The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-03-30
TU The Eks
Appeal OF PRESIDENT SMITH
no THE COTTON GROWERS.
TO Reduce the Cotton Acre ge and
False their nwn roed Crops
This Year.

This Year.
Mr.. e. ID. Smith, organizer for the
Southern Cotton Association and
president of the South Carolina d'vis'
ion. has given out the following state
ment:
.'Tnis Is the first time that l ave
been able TO be out siuce my rsturn
from the West. / am glad TO report
from Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas
q very Il ,urlshtpg c1ndition CT TIE as
ISOLATION. Wherever l have been n
spoken tho people have readily grasn
ed the idea that this Is q eimple ou ~
ness proposition ard tta5 the power
to control their crop lies entirely With
in their own hands.
''ThrOugh0nb the State or TaxaN
there Ia quite as mucn enttiualahm
and determination as there IS in any
other State In the UuiOn. They dld
not hold their cotton as other States
have dono; practically because sore
OF their loa ders, not Col. Peters, ad-
vised them against p'e2giug their
o,tton for Is cents a pound, on D
contrary advised the IN to sell 1t Ss
long as they could get IL cents per
pound middlipg. Tue consequence
was that Texas sold her crop.
''The conditions for this State fer
another year, so far as my observation
and opiopion are to be depended upon,
are these: Last year the spring was
go cold and wet that 1t was Impossible
to plant corn and oats In MMcl and
April. In this State OF T. xsS II corn
and oats are not planted In March and
April 1t Is useless to PLAN them at all.
for the reason that the excessive hot,
dry winds Of June and July practical
ly destroy the corn AID blight the
oats. Hence, as said before, the
spring was 50 backward that the time
for corn and oats planting had past
before any planting cCu,d be done.
The consequences was that as cotton
could be planted as late as July ard
etill make a fairly good yield, the
gratp lands Of Texas we're planted In
cotton last year. Tnis year, these
two months, February and March,
being ideal for putting In small graiu
and c)rn, the farmers, having on ac
count OF last years failure to be buy
ing corn TO- will be apt to increase
their grain crop for this year. Be
sides this, in eastern and central T. xas
there will be q large voluntary reCuc-
tion for various reasons, principals
anon which Is the organ z.tion o!
the Southern Cotton aSsjcta ion AND
the practical good sense Ct lh-sc vi
will adhere to its t~eHCAlpgS.
I'm northern Texas there Will be
possibly an increase IL acreage princi-
pally through the opening up Of ne"
lands.
"In Arkansas l ind, much to my
least aud doing The most, so iar as
standing by the association is con-
cerned. They not only have not sold
their cotton but have provided them
selves with warehouse facilities and
ample means, and are not going to sell
1t until it reaches the price for which
Trey have pledge to hold. l saw no
indications throughout I'll is S ate that
there would be any practical iocreasc
of acreage, but a determination On
the part of those to woom / poke.
And from the general impression
gathered from this State, 1 thi.,k
that a greater amount OF detHrmina.
tion will be prscticed this year thar
ever bsfo 9.
I'm Louisiana the conditions are
such that NO one can preGic5 |hab the
outcome may be. For the first time
last year the boil weevll got in his de-
Btruotlve work, and, with the bad
season, Louisiana ma de practically
no crop; neither has she made any
corn Drop.
"Tne price Of cotton Is unusually
high. The prospect before them OF
having to buy all entire years sup
ply, with the knowledge that their
land will make corn, and On account
Of the boil weevil, the disposition
seems to be rather to increase their
food supply crop.
"These are three States that ] CIV
cred In my absence and where | work
ed night and day. have cot for one
moment lost faith In the movements;
and in the ultimate v'ndjcatiOn of the
stand that we have taken. Those who
have spot cotton who have rcsolutely
held 1t in the face Of all organized eff
fort to force them to sell at other
Dhan their figures have a brighter
prospect Of victory today than ever
before,
THE ginners' report OF linters, sea
Island cotton, the amount OF cotton
which should have been re ported in
last years crop, and the g florence in
the weights Of bales This year and last
all deducted from the total, will make
the crop practically 10, 900, 600 bales.
With the worlds consumption re-
curing at least 70, 600, 900 bales out of
the pretent crop, by the first day OF
September next The condition Of the
spinners can easily BE- figured out and
the statistical report OF cotton easily
appreciated.
THE prospects arc that we will be-
gin the first Of next year with practi-
cally the stock depleted, and If the
farmers will butexcIcise good common
sense and reduce their acreage In cot
ton, increasing their food products,
there will be no need to hold cotton
another season for any length Of time,
because the world will be clamorous
for it from the beginning.
1T has been Of great bereft to me
to be able to point TO South Carolina
as standing wholly by her pledge. 1t
Ia no idle boast, MOI is 1T said in the
spirit OF q boast, but rather to show
the responsibility that is npon US,
when l declare that the eyes Of the
other cotton growing States are upon
us, and South Carolina this year viii