The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-02-05


Association, in Raleigh, N. c., January
18th, 1901.
correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
To make the Cotton Growers As
sociation a success so that all cotton
producers will be equally benefited
and the cotton belt of the South be
made the garden spot of the United
States. we must learn that resOlu-
tions alone are useless, and go to
work in "A tangible way to organize
the cotton growers and all those
directly interested with them, so as
TO be able to secure the full value of
that product to the producer, and a
corresponding prosperity to the mer-
chant, the banker, and all those who
follow legitimate avOcatiOns and are
80 a certain extent dependent ON
'King Cotton" for living. The
merchant and the banker who so
bitterly opposed the organization of
the farmers a few years ago, are now
advocating and urging their organ
ization, and are offering to assist
them in manner which leaves no
doubt of their sincerity and good in
tentiOns.
By the organization of the cotton
farmers throughout the South, under
she plan which 1 propose, the specu-
lation in cotton futures will be en-
tirely suppressed, and the "bulls"
and "bears" of Wall street, New
York, and of Liverpool will have to
seek other pastures green, for they
no longer can ply their illegitimate
trade here. The exact amount of
cotton produced will be known only
so the organization and the prices of
cotton will be fixed according to the
supply and demand, not by the spec
uIators and gamblers in cotton
futures, but by this Association.
Under this plan money will be
offered to the farmers to build their
bonded warehouses to store the cot
ton crops, upon which certificates Of
certificate can be used to pay debts
or borrow money. Money will be
advanced also to build cotton mills,
cotton seed oil mills, etc, wherever
wanted by the organization. Thus,
the raw cotton can be turned into
yarns or cloth and put on the mar
ket at its enhanced value; cotton
seed crushed and oil extracted and
sold the meal either made into fer
tilizer or fed with the hulls to stock,
thereby saving the cost of shipping
the raw materials and paying exhOr-
bitant tolls to the transportation
lines and fertilizer trusts.
The plan proposed is "a simple one
AM believe under it the whole cot
ton belt can be organized in less than
go days time Just as soon as the plan
is adopted, constitution and by laws
framed by the Inter State AssOcia-
tiOn, Cand this should not be delayed
later than April 1st) let lodges, clubs
or branch associations be started in
every township or precinct in this
cotton belt where as many as ten
persons can be had to join, getting
land owners, planters and bankers
and others directly interested TO
join the organization. An entrance
fee Of fifty cents or one dollar should
be charged of every member, and the
same amount paid annually there
after an obligation should be taken
to support the constitution and by
laws of the Association. And the
following or similar agreement
should be signed by every one before
becoming a member:
AGREEMENT.
We, the undersigned members of
the Cotton Growers Association OF
- Lodge, No. -, Of - Co,
State , do hereby pledge our
selves and sign our names to this