The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-08
LANE TO COTTON GROWERS.
President of the Growers Protective
Association Issue an Address

New Orleans. La, Sept. 7.--Hector d.
Lane, president of the American Cotton
! Growers Protective Association, has Is
sued a circular to southern cotton grow
ers, which Will appear tomorrow. IL
says:
New Orleans, La, Sept. ITO South.
ern Cotton Growers-In the discharge OF
my duty to you as the president OF the
association, i have personally examined
the cotton crop in all the southern states
as far as one man can reasonably do such
thing and have received many com
munications from entirely reliable sources
In regard to the cotton crop.
THE crop is now here, and in all, save
few localities, is below the average
All possible causes, except frOsts have
combined TO produce this result, the causes
varying with the locality-drought, rust
boil worms, excessive rains and shedding
1t is generally three weeks late, and in
such condition that a frost at the aver
age date would be disastrous, and before
that time a calamity. The plant is no
tably deficient in fruit and the bolls are
small and badly developed.
Il don't pose as statistician, and no
one can make any accurate forecast of the
crop before frost, but from my knowledge
of present crop conditions, / venture the
opinion that this crop cannot in any event
exceed 7000,0 900 bales. while 650O,OO0 bales is
by no means improbable.
The English and European spinners who
consume the majority of the American
crop, and upon whose necessities to pur-
chase we must largely depend for prices,
have been induced by their resident alien
professional crop-estimating representa-
tive, Mr. Neal, and his able bear coadjuta-
tors to believe that the official reports Of
the crop conditions and acreage are ven
ture; that the supply of cotton will be
ample, and that even present prices are
abnormally high.
'In my humble Judgment, IL the con-
sumers of cotton here and abroad, believe
that the maximum Of this crop has even
a strong probability of being below 7 900, 900
bales, there would be a material advance
in the price of cotton. Clearly in
the presence Of a great trade revival, the
southern farmer ought to capture his
share of the harvest of high prices. No
country can take the place of the south
in supplying the world with cotton He is
not like the wheat grower. Wherever
the sun shines and the rain falls, wheat
can be grown. The American cotton belt
is sui generis and has no counterpart on
the earth
THE present situation Is entirely under
control The combined spinning capital
of the wOTld-an aggregate five times
greater than the combined wealth of,the
Rothschilds-is arrayed against you. and
band of spectators and gamblers, whose
trade is to lie and to bear false witness
against the industry of twenty million Of
people. The Manchester Guardian boosted
last year that England did not care If
the farmer owned only the rags he stood
in as long as England bought the cot
ton he produced cheap. This guerrilla
band of spectators and estimators would
take even his rags away Their main
hope and argument is that the south will
make a market and sell the bulk of its
crop in four months.
MY earnest advice. therefore. is to
market your cotton with reasonable in
telligence Don't rush it all forward be-
tween now and Christmas. The mills must
have your cotton. Husband your cotton
and sell it as they need It and then you
will get what is is worth according to
the true and undisturbed operations Of the
Jaws of political economy
"AH the newspapers in the south are
respectfully requested to publish this ad-
dress. Your Obedent Servant,
Hector y. Lane,
president American Cotton Growers
Protective Association"