The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-14
RAISE LESS COTTON
PRESIDENT LANES ADDRESS TO THE
GROWERS OF THE SOUTH.
Planters Warned to Beware of the
Spider and Fly Game OF the
Bulls and Bears.

ATHENS, Ala, March 13.-Hon. Proctor
ID. Lane, president of the American Cotton
Growers Protective Association has issued
the following address to the cotton growers
of the South:
Il wish to call the attention of the cot
ton growers to the strategic movement be-
ing made by cotton manipulators 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
reference to a decreased acreage goes with
out saying and had this menace not ex-
listed cotton values would have been lower
than they have been, and now, as the end
of the season is at hand and the staple is
substantially out of the hands of the farm
the bear element for SO many months while
cotton was moving in large volumes, now
resort. to the running up of values simply
as a device to induce the farmers to plant
more cotton than possibly they intended.
Il warn the farmers of the South that
the price of the last few days is fictitious.
TO Systematically rob the producer of his
legitimate gains. 1t is delusion and a
TO inveigle him into the tolls, of another
three-million surplus, so that they can bear
down values lower than last season with
who will bite There can be no legitimate
reasons shown for this resort to values.
The production has exceeded the most SAN
guine expectations. Russia has placed a
virtually prohibitive. duty on American cot
ton. so we can no longer expect to sell
her five hundred Thousand bales. There
can be no change made by next season in
the financial laws of the Nation. There
fore, where is the legitimate cause for this
rise. if cotton has been selling at legitimate
figures? 1t is simply the same old spider
and fly game, a recurrence of the farmer
and the 'bunco Steerer and i am con-
strained to exclaim. How long, O Lord,
how long. Is It to be ever thus. that our
people are to be waylaid and robbed of
their meagre substance?
II deny the proposition and defy the
man who made it-that any man can pro-
dpce cotton legitimately for cents with any
reasonable profit, and state advisedly and
cotton grower-I mean, literally. man who
digs the ground. the unfortunate who pulls
the bell cord over the m0rtgaged mule is
not realizing y cents day for his labor
of this man If cotton goes down l or 1la
cents this fall. which is not at all improba-
BILE when recognize the conditions that
confront us and take into consideration
the fact that we had most phenomenal
season for picking our crop this last season.
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 smaller crop
the ensuing season of 1885, if we have a
ton in all probability will grade lower. and
mayhap Will have recurrence of the
season of 1881, when we had superabun-
dance of the poorer qualities. We could
the grades which must, of course result
in considerably reduced returns from the
whole c-ap
sT invoke the most earnest attention Of
cotton growers to this nefarious scheme,
and address you this letter as caveat. tha t
you may not be deiuded by this wolf in
sleeps clothing. or. in other words, this
bear in bull clothing