The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-03-31
GEORGE on COTTON.
Alabama's Senior Ss1ator Addresses
Cotton Hdsers.
Result of the Work M.ths e. s.. SEN.
ate ARriculturatpomm

ate ARricolturak Hommittee.
WASHINGTON, d. OI&1Ec Seaate, in
April, 1892, passed al goiutiohsin.truct-
ing its committee on 6bltut1Fto make
an investigation with tiew of ascer-
tanning the cause OF d6pfession in
agricultural productS&5 &5sting at that
time. Senator James atorgc, OF Miss,
issippi, was made cha 40 Of the sub
committee to invest Stes cotton. Al
fred d. Shcppcrso1 WI mtdc secret,r5
Of Senator George's Eopt1'it' co. The
scope of the investigatf IS very broad,
aud covevs the matter VI cotton produc-i.
tion aud consumpti y every country,
with the cost of production, possibilities
Of extension of Gu turcf etc.
The work OF scnstor Georges COM
mittee will be completed by the next
meeting Of Congress on account of the
inn tancc Of the m1fser under CO.'S der
alton to cotton plantsF and the people
of the Soath, tosGcorgc, chairman
Of the committee otSFicultur.: urdgr the
n W organization of he Senate was re-
que tc. to pr, pare tIj Following for pub
lication: IT, y ramQ importance c,lls
for the widest publi3&.
ITO the Cotton For&rs of the Uni'ed
States: IL
"In discharge of ~ duty imposed by
the Unit 4 States Sc5htc OH the commit
tee on a.riculturc, iuve tisatc the
causes of the low pri& of CO ton and the
rene iy, have m uie1ome Investigations
which, tn ugh as ye4ncompletc, au'hor-
iz. me to sta'c the f6vbwing conclusion:
..'Phcrs are calsns fsr this low pric,, ,
coming from lcgtslaf1ep now in force;
and there arc 9th t,Vtscs coming from
nccdful legislation yd Ito be enacted. 1t
is certain, however, 5thas these cau.es
cannot be rcmcdied iSaimc to aff ct the
prics-of the crop no hbout to DC plant.
cd, cycn. indeed, il their force can bc
substantially diminished. TIL, cotton
farmers must thcroiorc for the present
resort to such remedids}or pal ia ives for
low pric, rs may c5ns ON their own
action, in6cpcndcnt o@cgislation.
"Thc last crop (1S9H '93) has brought
higher price than q preceding one.
This resulted from tll5 fa that it wa
much smaller. The Brce would have,
been higher if therah not bccn a large
surplus over the nccd$N consumption.
coming from the vsry34se crop Of the
preceding year (1s9ts4D.
The natural rise iI,yices Of the crop
NV b, ing ma,kctcd has been largely
impcded by the g: cst ike among tho
op rativcs in the cottdh fnct ories Of Eng
land. IL this s.S ssass seSs Sass tiop
ped work. The effect Of this st, ike, up
to this date, has been to decrease the
amount consumed 10y the British factories
since September 1st, 525, 900 bales and is
likely to amount in the near future to
more than 900, ,0G0.
.Iu addi ion, this decrease in the dc.
mand has by tn, ccrtsil laws Of trade
diminished the pric', or, which is the
same thing, prevented the full Iise which
would otherwise have come from the
small crop. American tpinucrs carried
over from last season an unusually large
stock Of cotton, having bought heavily at
the low prices prevailing iS the spring
and summer; aud, whit doing an ex.
ceptionaliy good business, they have
taken, so far, 35), 900 bales less than for
the same period curing last season.
This, als', increased the surplus.
"The prospects of another large crop
coming from an increased acrease,if that
should happen, would not only be an
effcctual bar to any rise in the price, but
that now the cotton raisers of the South
for solution: Shall we, by increased
acreage in the crop now ing planted,
as com pared with the acreage of the last
season, raise q crop Of 5000, 600 or 10,-
600, 900 bales and thereby glut the mar
kets of the world, causing fall to the
low prizes of 1891 90 and perhaps even
lower, or will we, by reducing the acre.
age to the extent necessary to raise all
our food aud forage crops and work an-
imnls. especially our meat, corn, hors s
and mules, increase the price of our cot.
ton crop, and a. the same time diminish
the uses of the proceeds of the crop by
larger reduction in the amount hereto
fore applied to buy Necessary supplies2
"There can be but one answer to this
question In the minds of thoughtful
men. II it be said that among so numer-
Gus class as cotton raisers it will be
impossible to get up an agreement which
will result in combined sctiol to plant
reduced acreage in cotton, and II this be
conceded, then the situation appeals with
still stronger force to each individual
farmer to decrease his own crop to the
extent needful to raise his supplies. For
in case there shalt not be such diminu-
tion in the acreage rs to affect materially
the price, so that the next crop is to be
. low-priced one, the advantage to him
who has wisely raised his own supplies
will he clear and manifest He will not
have to buy high priced supplies with
the scant proceeds of low-priced cotton.
These proceed is will then be, in the main,
surplus or nearly so.
"On the other hand, II there shall be
such general movement in the direction
of raising crop so much smaller as to
raise the price, then all who contributes
to IL in the manner herein indicated will
enjoy this increased price as the result
OF their own wise action, aud at the
same time bc exempt from expenditures
for supplies which they have so raised.
"After much reflection upon data col
lected from oil the countries adapted to
raising cotton, am satisfied Of this pain
full truth: That re arc never, at least
In this generation, to have generally the
high prices for cotton we once had. Cot
ton will never, except in 'cxceptlona cases.