The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-09

/ vet i'm the hands ana control of the
! farmers, merchants and local bankers.
| The only salvation OF the South at
This moment is to stand Steadfast to-
"eti,er and to absolutely refuse 10
market a single bale OF cotton at pres
eut prices. Sell 20 cotton voluntarily
and permit none to be sofa DIV cOer-
/ cion or intimidation.
! If the SPECTATORS want to put down
the price on paper let them 90 II 10
| their hearts content, but Wneh the call
lis made for spots, to fill their contracts
| within the near future, demand the
| full value of the staple. based upon a
| minimum of 10 cents per pound Tor
IalI middling cotton in the interior.
| Wall Street gamblers are now teiilhs
| the public through the press tnal lhey
| will teach Southern farmers a ieSsoh
! to remember and stop them from Ior-
: ever undertaking TO hold any part u
lanOther crop again.
| Will Southern farmers ,surrenu1,I'
| their manhood to the last OF wall
Street Spectators?
Letters are coming to me from
| farmers ali over the South stating that
! they will not sell any cotton now IN
| their possession at present prices ana
urging that every farmer take similar
action. Others propose to enter into
an ironclad agreement to mold all the
cotton they now have until next Sep
TENDER and reduce their cotton acre
age next year % per cent. They urge
me to issue this call for volunteers on
a similar agreement and undertake 10
absolutely tie up from 100000 TO
8, 900, 600 bales of the present crop I'M
less prices go back to legitimate fig
ures.
We face a serious condition and not
a theory. 1t may cost us hardships.
but the South has been through much
severer struggles and won out in their
| fight for freedom and independence
| from the yoke of foreign domination.
The Southern bankers and merchants
should, and | believe will, cordially CO.
operate with the producers in their
present effort to put the price or cot
ton back to it's legitimate value. The
whole South is aroused as never before
at the outrageous doings in Wall street
on the 3rd inst. The farmers were
lead to believe last spring py cotton
experts all over the world that the
manufacturers would use, at GOOD
prices, all the cotton that could be
raised and yet by the time half of
the crop is sold, a lot of gamblers get
together, headed by Theodore ii.
Price, of New York, and force the
price down below the cost of produce
ton. | now call upon every producer
who is holding cotton, and who can
possibly do so, to attend the National
Cotton convention to be held at
Shreveport, La, Dec. II, IL, IA, ana
18th inst, there to take definite ac-
ton looking to the holding of the bal
ance of this crop until prices adj
vance, and consider plans for reduc-
ing the cotton acreage next year so
as to prevent a surplus which is now
being used by the spectators to mar
rass embarrasS and impoverish again
Southern cotton producers. we had
far better produce crop of lOO0O,"
900 bales and sell it at a profit, than
TO listen to the spinners' demand for
a large crop and sell it below the cost
of production We had better pro-
duce less cotton and more supplies.
thereby winning independence in ag-
riculture, than to go OH buying sup
plies to raise large cotton crops with
out profit, giving our labor anu me
products of our soils to few million
aires who live Il thousand miles from
our doors The salvation of the South
depends upon every man VINO now has
cotton in his possession to do his full
duty by refusing to sell at present
prices.
Do not get discouraged or timid.
Store your cotton under cover or IN
warehouses and there let it rest. The
world wants II and have ii soon.
No farnc. should be afraid to retain
pG.,sc,sion of "a stanIc which is to-day
fIc most valuable agricultural pro-
duct i'm the world. lfoId tight to your
cotton until the Shreveport meeting on
December 18th. at which time Il def
mite plan will he adopted to force an
advance in the present depressed Drice
Of the staple
The Southern press is respectfully
asked to publish the above
| Very truly
HARVIE JORDAN. Monticello, Ga.
HARVIE JORDAN.
| President Southern Cotton Growers
Protective Association.
Monticello, Ga.