Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1891-10-01

on the recent threatened strike by the
colored cotton pickers of the south. The
article is headed "A Great Mistake" aud
is as follows: "We see from the National
Alliance, organ of the colored Farmers
Alliance of the United States, that K. nj.
Tumphries, General superintendent, has
perfected arrangements for general
strike Of the colored cotton pickers
throughout the South. to go into effect
on the 18th OF this month, which was last
Saturday He advises them to go about
it peacefully and stand firm until their
demand is granted They want ~ per
hundred for all cotton they pick. We
think this a great mistake on the pnyt
of our colored friends at this time.
With cotton selling at ana
cents there is absolutely no croft in It.
So even so cents per hundred is big
price, fully equal to the price OF the
cotton. An additional 80 cents per
hundred means 81. so added to the cost
of raising the cotton. after it is ginned.
II lint cotton was selling at 10 cents our
farmers would Just be where they now
are after adding the extra 81 90 to the
cost of raising and picking. The white
farmers of the South are the best friends
| the colored people have. Some OF them
| have not treated them as they should,
but generally speaking the negroes have
| prospered where the whites nave pros
| pered The negro farmer and the white
| farmer are both on the same platform
today. They are suffering from the
same cause and the movement now on
foot is not calculated to remedy the
evils. 1t is the duty OF our white Alli-
ance people to see that our colored farm
ers have an equal chance in life. But III
taking this step the colored Alliancemen
! attempt to better their conditions
at the expense of their white brethren.
| Reforms should not be in the interest OF
one portion of our farmers at the expense
of another If both white and colored
| farmers can better their condition at the
same time, then the country will be bet
ter for all classes. But for either color
| to benefit themselves at the expense Of
| the other, is simply family throat cut
I ting business Ii our white and colored
farmers can, by united effort, remedy
| our financial system, ge. better prices for
| the products we raise, raise the price of
farm labor, then all will have an equal
chance to succeed. But rs we see this
cotton pickers' strike, it is direct blow
at farm owners which will cost great
deal and mount to nothing in the end
| One thing is certain. Our farmers can
not afford to pay 81 per hundred for
cotton picking. Another thing is
! certain: Unless both white and black
work together to secure general and
equal relief, nothing good will come out.
of it. Wet think that after proper con
sideration the colored nlliancemen will
see that they are taking an improper and;
suicidal step in demanding thing i'm
| possible, and that they will reconsider
the plan for general strike. We pro-
TESS to know as much alb out the situation
and about cotton as superintendent
HUMPHREYS, and we do not hesitate to
advise our farmers to leave their cotton
in the fields rather than pay more than
so cents per hundred to have it picked.
The spectators are mainly responsible
for the low price of cotton and so is our
financial system. Strike at the root of
the disease rather than at the top, for
this movement is simply blow at the.
top.