The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-12-06
WESTON PREDICTS HIGHER PRICES.
Makes Strong Appeal to Farmers to
Sign Pledges.

Sign Pledges.
To the farmers of South Carolina: In
the absence of our State president, Mr..
T.. ID. Smith, who is now canvassing
Texas in the interest of the Southern
Cotton Association, / desire to say a
few words to you in reference to the
appeal that has recently been made to
you by the central Office at Atlanta, to
hold your cotton for higher prices. Let
me remind you that in every instance
in which the Association has joined is
sues with those who were fighting to
secure your cotton at their prices you
have won a brilliant victory. The same
people who are now urging you to part
with your cotton predicted that ten
cents would not be secured as demanded
by the New Orleans Convention for the
cotton held in the South. BY unity of
action and taking the advice of the AS
ISOLATION in the face of a fourteen mil
lion bale crop you secured ten cents for
your cotton. When you were appealed
to to reduce your acreage and fertiliz-
ers it was predicted by the same crowd
that you would be t~reacherous towards
each other and increase both acreage
and fertilizers. This SANDER upon the
Southern farmers was disposed of by
n Government report on acreage.
When those that you intrusted with
your interest were convinced that the
department of agriculture was being
nonl 70 ,o,, latc -, o~& orl ,,o co1E "a
our duty to attack it, we were ridiculed
and jeered at; nevertheless we proved
beyond doubt every accusation we
made against the department, and
showed it to be thoroughly rotten. =
When our estimate of the crop for 1905
crop, we asked that the farmers be
paid a minimum price of IL cents for
their cotton, you heard on all sides that
this was too much; yet throughout the
South that price has been paid. The es-
innate of the Association has again
been confirmed by the ginners' report
which has just been issued. If the
%spinners of the world are now made to
pay more for their cotton whose fault
is it? They had ample opportunity to
go into the market and buy at IL cents,
yet they preferred to believe the pre-
paign was inaugurated which had for
its object the stampeding of the farm
ers of the South. All reports confirm
the Association that cotton is worth
more than IL cents and in the near flu
ture will bring more than IL cents.
get the benefit of this advanced price?
We appeal to you to sign the pledges
that have been sent out and stand by
the Association in this fight. All this
talk of Gripping and running the manu-
featuring interests is veritable botch.
for his raw material he will receive
more for his finished product unless
that finished product is higher than
some other article which can be sub
stituted for its use. Wool, linen and
silk are the competitors of cotton goods
and there is a long distance between
those articles and cotton goods, where
the raw material would not cost the
spinner more thar IL 1-2 cents; if he
has to pay Is cents for the cotton now
in the hands of the farmers. Those
who have seen fit to consistently and
persistently advise the farmers to turn
loose their cotton for prices less than
those fixed by the Association must
now answer the individuals and the
South who has been despoiled of mil
lions of dollars while following their
advice. The Southern Cotton Associa-
ton wishes to fix a staple price for
cotton; this can only be accomplished
by the spinner dealing direct with the
Association. We stand ready to meet
the spinners whenever they desire it.
Stand by the Association; it has never
advised you to do anything that was
contrary to your interest; ignore the
advice of those who have only brought
loss to you and you will aid in returning
to the Southland millions of dollars of
which she has been unjustly robbed. 1t
must be demonstrated to the world
that the producers propose to fix the price
of their cotton. | appeal to the Jealous,
intelligent and patriotic county officers
n the rank and file throughout this
State to carry on this fight with all the
zeal and energy that we are capable of.
We are not responsible for this fight;
we entered into it for the purpose of
protecting our cotton, the price of
which was being forced down, without
any reason for it whatsoever, and
damn be he who first cries hold
enough"
FRANCIS III. WESTON,
Secretary S.. G. Division, S. c.. A.