?
Do the farmers of Georgia propose to
be bullied into buying bagging at extor.
tionate rates to please grasping and
unscrupulous trust, or will they exercise
the glorious privilege of baling their own
property to suit themselves?
Who make the cotton, anyhow, the
bagging trusts or the middle men or the
factories
None of them.
The farmers do the work, and surely
they have the right to market it just as
they please.
One thing is certain. The world is
compelled to have cotton. The middle
men and factories are obliged to handle
it or quit that line of business.
It is equally true that they can't get it
unless they buy it from the farmers.
Now suppose the farmers of Georgia
should unite in the resolution to bale
their cotton with cotton cloth instead of
bagging, because it is cheaper, what
would the insurance men and the middle
men and the factories do?
Why, they would simply come to taw-
that's all.
And if the farmers of the Southern
States should band themselves together
on this line, what effect would it have
upon the Bagging Trust?
They would be met by the Farmers
Trust
The price of bagging would drop like
shot from tower or the trust would
burst.
The Farmers Alliance are on top in
this matter, and they will stay there too.
1.-THE Farmers Alliance" said Comp
troller General Wright yesterday, "have
the power to do a lasting service to every
producer in the State. Now is time
for them to put their great power to a
good use, and they should not allow
themselves to be beaten down by bagging
trusts, insurance companies or anybody
else. tits all folly 70 say that bagging
is the only thing to bale cotton with.
When farmer, I used burlsps and found
it to be just as good, and it's great deal
cheaper. Cotton cloth will serve the
purpose just as we'll. It is strong enough
and is far less infammable than bagging.
Why, then, should insurance companies
object to it2 Why, sea island cotton is
put up in common bags, and notice
that it finds a ready market. The far
mers of Georgia will not allow them
selves to be robbed by a trust. They
should hold their cotton, if necessary,
until it rots rather than submit to such
an outrage"
The Hon. Timothy Furlow, who was
sitting near, stated that fifty years ago
cotton was done up in cotton cloths and
sacks. and the world was glad enough to
get it in almost any shape. The world
needs even more of it now than then, and
if the farmers stand together it will be
just IS glad to get it. The middle men
and factors are compelled to have the
cotton, and if the farmers should decide
to hold it back, the effect upon the men
who handle cotton would be disastrous.
He agreed with Comptroller General
Wright, and expressed the opinion that
cotton baled in cotton cloth with iron
hoops was good enough way to bring it
to market.
ri was indignant" said Mr..R J. Red.
/ ding, "when l read that headline in the
Constitution, Insurance men settle it, I
was Indignant to think that now that the
farmers are working out of the net woven
by the Bagging Trust to find that the in.
surance men we're acting as if cotton was
made to be insured. The influence and
power indicated by that headline sug.
j, gests that we already have an Insurance
. Trust to fix prices, to dictate to planters
how they shall fix up their cotton. The
objections of insurance men are, learn,
that the cotton is likely to be torn by
hooks That suggests inquiry as to
whether cotton was made to be hooked.
Much ofit,.I admit, has been hooked in
more ways than one. 1t seems that if ne
can satisfy ware house men as to hooks,
We certainly ought to be able to satisfy
insurance men. In reply to the point
that hooks will tear cotton bales, it may
be stated that the first hook made was the
Linman brand, with FIVE prongs. In
reply to the suggestion that cotton is
more exposed in cotton bagging, it can
be said that there is no fur or lint, as in
other bagging. The conclusion I have
reached is that farmers should use cotton
cloth to cover cotton, and that insurance
men, ware house men and shippers
should unite to remove obstacles in the
way of using cotton bagging instead OF
opposing the use Of it. Insurance men
ordinarily accept property and charge
increased rate according to risk. Why
not do the same with cotton bagging, il
necessary The farmer has always lost
all that tare in cotton amounts to. Cot.
ton is tared in Liverpool twenty pounds
to the bale, aud the Liverpool price is
based on reduction made all the way
back to the farmer. The loss to the far.
mer is the price of bagging and ties less
It's value as JunR. 1ne conclusion IL tne
greater the cost of bagging and ties to
the farmer the greater will be his loss.
Zone great advantage gained by the
farmer in the use of cotton bagging
would be the new use of cotton, by with.
drawing from the present consumption
five pounds for every bale made, which is
/ per cent of the entire crop. 1t would
give additional employment to Southern
mills. Cotton cloth can be made practi.
cally non combustible by dipping it in
alum water. The cotton cloth will cost
less than the present bagging.
The way for newspapers, merchants or
factories to benefit farmers is to work for
farmers, to quit importing India iute and
use the very material ITSELF This change
would do no greater reform than the
change from round bales packed with
| crowbar to square bales packed with q
| press, or substituting iron ties for ropes.
81 would not advise farmers who are
| in debt to hold back their cotton, for this
would be Furnishing those who have
extended them credit, instead of those in
the Bagging Trust"
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