The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-01-17
A REDUCED AVERAGE

A REDUCED AVERAGE
PLAN OF THE COTTON GROWERS
CONVENTION.
Resolutions Adopted Appealing to Cotton
Growers to Decrease Their Acreage
at Least 20 Per Cent-County Or
CARNATIONS to be Formed.
Memphis, Jan. 10.-A special to the
Commercial-Appeal from Jackson, Miss,
says: The Cotton Growers convention
did much hard work today. The first
thing this morning was the report of the
| committee on resolutions, which, after a
long discussion, was adopted and seems
to SUIT everyone. 1t is as follows: "Your
committee on resolutions have patiently
considered the various resolutions and
| suggestions submitted to them. They are
painfully impressed with the gravity of
! the condition confronting the cotton grow
ers. 10 what extent these conditions may
be traced to financial or legislative causes
| 1t is useless to discuss here. 1t is to the
OF the cotton grower himself that we ap-
ply ourselves 1t is to each individual
planter that we must appeal. The over
production of cotton is admitted on all
| sides to be the essential factor in reduc-
| ing the price and to this all of our woes
| may be traced. They must be corrected.
Inevitable and universal bankruptcy or
! a change of method is the alternative
presented. Let every individual bring that
home to himself. Self interest must i'm
pei him to change.
Therefore we recommend and earnestly
| appeal to every cotton grower that he will
not plant so much cotton, decrease in
acreage of not less than % per cent should
be made. If it could be so per cent it
would be still better the land thus relieved
| OF cotton may be protitably employed in
many ways; corn, peas, clover, sorghum,
potatoes are profitable crops. Make more
meat, raise more stock; make more of
everything except cotton. Make the farm
self-SuStaining.
The tide of immigration is turning south
ward. With it will come new methods,
new developments and new industries.
The ultimate and greatest prosperity will
come when the raw material is manu-
| featured in the Southern states. To bring
| about this the greatest encouragement
| should be given by the law makers and
capitalists.
1.-The establishment of packing houses
in the Southern towns would be profta-
bic and tend to greatly stimulate the pro-
duction of meat in the Southern states.
All these things should give us courage
and hope for the future. The present
and burning question now is, how shall
We make living?
IF the above suggestions are followed
out, with strict economy in personal and
farm expenses, we feel sure that better
times will come. We submit this as an
earnest appeal from this convention to
every cotton grower in America to him
personally and individually in place of
any formal resolution. We urge upon
them to hold meetings. in every county at
once and enter into county organizations,
auxiliary to the state and national or
CARNATIONS effected by this convention.
| We invite the cooperation of all mer-
chants, bankers and loan companies in in
| fiuencing the cotton growers in the adop-
| ton of the recommendations here made,
and we hope that the newspapers of the
South will keep this address before the
people until the crop is planted"
The committee on organization and by
| laws. submitted a lengthy report, of
which the following is a synopsis:
mo one shall be member not legiti-
mate cotton grower. The association is
| formed for one year and the executive
committee is given power to continue it
longer if good results. The agreement
to be sent to all counties in the cotton
growing states for signatures is not to be
binding until signed by fourth of the
cotton acreage in so per cent of the cotton
growing counties, said fact to be deter
mined by the national committee.
Each member binds himself to pay 2
cents for each acre of cotton planted in
1894, half to be retained in the counties,
the balance to be paid into the treasury
of the national committee for general pur-
poses. Every member binds himself to
plant only IS per cent of the cotton plant
ed in 1894 and to furnish statistics of the
number of acres planted to the state
committee.
THE county organizations shall meet
at the state capitals on the third Mon
day of March, 1895, and the national
committee at New Orleans, the first Mon
day of April, 1895, which shall ascertain
whether the agreement is signed by the
requisite number to make the same bind
ing. The presidents are charged with
the duty of seeing that agreements are
properly distributed for signatures. Then
follows blank for signatures.
MIR. Chatford of Chicasaw offered a res
olution suggesting the contraction of the
currency as one cause for the depression
and condemning the practice of national
banks in returning their notes to the gov
eminent at will. After a long discussion
this was almost unanimously killed, as
were numerous other resolutions of the
same character, on the ground that the
same We're irrelevant.
Hector d. Lane the new president. was
installed. and addressing the convention
said big task lay before the convention,
but he believed it would accomplish it.
As an illustration of what this agitation
will do they point to the large decrease
in acreage following the convention of
1892.
A telegram was received from +. r.
Carroll, president of Memphis Cotton
Exchage, commencing the movement,
hoping it would be successful and stating
his body believed another cotton crop
like the last would be disastrous to the
cotton grower and almost complete de-
to value of realty.
Adjourned.
CURE FOR HEADACHE.