The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-01-17
THE COTTON CRISIS
SOUTHERN GROWERS ASKED TO
GO INTO AN AGREEMENT.
A Strong Effort Being Made to Greatly
Reduce the Acreage This Year-Some
Suggestions For Travis County
Planters to Think Over.


Cotton planters all over the South are
earnestly agltating the question of reduc-
ed acreage for this year as the means of
causing an increase in the prices of the
staple.
Ihey believe the remedy for the low
price: of cotton is in their own hands,
provided they can get large majority of
the planters to act in concert.
Nearly all farmers met by Statesman
reporters approve of the plan of reduc-
ing the acreage, but nearly all doubt if
they can bring it about. One or two
nave disapproved of the plan, declaring
quantity of cotton, Egypt and other cheap
cotton growing countries, will promptly
make a corresponding increase. Their
remedy is reduced acreage but greatly
INCREASED SUPPLY
by careful and thorough cultivation. In
short, American planters must cease
the Sllp-shod method of cultivation and
put an end to the wasteful and careless
manner of preparing cotton for market,
now in vogue. They claim that one acre
OF cotton can be cultivated well for less
money than two acres carelessly cultivat-
ed, and that it will produce more cotton.
This is particularly true, they say, of
upland cotton.
The COTTON GROWERS.
For the better production of their in
terests, the growers of cotton in the
Southern states are endeavOring to or
ganize an American Cotton Growers as
sociation, and they hope to draw into its
folds at least 10 per cent of the actual
cotton planters in the South. The obi
cations imposed are as follows:
Every member of this organization
solemnly contracts and binds himself to
plant and cultivate in the year 1895 only
two-thirds of the number of acres of cot
ton that he planted and cultivated dur
ing the year 1894, and hereby authorizes
and empowers the county committee of
his county and their authorized agents
to enter upon his premises and destroy
at his expense all cotton planted and cult
waited in violation of this agreement.
Every member hereof binds and obi
gates himself to deliver to his county
committee, between the 18th and 2Jth
day of June, in the year 1885, Il sworn
statement of the number of acres of cot
ton then under cultivation on his premis-
es. and the condition thereof.
The signers of this agreement in each
county shall meet at the county seat on
the first Monday in March, 1895, and elect
a county committee of seven % cotton
planters to serve for one year. The
signers shall also at the same time and
place elect the county delegates to the
state convention, to be held on the third
Monday in March, 1895, for the purpose
of electing the state delegates to the ma
tional committee. Each county shall
iooaihgaj acr1oosngk t. :iu ETAOYA
have power to make rules and regulations
for its government.
The national committee shall be COM
posed of members elected by each state
convention, held at the capital of each
state on the third Monday in March, 1895.
Each cotton growing state shall be emit
tied to one member in the national COM
mittee for every 100000 bales of cot
ton and fraction thereof produced in it
during the year of 1890, as shown by the
figures of the United States census report.
The national committee shall meet in
the City of New Orleans or such other
city as may be selected on the first
Monday in April 1895, and shall i'm
mediately proceed to examine and in
quire whether this agreement is signed
by such proportion OF the American
cotton growers as to make it binding as
provided in article ). IL shall make pro-
clamation of its conclusion, and its de-
cision on this question snail be final and
conclusive.
The national committee shall have
power and authority by vote Of two
thirds of its members to make bylaws,
rules and regulations for it's own govern
ment, and for the government and regu-
lation of this organization, and for the
conduct of business; to employ clerks and
agents and fix their compensation; to fix
u permanent location for the establish
ment of its office; to pay a salary to a
president and secretary and to fix the
same.
Some few farmers seen yesterday by a
Statesman reporter said in their neigh
borhood there would be about as much
cotton planted this year as there was
last. They are agreed, however, that it
would probably be better to reduce the
acreage.