The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-08-03
WHAT SHOULD COTTON BRING;
CAN ACREAGE BE INCREASED?
By Robert N. Hardeman.

The farmers, more than any other
| class, are always interested In the price
of cotton, while high prices affect the
| merchant, warehousemen, bankers and
| other classes to more or less favora-
| BILE extent my observation has been that
| the higher the price the broader the
smile when the farmer pockets his
| dough-" Cotton for delivery this fall Is
| now selling around 10 cents MY friend,
| Judge Frank Cannon, of Wilkinson coun-
| ty, two or three years ago when cotton
| was selling at 10 cents. was selected by
| the farmers Of his county to attend the
| Farmers National Congress to be held
in Macon as their delegate. During the
proceedings of the convention Judge Can
non arose and addressed the convention
| as follows: Mr.. President: The farm
| ers of Wilkinson county sent me here to
raise the price of cotton. Since / ar
| rived here 1 have found that cotton Is
| worth 10 cents. | am satisfied, and they
| will be satisfied, and l have got nothing
| more to say" Now, the farmers are
| satisfied and may not have anything
| more to say at present, but what of the
| future? The producer wants high prices.
| the men who buy the cotton, the manu-
| facturers who convert the raw mater al
! into cotton goods to be placed upon the
|
combined wealth, are continually seeking
| to depress prices. in order that they may
| buy cheap and place their finished prod
uct upon the market In greater demand
notwithstanding this. the law Of sup
! ply and demand tends to adjust the price
! of the staple more than the manipulation
| of the bulls and bears of New York
| and Liverpool. and the efforts of the mill
| men TO depreSS 1t
The greater the disparity between the
| supply OF cotton and the demand of the
world, the higher will be the price the
| farmer Will obtain, If he does not TOO
eagerly rush same upon the market. II
| the world consumes Il, $40. 900 bales OF cot
| ton and only produces N,Go,Vn, de-
| fciency in the supply of this $4,000 bales
| will eventually cause an advance in the
price in proportion, and the greater the
deficiency the greater the advance in the
price. though the farmer In recent years
| has not SO largely shared In Ats benefits
| by reason OF having too eagerly and per
| ha Do necessarily been forced to market
his crop too rapidly, creating for the
| time beng drug upon the market
If the supply does not equal the demanu
there naturally results that the mill men
Will scramble among each other to buy,
be as eager to get the cotton as the
farmer has been eager in the other III
stance to sell it at q concession. This
broadens the market, increases It's Ac'l'-
ity, "A healthy and growing demand at
advancing prices. because IL there IS NOT
enough to go around they are going to
bid higher or else be without tne cotton
and forced to shut down and let their
liF
l see no reason why cotton should not
bring 10 cents this fall. around which
prices for the distant fall months now
prevail; and the efforts Of the mill men,
nanlpulators and sadder but now wiser
bears" have thus far been unable to
dislodge 1t. Furthermore, ! do not be-
Iieve cotton win ever again sell any way
near so low as in past few years, for
many reasons, some of which are easily
apparent to the casual observer.
There Is no increase, l believe, IN the
acreage Of cotton In this country and
doubt II the acreage in the future will
or can be Increased to any material eX-
tent, for the reason that labor Is becom-
ing scarcer, year by year, on account or
a gradual exodus OF the negro, upon
whom we are compelled to rely, to the
saw mills, turpentne camps, railroads
ai'u ~ nc 80, 80 $3.50.
,7i'i WIN 'io ~ w. -
" .iio99 " :" -.
s'"Uu"i' 'i,S mo- Ii'i, N'' 80 -
troll and more Indifferent to the farmers
interest. This is not alone the case In
thls county Out - eq"a'9 tu7 "
ga ana the ehuFe co'toii pe'l' % - -
Fracuc"Hy lhposslp'e 10 iHo' 49, ''9
acreage under present coii"l'ioi.S,
through sc"rcl'Y Oh llp0'' "'.N Ni0.''--S
lnposSlpIe TO lllc4'si9e t''e W." ~
on account OF lhe llleil0i''S' 'iu''ioi enc
and unlntellSeht hnor no" AT we seIs
ICE OF 1ne lainler ~ ;pcroaead
a,jt ~, ,,sa.s 10 came VARYING within
comnarativelv narrow limits. as the sea
sons are favorable or unfaVoraDle, unless
forsooth some genius arrives upon tlle
scene ana uS'iViis -. i'cs MAJ N0l'oi' "a"
'' 80 ~. a+,,ar to,1 ~, ,or,,7,s ,o4,
Incoming educated the world over rand
progress Is being made. nations are he
coming generally more prosperous, coun-
tries are being opened Np by BUILDING OF
industries ana rdllFoadS throughout the
entire CLONE
-
Inc eastern ldadS. WIN us 'eeHilhB
millions OF nhabitants, are demanding
our cotton goods the Manchurian ports
Notwithstanding Russia and Janan are
+breo+,oiry TO Nv az o,oh o+hor,s tbroa+
-,,, 49,, ~, s. 49,, ~ a.. ... 49,.
W. ~ W " 49, 'P ~ ~
commerce. OF me "orIU. Nllhln our