The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-09-13

Meeting OF Abbeville's Soutuern Cot
ton Asso relation.

Meeting OF AbbeVille's Soutuern Col
ton Association.
The Cotton Association was calle,
to order on last Saturday morning a
half past eleven o'clock. The Presl
dent Mr.. J. Allen Smith presided
After the opening exercise Mr.
Smith gave an account of the Ashe
vile meeting togeth er with some i'm
pressiOns which he formed of th'
movement as he saw it in Asheyille
Mr. Smith mentioned the names of tht
executive committee with their re
spective vocatiQns and showed thai
the farmers on This committee were
in the minority. He was not favor
1 ably impressed with what he saw. He
thought the movement q good one to
sympathize with but not just what
the farmers of Abbeville County need.
The personel of the committee seemed
to cosmopolitan. Mr.. Smith could
not understand how the interests OF
the English buyer and the Southern
raiser could be the same, namely a
high price for the staple, yet the cot
ton buyers wore very M uch In evil
dence at this meeting in Asheville.
The meeting seemed to smack too
much of Liverpool and Manchester.
He said that we need cotton growers
association and not cotton associa-
tion as 1t Is at present. The cotton
association is for all men that handle
cotton. The Southern Cotton growers
association Is what we want in Abbe-
willie County Mr.. Smith thought we
might sympathize with this move
ment but that we should act independ-
entently of it. He stated furthert hat
as 1t was impossible for him to see
how the best interests of the farmers
of Abbevillle County rested in the
keeping of such an organization he
wished to tender to the association III.
resignation as president. AS an indi-
vidnsl member he would do his best
to further the interest of the people of
southland in raising the price Of cot
ton. He wanted the very hest price
that we could get and did not care to
compromise with mill men and Man.
chester manufacturer is az the price Of
the staple that means our life here In
the south. .. .,.. ..}..-..
Mr.. I. A. Kellar who also attended
the meeting at Asheville said that he
was more favorably impressed with
what was said and done at the meet
ing than Mr.. Smith. He thought
that the executive committee was one
OF the most representative body OF
men he had ever seen that every state
was represented except Florida, and
the Indian Territory. Mr.. Kellar
said tnat most of the farmers he ,hau
talked with thought that. the mini
mum price ought to be placed at 1872
but that they had compromised on II
cents. - g. ...'"" .'~I. -
Mr.. SmithIthen called on Judge R.
E. Hill, Judge Hill had been much
interested In what he had heard and
seen though he had just happened at
the meeting among other things
Judge Hill said that Mr.. E. d. Smith
wanted to put the minimum price OF
cotton at 1912 cents but compromised
on IL cents that most of the men in
attendance with whom he talked
thought the minimum price ought 10
be 10cents and that If the price wa.
put higher the disagreeable result
would be that the farmers aould sell
anyhow. Mr.. Hill thought that
every man who makes crop ought to
join this movement (he never spoke y
lruer parsble.) He doub ed very
much if the farmers Of Abbeville
County would stick to q very high
price that they had not been elected
10 the point of holding for fixed
price as yet. Judge Hill was also i'm
pressed favorably with the personal
of the executive committee. Mr.. Al.
len Smith rendered his resigns
which was reluctantly accepted
and Mr.. I. A. Kellar was made Presi-
dent Of the Abbeville Association.
Mr.. Cheves Haskell thought that
the cotton growers of the south ought
to organize and hold to their cotton
like grim death to q defunct Sene-
gambion" until we get IL cents for it.
He repented that he had sold last
week q bale for l0-4 cents he
might have put 1t In the ware hours
andget the good price that is sure to
come.
A motion to endorse the action Of
the execution committee in A-heville
was carried.
Mr., A. X. Watson made motion
that the Association resquest the far
mers Of the County to market their
cotton slowly. The motion was car
rled.