The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-02-24

the Southern Cotton Association.
Dear Sir: L. gives me pleasure to
comply with the requ est contained In
your letter Of + bruary 9.
cordially approve the work map
pt d out for the Southern Cotton asso
cial ion. The association will give an
opportunity for bankers, merchants,
manufacturers and professional men
or tue cotton growing States to or
ganizo with cotton planters into a
permanent cooperating force having
as its main object to make the lint
COTTON grown In the south bring a
stable p'1ca of 10 cents pound.
RESULT Is FEASIBLE.
Such result Is feas bic. 1t can
certainly be accomplished, If all who
will be benefited by 1t 3ill help to ac-
complish it.
Lint cotton raised in the southern
States is worth 10 cents a pound.
The manufacturer can afford to pay
the planter 10 cents. This is true
| because the price Of 10 cents pound
Will not prevent fabrics made of
southern lint cotton from controlling
the market against all competition.
SILK, fax, wool and cltton raised In
foreign countries are the competitors
OF southern lint cotton. Goods cannot
be manufactured from these four raw
materials to successfully compete
with goods made from southern lint
Gotten when the lint cotton costs the
manufacturer no more than 10 cents
pound. The manufactures OF cot.
ton carn1t only afford to pay the
planter 10 cents pound for lat cot
ton, but stable price of 10 cents
would help the manufacturer by
making more stable the price Of goods
manufactured from lint cotton.
If the southern States produced an
nuatly oaly the quantity OF cotton re-
CURED by tie mills, sales 1T 10 cents a
pound would readily follow. 1t has
teen the Erea, facLuati N in the siz.
CT tie crops and nntusiuesslike man
ner in which much Of the cotton is
marketed by the planters and the
general want Of trustworthy sources
OF information on tbs part OF planters
that have made possible great waste
and loss to the south through the
fluctuations in the price OF cotton.
Last year the crop raised exceeded
by nearly 100000 OF bales the
amount needed for this years con
sumption. Buyers concluded the
price could be forced down below 6
cents pound and we were presented
with the spectacle of au effort to price
a crop of l3,000, 600 bales at over
800, 900 600 less than the price at
which a crop OF II 900, 600 bales sold.
Because the planters have raised g..
600, 600 more bales than will be con-
Sumed during the present year buyers
proceed upon the theory that they
should be paid 500 900, 900 less than
they would have been paid had their
cr' p heon 1000 600 OF bales smaller
This has been very much the mode of
procedure with reference to the sale
OF past crops Surely there must be
way 10 protect the planters and the
cotton growing States from such
losses. If the Southern Cotton asso
cation receives the support which l
believe 1t will receive protection can
be had against such results.
AS an in mediate remedy the meet
Ing at New Orleans proposed:
First. A reduction Of acreage In
cotton this year as compared to last
year or 25 per cent, with a CORES
ponding reduc lon in the use OF com.
mercial fertilizers.
AN IMMEDIATE REMEDY.
Second. The sale now or no cotton
for less than l0 cents per pound de-
iivercd at the ports.
Third. a combined effort to with.
draw fro n the market and carry over
to next year 100000 bales.
The mere earnest declaration OF
these three purposes by the New Or
leans convention stopped the decline
In the price OF cotton aud carried it
up over S5 per bale.
You ask my opinion of the proba.
bic succe IS OF the work YOU have un.
production this year so that next year
the mills absorb the surplus carried
over from last year, they will show to
the world that 1t IL their intention
not to pile surplus upon surplus, and
the holders OF surplus crops will only
he called on TO wait II months for
sales. Such intelligent conduct by
the planters will inspire all people
with confidence and help vastly the
efforts to give cotton stable price Of
10 cents per pound. 1t will make 1t
easy to withdraw the present surplus
OF 100000 bales from the market