Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-01-03
THE PRICE OF COTTON.

The cotton growers Of York county
are willing to do anything that Is IN
reason to remedy the present .depress-
ed condition Of the market for thnir
cotton. They viii hold back their
part of the surplus off the market re-
duce the acreage. curtail the use of
fertilizers, or resort TO any other prsc-
ticable expedient. to accomplish the
end desired, and they are anxious to
speedily get into elbow touch with all
the rest Of the cotton growers Of the
south who may be seeking the same
end. y
There was rousing big mass meet
ing in the court house yesterday, the
biggest probably that has ever gath
cred on similar occasion. The gath
ering was representative Of every ,por-
tion of the county, and Of every ayoca-
ton and profession, business and in
dustry, and was in dead earnest about
the business In hand. And the unrnis-
taxable sense of that meeting was ito
reduce the acreage, use less fertiliz-
ers and hold the present surplus of
the market as long as possible.
The meeting assembled In answer to
the call published in the last Issue of
THE ENQUIRER. 1t was spontaneous In
all that the word implies. There had
been no previous understanding even
as to how the meeting was to be call
ed to order, and when DR.. j. q. Saye
of zshSsop. ,taeiz, IN WSsars<tk }fsn-
self. with the 1dea Of putting an end
to awkward suspense. organization was
quickly affected by the election Of c.
e. Spencer. Esq, as Chairman, and
Mr.. W. D. Grist as secretary. -.
Assuming that there was blu. small
need to explain the object Of the meet
ing Chairman Spencer contented him
self with reading the following AS
ISOLATED Press dispatch from the Co
lumbia State Of yesterday morning:
New YORK, Jan. 1.-Representatives
Of local banking interests, railroads in
the south, and capitalists concerned In
the condition Of the cotton market, at
meeting In this city, have formula
ted a plan to avert decentralization in
the cotton market, prevent further
burning Of the crop by southern
growers, and to insure steady price
for the, staple In the future. AS re-
suit OF the conference messages were
sent to southern fnanciers interested
In cotton, who were asked for their
cooperation. These men included e.
F. Webber, president Of the Memphis
Cotton Exchange; Colonel Harvie Jor-
dan, president Of the Cotton Growers
association Of Monticello, Ca, and w.
P. Brown. The proposed plan sug-
gests that each cotton growing sec
ton appoint certain trustees who will
act in the interests Of the cotton pros
ducers, and that the growers deliver,
or agree to deliver. ten per cent of
their holdings to these trustees on the
condition that this cotton shall be
withdrawn from the market and shall
not be sold for less than stated
price; that thes1 trustees issue certif-
Gates to the cotton producers express
ing these conditions and the stipula-
ton that cotton TO the amount OF say
100000 bales be received before the
plan becomes effective. This ten per
cent, 1t Is argued, could be marketed
at any time at the price agreed upon
and the trustees could distribute the
proceeds arising from the sale to the
holders Of the certificates.
Bankers and tnonied interests, 1t Is
suggested, could organize a fund to
be used in the purchase Of cotton to
be withdrawn from the market and
held under similar conditions.
Commenting on the proposition out
lined, Mr.. Spenc cer went on to suggest
that in round numbers, South Carolt-
mas share Of the 100000 bales 1t Is
proposed to hold would be 100000
bales and York county's share would
therefore be about 1000 bales. He
went on to say that the plan could be
carried out only by means Of thorough
Of the cotton growing
counties. The county organizations
must be included in state organiza
tions, and the state organizations must
centralize in cotton states organiza-
ton. It is true that the plan embodies
all that Is obnoxious in the trust idea;
but II we expect to accomplish any
Is. all there Is of 1t. i
Messrs. W. s. Wilkerson, ]. e. Low
ry, Thos. F. McDow w. H. Herndon,
John A. Latta and D. E. Finley, and
Drs. R. A. Bratton and ]. H. Saye ex-
pressed themselves to about the same
purport. They were all agreed that
about the only thing to be done is to
hold back the Surplus as far as posi-
BILE, reduce the acreage as far as pos
sible. and that no practical benefits
can be accomplished even by means Of
these expedients except through CO.
operati-.a with all the cotton growers
Of the south In order to test the
sentiment Of the cotton growers pres
ent, DR.. R. A. Bratton offered the, fol-
loving:
Resolved, That those Of US here pres
ant, now indicated In actual figures
how many bales Of our holdings we
will be willing to turn over to trus-
tees with authority to said trustees
70 use the cotton Jas indicated In prop
ositions we haye been discussing.
The :rsseIsdtion was unanimously
,arrieI sy a rising vote. and when the
chair requested the holders of cotton
% report to the secretary, in accord
lnce with its provisions the responses
,ame as follows, each individual
promising to transfer title to the num-
yer Of bales indicated: il