The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-03-20
TO Deceive Cotton Growers.

The following communication lron
Hon. Hector D. Lane, Commissioners OF
agriculture of Alabama, and president OF
the American Cotton Growers Protectlve
Association, explains itself. AS will be
seen, he calls the attention Of the cotton
planters to the fact that an effort ls oelng
made to victimize them by the perpetra-
ton of fraud which will induce them to
increase their cotton acreage. The means
to be employed, he shows, is the shreWd
manipulation of prices so that the gradual
rise. which was begun short while ago,
will come at the time the planters are
pitching their crop for the next season,
and thereby induce them to increase,
instead of reduce. the acreage of last year,
In the hope that the temporary increase
of the past few weeks is an indication OF
a permanent betterment in prices.
President Lanes letter, which he gives
to the planters of the South, through tho
Constitution, is as follows:
"ATHENs, ALA, March II, 1S95.-To
the Cotton Growers of the South wish
to call the attention of the cotton growers
to the movement being made by cot
ton mapiputators to deludo them into
the suicidal act of planting again largo
acreage in cotton.
"That uneasiness has been felt in Livor-
pool for some time, in reference to de-
creased acreage, goes without saying. and
had this menace not existed, cotton val
ues would have been even lower than
they have been and now, as the season
is at hand, and the staple is substantially
out of the hands of the farmer, these gen.
tlemen, who have represented the bear
element for 80 many months-while cot
ton was moving in large volumes-noW
resort to this ruse Of running values up
simply as device to induce the farmer
to plant more cotton than possibly he in
tended.
"I warn the farmers of the South that
this rise in the last few days is fictitious
-is the product of conspiracy Of men
to systematically rob the producer OF MS
Legitimate gains.
ssIt is delusion and snare to catch
the unsuspecting cotton grower-to in
veigle him into the tolls of another 3,000,-
600, surplus-so that they can bear down
values lower than last season, with an
increased surplusage on hand.
"Let the people beware It is bait to
catch those who will bite!
s'There is no legitimate reason shown
for this rise in cotton values-the produc-
ton has exceeded the most sanguine e1-
pectations.
"Russiu has placed virtually prohibi-
tive duty on American cotton-so we no
longer expect to sell her 500, 900 bales.
"aThere can be no change made by next
season in the financial laws Of the nation; |;
therefore, where is the legitimate cause
for this rise, if cotton has been selling at
legitimate figures?
ut is simply the same old sspider and
fly, game-a recurrence of the farmer and
the 'bunco steerer,' and am constrained
to exclaim: How long, 0 Lord, how
long?' Is it to be ever thus, that our
people are to be waylaid and robbed of
their meager substance
II deny the proposition, and defy him
who makes it, that any man can produce
cotton, legitimately. for cents, with any
reasonable profit; and I state advisedly
and emphatically. that to-day the South
ern cotton grower-I mean literally the
man who digs the ground; the unfortu-
nate who pulls the bellcord over the
mortgaged mule'-is not realizing IL cents
day for his labor the year round. And
what is to be the fate of the man if cotton
goes down or II cents this fall? which
Is not at all improbable, when we recog-.
nize the conditions that confront US, and
take into consideration the fact that we
our crop this last season and its classifi-
cation was higher than ever known.
hardly any grading less than low mid
ding. Still, 1t averaged less than cents,
and though we may make smaller crop
the ensuing season of 1866, If we have
a rainy or unpropitious gathering season,
cotton, in all probability, will grade
lower, and, msyhap, We will haYe a re-
ourrence of the season of 1881, when we
had a superabundanoe Of the poorer
qualities. We could then expect the
same relative difference in the grades,
which would, of course, result in con-
siderably reduced returns from the whole
crop.
s.I invoke the most earnest attention of
cotton growers to this nefarious scheme,
and address you this letter as a caveat
that you may not be deluded by this
wolf in sleeps clothing,' or, in other
words, this bear in 'bulP clothing.
Yours truly,
"HEcToR D. LANE,
"Pres. American Cotton Growers Pro-
tectiye Association"