St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-09-28
The Cotton Crop and the Supply
of Cotton Bagging.
An Address to the Order at Large by
c. w. Macune, President of the Ma
tional Farmers Alliance and Co.
operative Union of America.

There is great necessity just at this time
for a thorough understanding on the part
of every cotton grower of the exact plans
and methods of the Alliance for wrapping,
handling and selling the crop now about
to be place on the market. Every mem
Der of the Alliance and Union in the cotton
growing States is pledged by the action
taken at the last session of the National
body to cooperate in selling the crop, and
they are expected to carry out such obll-
cation by holding themselves in readiness
to obey the instructions of the National
cotton committee at moments notice
This shows the necessity of perfect I'M
derstanding and the Importance of complete
harmony of action.
1t is no secret in commercial circles that
the markets Of the world have not for
several years been so poorly stocked with
| manufactured cotton goods at this season
of the year, and it is also known that the
mills are in possession of very little cotton
| from which to manufacture. The stock
of cotton on the markets at the various
| ports is generally of the less desirable
| grades and styles. New York, for exam
| pie, is said to have ten or fifteen thousand
bales of cotton of such an inferior quality
| that no person desires it, and it is kept
| there as menace to the future dealer who
would attempt to exact delivery on pur-
chase of futures The visible supply of
| last years crop is reported about 300, 600
bales short of two yearsssgo, but when the
character of the supply and the certainty
| of a greater demand of the mills is taken
into consideration. the deficiency, it is fair
to conclude, is at least double that amount,
or 600 600 bales The crop is not as large
as has been reported. Besides the worms
in some sections, they have had too much
rain in many places east of the Mississippi.
In Texas the crop, reported at 1000, 600,
will scarcely reach 500 600 bales, on &C
count of excessive rains damaging cotton
in the bottoms in places, followed by
drought in sections. Altogether the out
look for total crop is no better than at this
time in 1887.
The farmers of this country will soon
have in their possession about six millions
of bales of cotton, which, if they received
pay for the labor expended in proportion
to that received by teachers, DOCTORS law
yers merchants, insurance men and bank
ers, will have cost them about 50 cents
per pound but if they only receive pay
for their labor at the same rates paid such
skilled labor as carpenters and other
tradesmen their cotton would probably
cost them 20 cents per pound, or $500 per
bale, making the six million bales worth
$500, 900 900. Of course no such price can
be realized 1t is simply cited as no more
than just, if it could be obtained. But
the world demands this six million bales
of cotton for immediate consumption, and
must have it. That is to say, the mills
must, at the lowest estimate, have five
I Il. l~oIa
month for the next twelve months There
are two ways in which the cotton growers
may turn it over to the consumer
First, make all the haste possible to
dump the whole pile into the hands of the
spectators before it goes up las it always
does later in the SEASON., and thereby en-
able such spectators to dribble it out to
the mills at the rate of five hundred thou
sand bales per month at an advance OF
from 81 to SIS per bale, or say probable
average of So per bale, or $4S, 1000, 600 on
the lot.
Second, having developed short inter-
) est, keep it short throughout the year by
selling each month what the mills will
actually need, and that course secure
to the farmer thsst $49, 900, 900, even if nc
higher prices ensued than the spectators
would have made Surely the latter plan
: must commend itself to the planter.
1t was estimated by high authority
several years ago lin 1889 that the de-
mand of the world actually required
1000, 900 bales of cotton every year. Now
if the increased demand be only 10 pei
cent, the demand would be 7 roo 900 bales
{ while this crop is only 6,90O,00O, leaving
a deficiency of 9O0 900 bales.
In view of all this II is evidently greatly
, to the interest of the cotton-grawer to be in
no hurry to sell his cotton This is veal
in which all can well afford to wait fol-
and govern themselves by the instructions
from the cotton committee, which has The
matter in charge. Why this undue haste
, to get the first cotton wrapped and sold a:
soon as possible2 Such a course is evi.
IDENTIFY to the interest of some one, but no
to that of the planter. Some men seem tx
deem it very important tlat they get bag
: eipg at once and sell their cotton. There
are two classes of men who are delighted
to see this sentiment and who are inter.
ested in encouraging it, and these are
first, he iute men, who desire any thing tt
beat cotton bagging, and use this as
. prize to induce some men to use burlap O.
Dundee cloth ; and second, the cotton mel
: who have sold the cotton short and mus
have cotton to fill their contracts. Thes
, two classes are deeply interested in any
i thing that will induce the planter to sci
5 at once. The cotton man who has solt
t short wants to fill before the rise, and tn
jute man wants to crowd the farmer t.
f sell before he can get cotton bagging
s There is another class of men who ar
. terribly frightened lest the farmer will no
3 sell his cotton in time to pay hismerchan
| early enough for the merchant to meet hi
| maturing obligations on time, and, as
s consequence, they claim that any delay il
: selling on the part of the farmers vii
bankrupt all the merchants in the coun
! try. They forget that the farmer has TO
several years been accommodating tn
I merchant by turning his cotton loose a
soon as gathered, regardless of price, unit
: now the stomach argument is compellin.
/ him to look after his own financial inter
ests, and for once to be just before he i
SO generous. Be just to himself, his wife
and his children before being generous t.
t the poor merchant. The merchant who i
5 a friend to him will be glad to assist hin
to hold until such time as he can get tn
i best price, and will not join in with hi
4 enemies and try to make him surrender t.
. the jute man and the gambler in futures
] It will probably be best for the cotton
I grower if he were irrevocably pledged T.
t use cotton bagging and the mills made it s.
. slowly that it would require till August
: 1890, to make enough to cover the crops
: But such is not the case. The mills hav
3 the capacity to make enough to cover tn
i crop by February, and it is not likely tina
$ members of the order will market near al
r the crop by that time. :
$ The National cotton committee vii
meet in the city Of Atlanta, Ga, on tn
t 2Sth of August, and Immediately there
s ~, ,ubo1a ordAe ill ha anDfisod a