The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-10-18


at any time last year. Never in the
history of cotton has ten per cent sur
= plus blended with succeeding crop
without the price running low till the
farmer had sold out. We are weak In
q proportion as business men and far.
mers are unenlisted In our common
I, cause, and We will grow in strength
In proportion as the people In cotton
growing communities unite with us In
= defense of our own rights and interests.
.7sas% We have allowed conditions to OBJ
s; tain that robbed 812 cotton counties
: annually Of 5000, 900, 900 that rightly
belonged to them, and the loss Of two
cents q pound this year means s100,
& 600. 900 gone forever, leaving empty
: store buildings and paralyzed business
I to that extent.
There are reasons why the farmers
are not getting IL cents.
~ The farmers always distinctly re.
member the experiences OF the year
X before. =
ss Now two years the farmer sold on a
raising market and after each sale he
tG regretted that he did not hold his cot.
= ton a little longer, and resolved not to
be caught that way again. So last
year to profit by his late experience,
{ he was disposed to get bis cotton gin.
ned and then not be in hurry to sell.
- Then when the STATISTICAL condition
# showed an immense surplus he was
= caught in the awful avalanche of fall
~ Ing prices; and he don't yet realiz,
g that last year prices were good for so
,zSlong a time, simply because he was a
3 conservative instead of precipitate
{ seller. Remembering the good prices
q during the early weeks last year and
i the trap that crippled him, he resol.
3 Ives to be the early bird, with the re-,
af suit that at this year greater per
6 cent. of the crop is already marketed
. than in any season OF the past, and
AZ this blended with the shrunken skele.
:ton1of last years surplus, in so short
sssa time forms combination tnat
would break down any market, what
4 ever the concomitsnt conditions
might be. .-..
Helping this condition the mer-
s chant nest his money and the far
: mer wants u pay as soon as possible
Y and while cur bankers are willing to
extend good papers and to grant fur
sc ther accommodations, yet merchant
: and farmer alike have had so many
bitter lessons that they hesitate to
drop q moderate certainty for promi-
sing uncertainty.
g AS things have always been, this
: position of merchant and farmer is
not unreasonable.
Heretofore no concerted effort has
obtained to make the owners "a party
Z to the trade when our farm products
are to be priced.
Z Heretofore no thoroughly organized
: work has been done to get the lstatis-
tical situation for the farmers use in
time to benefit the farming com.
munity.
Heretofore no interested organiza.
tion has been strong enough to In
fiuence market conditions to favor the
farmers in time to benefit him.
Heretofore all has been uncertain
guess work, but this year the statis.
tical situation is well in hand.
When the first bale this season look.
ed back over the past year, 1t saw
~. that 13, 600, 900 Of its brothers had
been laid upon the shelf by the fatal
{ hand of consumption, 1t looked to the
future and saw the diease spreading
In new and wider fields, through
Japan, China, Russia and the world,
including the survivors fewer than
11,O00,0 900 would be thrown out to
!. fall before the dread destroyer who is
= eager and anxious to consume 2,000,.
900 more.
Farmer, is not $40 bale worth
looking after2
Merchant, is not so per cent in
crease of business worth looking after?
Are you not willing to help carry the
financial burdens Of an organization
that has done so much for you and
your own people? Are you not will
ing to help US carry on greater work
of usefulness in the future?
To all our people let us say we are
seriously in earnest; are sure Of our
promises, and confidently urge all to
stand firm for IL cent cotton.
Merchant and ban9er stand by the
farmer: Farmer, refuse to take less
than IL cents; when you unite to
show the world you are In earnest,
that you understand the situation,
the market will quickly respond to
your demand, for the spinners and
speculators know the situation, and
they know you could get IL cents If
yo, were unitedly arouse toIdemand it.
Oh! Farmers, Merchants, Bankers,
Editors and all the people Of our cot
ton growing south, let US stand to-
gether now a band Of brothers and
we can win this fight; to loose out
means humiliation, and defeat" will
mar our banner. E. d. SMITH,
President S. q. Div. 8. G. A.