Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-07
COTTON PICKERS.
Interview With Col. r. M. Hum
phrey at the Head of the
COTTON PlCKERS' LEAGUE.
The Organization Exists Throughout alt the
Southern States.
Memberships Rolling IN NJ the Rate of 5O,-
oco Day, and now Numbers Fully
Eight Hundred ThoUsxnd-Its
Growth in Texas.
Cotton Pickers' League.

| Special to the Gazette.
Houston, Ten. Sept. G.-This being the
| Headquarters Of the colored Farmers ALI
! aLce ny reason Of the residence Of Col. T.
! Nj. Humphrey, its president, who is 4 white
! man and preacher he was sought out to-
/ day Tor the purpose of ascertaining
/ the magnitude of the movement among
the coIored people to organize for higher
! wages for cotton picking. Mr.. Humphries,
| who has just returned from 4 trip through
! the cotton-prOduCing states. told your re-
| porter that the dispatch published to-day
was correct. 50 far as il went, but il did
not state that the organization exists
among the cotton pickers in all
the Southern states. He declared that il
now has a membership of e00oOO. aud
within week il viii be
1900, 900 STRONG.
| The names are rolling in at the rate of
10000 ami $4,000 a day. That such Il move
ment. which Is called the cotton picke.s
league, could have been kept quiet not
10 say secret, so long is the wonder of the
land and will create profound surprise
throughout the South.
when was the movement undertaken? ~
was asked by the reporter
''Ehc first information that had of It was
about July l. The matter did not interest
me, and | thought il was well known.
They placed me at the head of the organiza-
ton, and l have done the best could to
further its interests
What is the leagues memberships
There We're over seven hundred thou
sand names enrolled Saturday night but |
suppose by this time there are fully eight
hundred thousand. II is growing very rap
idly, especially in Texas The league is
strongest IN Mississippi, where the matter
has been talked of more than here
Are only cOlored cotton pIcllerS permitted
to join;'
There are i great many whites as well
As blacks Ia II, but the reports which are
sent to me do not say which of the members
are white or Colored and
CANNOT TELL
the relative Strength ol either race | re-
ceived report from Mississippi yesterday
with u list of 5000 names. but | could not
tel whether any Of the members are white
or not. There is nothing III the league to
prohibit any one who is i cotton picker
from being i member"
"Ha e you issued = secret circular TO the
league. speaking of the Galveston dis
PATCH
have never issued Il secret circular in
my life, and never will. ! abhOr anything
OF that kind, ami there is nothing in the OBJ
iects or aims OF the league to warrant such
action was IN Galveston Saturday, and
while Ill my room AT a hotel | was called
upon by Mr.. Zimmerman. who
ASKED NE MANY QUESTIONS.
/ answered him rs best could aud sup
pose II was lie whom the press agent n
that city interviewed There is no secret
about the league, aud wish THE GAZETTE
would say So''
What are the demands of the cotton
pickers!''
We demand 81 a hundred and board
When will you make your demands
known!'
On the 18th of this month";
How VIII il be done"
Every member of the league will quit
work on that date and remain out of the
fields until their demands are granted by
the planters"
MIR. Humphreys produced a copy of the
National Alliance Published in Houston, of
which he is the editor. II is the organ of
the colored Farmers Alliance and the Cot
ton Pickers' league. In the edition Satlu-
day appears the following proclaua-
ton, which 10 doubt is the
secret circular spoken of in the dispatch
from GalveStOn
THE PROCLAMATION.
OFFICE OF THE COLoRED FARMERS MAJ
Tl0NAL ALLIANCE AND COOPERATIVE
UNION Houston. Ten sept. t, 1891.
To the Members of the Colored Farmers ALI
ance and the Cotton Pickers League, Greet
ing:
Whereas, the planters and spectators are
firm in their demand that you pick at
starvation wages, Us offered by
them. and leave your families 10
suffer the fearful consequences, thus plac-
ing t. your account the present low prices
OF their cotton; and
Whereas. above 100000 picllers have al |
ready bound themselves together in Il sacred |
covenant to pick no cotton for anyone eX- |
cept their own before about November l at
less than 81 per 100 pounds with board and |
Whereas your success depends upon your |
united action, now therefore. l. K. NJ. |
by virtue of authority IN me |
vested, do issue this. my solemn proclama- |
ton, and fixing the
TWELFTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1891,
it being Saturday, as the day upon which |
all our people shall cease from, absolutely |
stop. picking cotton except their own. and |
Shall pick no more until about November
!, unless their just demand for !
wages shall be sooner lccedcd to |
by the planters and others interested For
the fUrtherance of these objects, and that
the greatest good may result 10 each one,
let all leagues and unions:
|. Unite more closely and stand firmly |
together
,. Use all peaceable and lawful means to
secure the sympathy and hearty co-opera-
Ron OF alt pickers in every section.
3. l. any are so mean as TO continue TO
pick and thereby defraud their brethren
and injure their race, mark such and have
no communication with them.
!. Avoid all gatherings in public places
and all insolent displays; show your
selves to be men who seek peace
and desire justice.
Further steps will be taken about October
20, unless recognition of your just demands