The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-03-16
FARMER ANDPLANTER
REDUCED COTTON ACREAGE.

Decrease OF Twenty-Five Per Cent.
recommended by the Cotton Growers
convention Recently Held at Jackson,
Miss. 1854 ISL
The cotton-growers' convention re-
Gently held at jackson, Miss, adopted
the following report of the committee
ON resolutions: s4 49, as e. 81
Your committee on resolutions have
patiently considered the various reso-
buttons and suggestions submitted to
them. They are painfully impressed
with the gravity of the condition
confronting the cotton-grower. To
what extent these conditions may be
traced to the financial or Legislative
causes it is useless to discuss here. 1t
is to the matter of lying in the imme-
date control of the cotton-grower him
self that we apply ourselves. 1t is to
each and every planter that we must
appeal. The overproduction of cotton,
it is admitted on all sides, is the es-
sential factor in reducing the price,
and to this all of our woes may be
traced. This must be corrected. In
evitable and universal bankruptcy, or
a change of method, is the alternative
presented. Let every individual bring
that home to himself. Self-interest
must impel him to the change. There
fore, we recommend and earnestly APP
peal to every cotton-grower that he
will not plant SO much cotton. A
decrease in acreage of not less than 25
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 profitably employed in many ways.
Corn, peas, clover, sorghum and pota-
toes are profitable crops. Make more
meat. Raise more stock Make more
of everything except cotton. Make the
farm self-sustaining. The tide of i'm
migration is turning southwark. With
it will come new methods, new devel-
opments and new industries. The ulti-
mate and greatest prosperity will come
when the raw material is manufactured
in the southern states. To bring about
this the greatest encouragement should
be given the. lawmakers and capital
lists. The establishment of packing
houses in the southern towns would be
profitable, and tend greatly to stimu-
l:ste the production of meat in the
southern states. All these things
should give us courage and help for the
future. The present and burning ques-
ton now is how shall we make a living?
If the above suggestions are followed
out with strict economy in personal
and farm expenses, we feel sure that
l. 1xv~s
this, an earnest appeal from this con-
vention to every cotton grower in
America, to him personally and indi
vidually. In place of any form of res
olutiors, we urge on them to hold
meetings in every county at once and
enter into county organizations, auxil-
larry to state and national organiza-
tions effected by the convention. We
invite the cooperation of all merchants,
bankers and loan companies. in influ-
encing the growers in the adoption 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. t
Hector ID. Lane, of Alabama, was
unanimously elected president of the
national association; Gov. ]. p. Eagle,
Arkansas, vice-president, and Robert
ID. Ecizberger, Alabama, secretary and
treasurer.
The committee on organization and
bylaws submitted a lengthy report, of
which the following is synopsis:
Not one shall be a member not q
legitimate cotton grower. The ASSOC
citation is for one year, and the execu-
tive committee is given the power to
continue longer If good results follow.
The agreement to be semitic all coun-
ties in the cotton-growing states for
signatures is not to be binding until
signed by three-four.hs of the acreage,
in SO per cent. of the cotton-growing
counties, said fact to be determined by
the national committee. Each men,
Der binds himself to pay two cents for
each acre of cotton planted in 1894,
half to be retained in the counties and
the balance to be paid in the treasury
of the national committee for general
purposes. Every member shall bind
himself to plant only "a per cent. of
the cotton planted in 1894. and to fur
nish statistics of the number of acres
planted to the state committee. The
county organizations are to he formed
on the first Monday of March, 1875.
The national executive committee
shall be composed of the ma
tional president, who is ex-ofiicio
chairman, and each state is
entitled to cone member for
every 200, 900 bales OF cotton in 1890, as
shown by the United States census.
All state organizations shall meet at
the state capital on the third Monday
of March. 1895, and the national COM
mittee at New Orleans the first Mon
of April, 1895, which shall ascertain
whether the agreement is signed by
the requisite number to make the same
binding. The presidents are charged
with the duty of seeing the agreements