The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-31
THE ALLIANCE IN soHIvEN.
The Farmers There Making Fight on
the Tagging Question.

"Scriven is a strong alliance county,
a Scriven county man said yesterday. "She
is pulling with the rest of them" he added,
and if anything is to be gained by the com
nination, the farmers will get it. They are
entering into the movement with remark
able zeal, and Scriven is keeping up her
endn The gentleman alluded 10 the policy
of the alliance on the bagging question. He
said that the alliance farmers will
not patronize gin or a
| mill where the operators are
allowed to pack cotton in jute bagging, or
where they are informed that the owner of
the gin keeps jute bagging for sale. They
are experiencing some difficulty, too, in
| getting the amount of cotton bagging they
want. Many farmers have a good deal Of
cotton already picked, but they are unable
TO get it packed, and on the market. The
cotton bagglng supply is away below the
/ demand at present. 1t IS thought, however,
| that the supply will increase pretty soon, or,
at any rate, that is the impression Of the
/ farmers, and they are holding back on that
account.
"Will none of the farmers use the jute
baggingl"
They use the cotton bagging to a man.
/ This is the case with every alliance man,
and those farmers not members of the
| alliance, who would use the jute bagging,
| cannot do so, for the reason that if the gin
ners pack their cotton in jute, the alliance
| men will boycott the gin, and it is through
business for the season.
HAS the boycott been used yetp
Eyes. Several ginners supposed that the
alliance would weaken after awhile ard use
the jute bagging, and they began to pack
in jute, but they soon changed their minds
when, upon ginning the crops of a half
dozen farmers, they found that they were
through for the season. The Scriyen man
went on to say that he had understood
that the farmers at Sylvania and in the
| section about there had bovcotted
the steamers Katie and Advance He said
| that The owner of the boats, Mr. Lawton of
South Carolina, large planter, and also
proprietor of store on the river, has been
using the jute bagging, and keeps a heavy
supply of it on hand all the time. The
| farmers have endeavored to get him
to use the cotton bagging and
keep it on hand, but have been
unsuccessful, and they have formed a com
bine against the river line of boats and will
not snip anything more to Savannah, nor
will they allow anything shipped to them
bv the boats. He added that the amount
of business done by the farmers with the
steamers aggregates several thousand dol
| lars annually.
"Do the alliance farmers believe that the
cotton bagging will displace the jute!n
THAT is what the combine means"
"Do they believe the cotton cloth will
answer the purposes that the jute doesP'
"They believe ul imately that it will.
They believe that when manuf 4cturers be-
come convinced that the farmers are
resolved to have a cotton substitute
although possibly at a higher figure, they
will take hold of il aad manufacture cotton
bagging, and the farmers think it car be
made as strong as the jute. In addition to
all this, it will be their own production. 1t
will be material raised by the farmers of
this country, instead of being raised IN a
foreign country. The farmers believe that
If the cotton bagging industry is
fostered III the United States
it will greatly enhance the
price of the poor grades of cotton. Here
tofore, and even now, the poor grades Of
cotton sell for literally nothing There is
no demand for such cotton. If the manu-
featuring of cotton baggIng is engaged in
it will create a demand for the poorer
grades Of cotton. There will be demand
throughout the entire season, and the
farmers will have good markets for their
| stormy cotton, a good deal of which is
now left in the field, for the reason that the
market for it will not warrant its picking,
If the cotton bagging succeeds the farmers
| will be sure of the ready sale of their entire
crop. The market for the good grades will
| be increased, and market will have been
opened for the greater portioni of the low
| grades.
A firm in this city, which has been SUD-
plying the country trade, received an order
for cotton bagging the other day, and in
the absence OF the kind of material askei
! for, they sent out the jute bacging. It was
no sooner received in the country than it
was promptly bundled up and sent back.
There is plenty of jute bagging here now.
| but the cotton bagging is scarce and the
factors are unable to fill the orders which
| they took last spring, and merchant said
| last night that he cannot see that the farm
ers will be able to hold out longer
| IMAM September without the bag
| ging. He has been informed
that many of them have said that they
will let their cotton remain in the fields, or
if it Is picked, they will store it in their
| barns until the factories are able to furnish
| them what they want. They say that they
will not be prepared to meet their obliga-
lions until their cotton is made mercha t.
able. There is a law compelling them,
| however, to meet their obligations for pro-
| visions, supplies, ETC., and il there sho1ld
| be clash between the merchants and the
farmers of this section, it is probable that
much OF the cotton and other farm truck,
| which may be stored in the country will
be seized and sold for the debt. The mer-
chant said, however, that the matter had
| not reached such a status as to warrant the
belief that there will be a clash, and he
hoped that there would be none.
Agent j. G. Medlock, for the Augusta
line OF steamers, was seen about the boy
colt by the Scriven county alliance men,
and he sand he did not think that it
amounted to much. He said that it was
more misunderstanding than anything
else. He said that Mr.. Lswton purchased
supply of jute bagging in the
| spring, when it was cheap, and he
is using it now. He is not member of the
alliance and is not trying to place any
| distractions in their way. He thinks that
he is free to use what kind of bagging he
| chooses, and he said that the decrease IN
the amount of freight transportation from
Savannah up the river is yet perceptible.
He believes that the matter will be amicablv
adjusted when the parties understand each
| other.
RIVER AND HARBOR NOTES.