The Russellville Democrat., 1893-03-16
TIE COTTON CONVENTION.
The Staple No Longer King in the
 State of Arkansas.
Planters meet in Little Rock and Rec omniend Reduction in Cot
 ton Acreage.

Planters meet in Little Rock and hec-
 0mnend Reduction in Cot
 ton Acreage.
 In response to the call issued sev eral weeks ago by the then Commiss sioner of Agriculture, Geo. M. Chap .laine, delegates from twenty nine counties of the State met in conyen- tion in Little Rock Friday last, and organized by the election of F w.. Rroadnax of Ouachita county chair man and John ". Howell of John son secretary.
 LOW ACREAGE ADVISED.
 The following resolution offered by Mr Chaplaine, was adopted
 Whereas, The experiences of the last decade, and in particular the last three years, have shown con clusively that, with an increase in the aggregate amount of the cotton crop, there has also been cores bonding decrease in the price of the staple; and,
 Whereas, The increase in the acreage devoted to the production of cotton raising has worked propor- tionate decrease in the acreage of cereals and bread and feedstuffs, detrimental to the prosperity and well being of the south; and,
 Whereas, The production of an S,000,000 bale cotton crop in the south, is at present greatly in ex- cess of commercial demand of this staple and lowers the price of cot ton to figures for which it cannot be produced; and,
 Whereas, It is conclusive that when the price of cotton is less than it costs to produce it, financial dis aster and probable bankruptcy must be the result, therefore, be it resoly- ed.
 That, we, the representatives of cotton producing counties in the State of Arkansas, in convention as sembled recommend that this con vention do proceed to organize as a permanent organization to be known as the sCotton Growers and Mer- chants Association
 That we recommend that said or ganization shall consist of one presi- dent. three vice-presidents, as lst, 2d, and 3d, and secretary and treasurer,
 That we recommend that there be local organizations of this associa- tion organized in every cotton grow ing county and that the said local organization shall, when possible, cooperate with any farmers organi- zation now existing.
 That, we recommend reduction in the acreage of cotton for the year 1893, to such an extent that by a corresponding increase of the acre age in grains, grasses and cereals, sufficient produce might be raised in the country to feed the men and an- imals necessary for the cultivation of cotton and the independence of the farmer or planter.
 That extraordinary effort besmade to especially produce an abundance of corn, meat, hay, peas, oats and other necessaries for the planters use.
 That we appoint a sufficient mum Der of delegates to the Interstate Cotton Growers Convention to rep resent Arkansas in this matter and to take action looking toward q hearty cooperation of all the cotton growing States for the end of reduc ing the cotton acreage to an extenC equal and not in excess of the de mand, so as to keep the price of cot ton to figure at which profit may be realized.
 AN EXCHANGE MEMoRIALIzED.
 The following resolution, offered by Mir. Phelps, provoked considera be discussion. Mr. Sanders of Law renee, spoke for it's adoption; so did Messrs. Bennett ofSaline, and w. H. Eagle, of Lonoke. Maj. H. L. Fetch CT opposed that part of the resolu tion about future dealing, and du ring his remarks gave the dead Hatch bill a vigorous kick. He moved to strike out the objectionable clause. The motion was lost and the resolution adopted. The resolution:
 Whereas, The past three years experience has proven beyond con troyersy that the production of cot ton in the Southern States, owing to unrenumeratiye values, has brought to the South, and espec- ially her farmers; and,
 Whereas, This convention off farmers, after due consideration of the causes thereof, is led to believe from controversies upon this sub ject, and from resolutions passed by cotton exchanges of Galyestion, Tex, Charleston, $. C., and St. Louis, Mo, that the low values are largely at to the uncommercial, un- fair and unjust methods of the pres ent contract system Of delivery of cotton, in selling said contracts on a basis of middling," thus making lottery deals instead of commercial | by not defining in said contracts what the seller is to de- liver and what the buyer shall re- ,ieve, and thus giving the sellers or bears" the advantage of giving to sald buyers any and all kinds of cotton on said contracts, which has 'orced values of contracts below the 'alue of spots, as has been shown at he end of each current month in the differences between the values of 'aid contracts and spot cotton, prov ng to all men that said contracts, Inder present methods, are depreci- ting raw material;
 Resolved, That we, the farmers md their representatives, in conven-