The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-02-18
HON. 6. A. WILSON'S
EXTRAORDINARY PAPER.
Capitalist Offerdhe Growers Great InduCement.
Unprecedented Propition--The Free and Unlimited Storage
of tt Fieecy, White Staple.

turers would pay the producers eighr
cents a pound for a given number o.
bales Of cotton for the next five years
thus cutting u the speculater, il
would be a great thing for the anu,
t~acturers and the cotton raisers. Such
a thing at this time cannon be accom-.
pllshed. | believe though that within
the next ten years something of that
sort will be brought about, by which
a steady and uniform price for manu-
featured products will be maintained.
giving the manufacturers a fair in
come on their investments on build
lngs and machinery, and the produ-
GERS of cotton a fair income on their
investments and labor.
THE organization of the Southern
Cotton Holding Association of New
Orleans, may be the first step in the
direction of accomplishing such re-
suits. Any way, | am a firm believer
that the recommendations of tina
convention will be carried out to such
an extent as will relieve the conges-
N-CA NOhSSobCN SitlitIlO1l, SOOIltI
than it has heretofore taken nature to
accomplish the same result.
'"Ihe proposition is too plain not to
be.understood. The carrying of 1t out is
simple, and it will save money in the
working of fewer acres and the mar
keting and gathering a smaller crop,
and IS certain to bring about a high
price faf the cotton that is raised or
held: | believe that every farmer in
the country will reduce his creage in
cotton at least % per cent. this will
be done IN the main Explaining IS n
cent: of the land that was Ill cotton
inet yesE- - corn this year. Such a
plan would insure a big price for the
cotton, and insure plenty of corn in
the country for the succeeding twelve
mmonth$, Sneh = ~ iSteai state OF af=
IL ~ hDr. the cotton neit.
ri such an agreement required
greater labor and greater expense, or
be doubtful of results, [ would have
my misgivings about the success Of
the combination. But where there is
everything to be gained, and nothing
to be lost, there is no reason to expect
that any farmer will be so blind to his
w interests or unmindful for the
prosperity Of his neighbors and the
country at large, as to go back upon
the carrying cut OF such an agreement.
As e~veryrca1ling in this country is
d~nnanIart 1ir1aatl,- -, i,,I:,co+l- $780,,
the money derived from the sale Of
cotton and cotton seed it behOOyes
the butcher, the baker and the
candle stick maker" and the LAWYER,
4he merchant, the doctor, the black
smith n the banker, particularly
the banker), to do any and every
thing each II a to uphold by the
farmer in his determination to stand
by his agreement, and to lend every
assistance to him in the CARVING out
of a plan laid down by the Conven-
ton.
ITO that end, 1 now offer to contri-
butte a small part of my substance
have w congresses, one at Green
wood and the other at Lexington. and
[ now offer to give free storage to anv
one who desires to hold his cotton
Tor a period from six months to five
years thereafter. There has been
considerable talk about the building
of warehouses by the farmers in Tex
as and other states, as though it was
necessary to have these warehouses
in order to store in a CONSIDERABLE
amount Of cotton. / feel sure that
every compress in the United States
will do h same thing that now offer
to do; and if so, the warehouse feature
Will be settled as soon as the COM
presses undertake to give free storage |
to the people who want to hold their
cotton according to agreement.
Il will say right here, that this off
er is not s~uperinduced by any motive
on my part to raise the price of cotton
| may sell any cotton that T own.
or have, or will own. My crop was
all sold On or before the third of last
Some of it has not vet
been delivered; but it has all been
sold. !. - -, #
I'm conclusion, l will call the at
tention> of the Convention to the fact
that it is not, necessary to borrow
forty or fifty millions Of dollars to
buy and hold, at eight or ten cents a
pound, one million bales of cotton.
With a margin of six or eight dollars
a bale, the banks of the country will
be glad to carry a couple million bales
for twelve months or longer, upon
warehouse receipts and insurance
policies. ,-.ss
There is another thing l call your
to and it is this: 1t is al
most destruction % a large cotton mill
get out of the raw cotton and be-
forced to shut down and discharge it's
employees. Such a mill would gladly
buy cotton at a price that would en-
able them to run and lose money bv
running, rather than to smut down at
a greater loss.
The loss to the farmer by holding
his cotton is eight per cent interest