The news & observer., 1905-11-05
Price of Cotton Above
the Minimum.
AN ADDRESS ISSUED
To the Farmers of the County by the
Wake Division of the Southern Cot
ton Association. Every Town
ship to Organize the First
Saturday in December.

"The Wake County Division con-
graduates you upon your great vic
tory, and the triumph of the South
ern Cotton Association" This mes
sage was wired to Hon. Harvie Jor-
dan, president of the Association, at
County Cotton Growers and Business
Mems Association, and was inspired
by the rise of the price of cotton
above the minimum price fixed by the
executive committee of the Southern
Cotton Association at it's meeting in
ASheVille few months ago. There
was genera | rejoicing among the
farmers who were in Raleigh yeSter-
day.
The Wake County Division met in
the Mayors office at noon and about
twenty of the strongest cotton plant
ers in the county were present. Com
missioner of Agriculture S. l.. Patter-
son was among the visitors. Presi
dent A. G. Green presided and Mr.. r.
H. Jones acted as secretary.
The most important action was an
address to the cotton growers of the
county, which is appreciated
There We're several speeches, and
HOW IlicL lnc primal OBJECT OF J1e as
sOciatiOn, the lifting of the price of
cotton to a safe and profitable altitude,
had been attained, the members be-
gan to plan for the perfection of their
organization. There are hundreds of
growers in Wake county who are not
identified, except in spirit and SYM
pathy with the association, and an
effort will be made to gather them in.
There are some who have played the
traitor and refused afterwards to CO.
operate with the association, con-
demning it's purpose, it is the hope of
the organization to become so strong
as to deal direct with the spinners,
and thus force the wayWard farmer to
either commit a business suicide or
support the concern that was con-
ceived for the protection and promo
ton of his interests.
The planters were urged to pay
their dues of 05 cents, and the tax of
3 cents per bale on this years crop
of cotton. With the funds to be de-
rived from this source an organizer
will be placed in the county to effect
an organization in every township,
and preparatory to this the secretary
was instructed to have posters print
ed and distributed in prominent
places throughout the county The
following resolution was adopted, be-
ing submitted by Mr.. F. B. Arendell:
Resolved, That the president and
secretary of the County Association
be instructed to issue circulars to be
mailed to each grower in the county,
and to each country merchant in the
county with a request that they post
them in conspicuous places asking the
cotton planters in each township
precinct in the county to gather at
the usual meeting place, in their re-
spective townships on Saturday, De-
cember End, and appoint delegates to
the county meeting to be held in the
city of Raleigh on Saturday, Decem-
Der 9th, and that in eevry township
in which an organization has not been
perfected prior to that time the cot
ton farmers be requested to perfect
township organization on that day."
Mr. F. H. Whitaker offered a reso-
luton suggesting to cotton growers
in Wake county that they market the
remainder of their cotton crop as
slowly as they can, and to sell as lit
tie of it at the minimum price, II
cents as their financial condition will
justify. The resolution stated that the
Southern Cotton Associations crop
estimate of 9,448,000 bales was a
conservative and reasonable estimate.
and that the price of cotton would
go still higher.
An Important Address.
President Green appointed a COM
mittee of three, consisting of Messrs.
Clarence H. Poe, r. B. Parker and
Edward l.. Conn to prepare an ad-
dress in bgehalf of the County ASso-
citation to the cotton growers of Wake
county. The address is one of the
most important utterances the Coun-
ty Association has made, and is as fol-
lows:
To-day the South's great staple crop
is selling for eleven cents a pound in
the markets of the world.
"Small wonder, as it is a day of
rejoicing from Virginia to Texas
'"rhe farmer has triumphed. the
Southern Cotton Association as is in
dicated, the scorners are silenced. the
bears are routed, and the South is
safe
1T has too often happened of late
years that the men who have made
the crop have made only a living
while the speculators-who toll not.
neither do they spin-have made the
profits In May of last year, after
nine tenths of the 1905 crop had pass
ed out of the farmers hands, the price
was forced up to sixteen or seven
teen cents. This year. after the
farmers had parted with the bulk of
the 1904 crop at seven or eight cents.
the spectators and middlemen made
their millions on ten and eleven cent
prices.
But this fall the farmers resolved
that they would get not merely liv-
ing price, but some of the profits that
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