The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1895-03-22
WARNING COTTON GROWERS.
A Deceptive Rise i'm the Great Staple
Helping to Increase the Acreage.

| A Deceptive Rise i'm the Great Staple
Helping to Increase the Acreage.
10 the Cotton Growers of the South:
Hon. Hector ID. Lane, president of
the American Cotton Growers Protec-
| tive Association, has issued the follow
ing address:
| wish to call the attention of the
cotton growers to the strategic move
| ;nent being made by cotton manipula-
tors to delude them into the suicidal
act of planting again "a large acreage
IN cotton. That uneasiness has been
felt In Liverpool for some time in re-
ference to decreased acreage goes
without saying, and had this menace
not existed, cotton sales would have
been lower than they have been and
now, rs the end of the season is AT
hand and the staple is substantially out
oil the hands at the farmers, these gen
tlemen who have represented Jhe bear
element Tor SO many months while cot
ton was moving in large volumes, now
resort to the trick of running values
up simply Us "a device to induce the
farmer to plant more cotton than can
possibly be attended to.
| warn the farmers of the South that
the price OF the last few days is iicti-
tious, 1T is the product Of Il conspiracy
to Systematically defraud the pro-
ducers Of their legitimate profits. 1t
is a dciusiOn and snare to catch the
unsuSpcctinS farmer, to invcigle him
into the tolls of another three million
bale surplus so that they can bear down
values lower than last season with all
increased surplus on hand.
Let the people beware: 1t is Il bait
to catch those who will bite. There
Is no legitimate reason shown for this
rise OF values. The production cx-
cecded the most sanguine eXpccta-
tion. Russia has placed virtually
prohibitlvo duty on American cotton,
SO We can no longer expect to sell her
900 bales. There can be no change
made next season in the financial laws
OF the nation. Therefore where is the |
legitimate cause for the rise, if cotton
has been selliug at legitimate figures
1t is simply the old spider and fly
game, Il recurrence of the farmer and |
the bunco steerer,' and | am con-
strained to cXclaim How long, OH |
Lord how long,. Is it to be ever
thus that our people are TO be wayluid |
and robbed Of their mcagrc subsis- |
tcncc?
deny the proposition and defy the |
man who made IL. that any many can |
produce cotton legitimatciy for cents |
with any reasonable profit, and state |
adviscdly and cmphatically that the |
southern cotton grOwer,-l mean lit |
orally the man who digs the ground, |
the unfortunate who "pulls the bell |
cord over the mortgagcd mule" lis |
not realizing - cents Il day for his la |
Dor the year around. What is to be |
the fate of this man, if cotton goes |
down | or | ! cents more this fall, which |
is not ut all improbable when we re-
cogniZc the conditions that confront us
and take into consideration the fact
that we had most phenomenal season
for picking our crCp this last ;, lsUn.
and its classification was higher than
ever known, hardly any grading less
than low middling. Still it averaged !
under . cents and though we may
make Il smaller crop the ensuing sea
son Of lS9J96, if we have IL rainy or
unprOpitious gathering season. cotton
in all probability will grade lower and |
may be we will have a occurrence of |
the season of 1881. when we had II sill
pera bundancc Of the poorer qualities. |
We could then expect the same rcla- |
tive difference in the grades, which |
must, of course, result in considerably |
reduced returns from the whole crop. |
| invoke the most earnest attention Of |
cotton growers to this ncfariOuS |
scheme and address you this letter as |
4 caveat, tnat you may not he dcludcd |
by this "wOlf in Sleeps clothing" or |
in other words this bear in bull cloJh- |
ing.