The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-28
REDUCTION IS Assured.
Farmers Can Control the Price Of
Cotton.
Growers i'm All the Southern States are
Standing Together - Black List
Should be Kept of armef WING
SIGN Pledge to Reduce Acreage ard
Fail TO Carry Out Their Promises +
Especial Correspondence

Raleigh, n. c.. March 25.-SecrerarJ
T. r. Parker, of the North Carolina
division of the Southern Cotton Asso-
citation was in conference yesterday
with T. j. Simmons, Jr., of Atlanta.
of the Press Bureau OF the
Southern Cotton Association. who Is
making a tour of North and South
Carolina for the purpose OF securing
information as to the number of pee
pie who have joined he association
and who propose to reduce their cot
ton acreage this year.
Mr.. Simmons is very enthusiastic
over the work which has been lone IN
North Carolina and South Carolina
and in fact he brought very encouraS-
ing news from the other cotton grow
ing states, in which he says the or
g%anizatiOn of the farmers is very
complete. From all Indications, &C
cording to Mr.. Simmons, the redue.
ton OF the cotton acreage twenty-five
per cent. for the year 1900 is assured,
and instead of so much cotton Whic!i
resulted in that enormous crop last
year, there will be a greater diverslii-
cation of crops than ever.
In speaking of the work of the AS
ISOLATION in the south Mr.. Simmons
said:
The membership Of the Southern
Cotton Association is growing rapid
~. From reports received at the
headquarters nearly one million, V
hundred thousand people in the south-
| ern states have joined the organiZa-
ton and have signed the pledge 10
reduce their acreage twenty-five PEI
cent. OF course there will be a few
renegades who will endeavOr to profit
by his neighbor in taking advantage
| OF the fact that the acreage is golnS
to be reduced. l was in South caro-
| lima Thursday and they tell me il
| that state tat they are going TO o.
tracise people who sign the piedse to
| reduce their acreage and then refuse TO
| comply with their agreement That 5
what they are going stO do i'll Georsi;i
| too and think it would Il wise pla4l
to black list people who fail to carry
out their promises after having MADE
them.
by sticking together the farmers
can absolutely control the price OF cot
ton. The people in every line of bust
ness in the southern states are back
ing the farmers up in this movement
as they realize that the high price Of
cotton means continued prosperity 10.
the south. while a low price means
poverty.
.-Since the New Orleans convention
In January the price of cotton has ae-
sanced seven dollars per bale. This
will easily demonstrate what the Wall
street SPECTATORS who hay controls
ed the market for years think of the
Southern Cotton Association. They
have arrived at b conclusion that tia
southern farmer a and will dictate
in future what he shall sell his cot
ton at, and although they Will max.
all kinds of efforts to get the cotton
in their control ali indications poin'
to failure.
Every southern state in which cot
ton is grown ha a thorough orgaaizt
ton. President Haryie Jordan IA
worked day and night to get the move
ment in shape, and he has succeeded
He has done Il great work for fhs
south and wherever he goes he =
enthusiastically received
.South Carolina hiss a sp.endi1
state organization and Secretary Tar