The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-10-18
Holding Cotton.
Charlotte Observer.

The president of the South Carolina
Farmers Alliance has issued all ad-
dress to the farmers of the State urging
them to hold every bale of cotton they
possibly can without serious harm to
themselves or wrong to their creditors.
He sets forth that the crop is short one
and that if there is anything in the law
of supply and demand prices must go
higher. We sincerely hope that if Mr..
Evans advice is taken it will prove to bo
good advice. It is certainly dangerous
to advise people, whom one can infiu-
ence, about matter 30 vital to them,
when advice given is based upon mere
human judgment and is without the
warrant Of absolute knowledge. 1t will
appear that the cotton crop will be short !;
it would seem that prices would 60 high
er; and yet we should fear to take the
responsibility of advising a farmer to
hold on to his crop, lest the price should
decline or of advising him to sell lest it
should advance. We recall that two or
three years ago the alliance leader in
this State urged the farmers to hold their
cotton and that those who were governed
by his advice lost great deal of money.
It is not given to raany of US to peer far
into the future. One of the leading and
lotte remarked yesterday that talk of a
short crop is heard every year; that it is
founded on no better reasons this year
than it has been heretofore, and thar
prices are as good now as they are likely
to be. We should be sorry To believe
this, vet we know that this is an honest
man, and we do not doubt that the presi-
dent of the South Carolina Alliance is
equally 80, It is the business of the cot
ton buyer to study the conditions and in
tiuences which regulate prices, and there
can be no reasonable Doubt that President
Evans studied them carefully before he
issued his letter, Of the two, whose
judgment as to future prices do we
believe to be the most accurate. That
we are not going to take the responsible
ity ofsaying.
The letter of Mr.. Evans concludes in
this language:
II take the opportunity Of appealing
to the press throughout the cotton States
to help the farmers in their righteous ef-
forts to procure living price for their
cotton before itall gets out of their hands.
I take this opportunity of appealing to
our creditors to do what they can to help
us in this effort to prevent the sacrifice of
our years labor"
This is anappeal which deserves the
most respectful consideration and most
gladly would this paper contribute
Something to the result which the aid
of the press is invoked to help bring
about. A Charlotte business man who
is now in New York, wrote, few days
ago, a letter, part Of which was read
to the Observer yesterday. He said it
is estimated in New York that 81 per
cent. (the figures are amazingly of the
mills of the country are shut down and
they will not resume operations, he is
told, until the repeal bill passes tho SEN
ate or the finances Of the country ere. b.
some other legislation. placed on Safe
basis; that goods are being sacrificed at
whatever price they will bring, and many
of the leading business houses of that city
are hanging on by their eye-lids, and must
inevitably fall unless Congress acts very
early.
There can be no living price for cot
ton with 81 out OF every 100 of the mills
shut down there can be no general
prosperity in the country while New
York, the great financial and CONNER
cial heart of the nation, IS in condl-
ton OF semi-panic. The extremities
cannot be kept warm when the heart
fails to pump blood to them through
tn0 arLo(leS. SeeluS tuo eitua1iou 1noo
the financial, commercial and manufac-
turing interests of the country are in,
and realizing that it is out of the ques-
ton for prosperity to return to any con-
siderable part of our population while
these great agencies in the nations ma
terial welfare are depressed and panic
stricken, we Have needed the call, the
wisdom Of which our judgment SUBJ
scribes, for the repeal Of the Sherman
act, and have joined these great interests
in asking for the application Of what they
with one voice, say is the remedy. They
say this legislation will relieve them
they ought to know. We believe they
do. II it relieves them it will relieve the
farmer, the professional man-all OF us.
So this paper, as an integral part of "the
press throughout the cotton States," had
responded to Mr.. Evans appeal even be-
fore it was made ; and while it may not
be moving upon the line which he would
have dictated, it is pursuing that policy
which its judgment satisfies it will most
assuredly "help the farmers in their
righteous efforts to procure living price
for their cotton before it all goes out of
their hands,"