The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-12-27
HI O REVIEWED.
Success Of the Southern Cotton Associa.
ton Praised and Commended.

" tutoSo anu NUtntiGu1Sus .
The following resolutions, offered by
Judge Thompson, were adopted by the
Laurens County Cotton Growers Asso-
citation at it's recent meeting:
LIST. That at the close of the first
year of its existence it is BETTING that
this association acknowledge its graft
tude to God for the success that has at
tended it's efforts for abundant haryests,
for immunity from pestilence or other
great calamities, and for many bless
ings that have united to make this a
period of uneXampled prosperity for
our country.
congratulation, for success, beyond the
expectation of the most %sanguine, that
has rewarded the efforts of this ~associa-
ton to better the condition of the coun-
try, and we should award a due need of
praise to our able and distinguished
leaders, Harvie Jordan, Smith, Weston,
and others, under whose counsel and
leadership, loyal and patriotic men, in
every section with crude and imperfect
organization, but willing to work and
make some sacrifice, have saved many
millions of dollars to the people of the
South, and we put upon record this at
t~estation of renewed confidence, and of
fealty to u leaders, and pledge to
them U cooperation and support.
3rd. We condemn the head of the De-
partment of Agriculture at Washington
for its ~laxness, or corruption, through
which cotton crop data, or statistics,
have been prematurely given out, a
ing market fluctuations at various
times, by means of which cotton pro-
ducers have been robbed of millions of
p,nrnu If th,, oooDo,ofin, Iol -oro
out of business after having exposed
the corruption in this department it
would have been amply rewarded for
all the labor and outlay of its organiza-
ton. We further condemn the action
of Sec. Wilson in changing, without full
explanation to the country, the stand
ard bale of cotton from five hundred
pounds net to five hundred pounds gross
weight. This change, without explana-
ton, made the Department estimate
for the 1905-0 crop 10, 167, S18, when it
of more than half a million bales, there
by strengthening the hitherto strong
suspicion, that the machinery of one of
the great departments of government
was, and is, being used to aid those
who gamble in cotton, or to build up
one industry at the expense of another.
4th. That we should be warned by
the lesson, long ago learned, but too
often neglected, of the danger of too
much cotton. The only safe rule is in
diversification and in keeping restriction
in acreage. In no event should our people
be misled by the good prices prevailing
to increase the acreage next year. We
must not be deceived by those, who
through ignorance, or who in the inter
est of spinners and spectators are try
ing to teach the doctrine that our eff
fort should be, mot to get a big price
for a small crop, but to get a big price
for a big crop of cotton" Whenever
there is an average, or full crop, and a
consequent low price for cotton, the
producer has invariably been met with
the cry of overproduction and next year
nor the next will be any exception to
the rule.
9Th. This Association has shown it's
endorsement of President Jordan's call
to sell no cotton before the LIST of
March next for less than Is cents, by
sending up pledges to hold over thou
sand bales. Conditions amply justify
this position. 1t is said that mills are
loaded down with orders for goods.
There has been an unprecedented in
crease in spindles in the world. The
Chinese boycott has been dissipated by
expectation in excess of all previous
years. There is extraordinary activity
in all lines of business. Everything is
high. These taken in connection with
the very short supply of cotton justifies
the demand for IL and 15 cents cotton;
Is cents for the remainder of the crop
will hardly make an average of IL cents
for the crop. The producer of cotton is
entitled to some restitution in the way
of a good price, for those periods when
he was forced to sell under the cost of
production. We are not asked to fur
Their reduce acreage, but our people are
urged against an increase of acreage
above that of this year. The small crop
has invariably brought the producer
more money than the large crop.