Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-05-08
TO FIX PRICE
ON COTTON CROP
Growers Are EndeavOr-
ing to Come to
Agreement

Special Correspondence.
Washington, May 3.-Quite the most
important event Of the present week
in Washington has been the meeting
OF the various associations OF the
country interested in the growing and
the manufacture Of cotton. 1t Is the
first time that such a meeting has ever
been held and 1t promises much for the
prosperity Of the south and for the
northern spinners as well. The meet
ing was the most mixed gathering that
has been seen here in long time.
There were southern congressman,
themselves practical cotton growers.
delegates from the Master Cotton
Spinners' Federation of England,
northern mill owners and business
men Of New York and Boston, and cot
ton farmers from the south who came
some of them without neckties and one
Of them even in an old Confederate
uniform. This old gentleman, It may
be said, was a Texan. He was the
Maverick Brander OF the gathering.
rough and untutored perhaps. but he
made one of the best speeches Of the
whole convention.
The object Of the meeting was pri-
marily to see whether the growers OF
the south and the mill owners Of the
north and Of England could not get
together and deal directly with one an
other and eliminate the gambling feat
ure in cotton and fix the price Of the
crop on a reasonable and above all on
stable basis. 1t cannot be said that
this desirable conclusion was altogeth-
er reached. The mill owners both Of
the north and abroad treated the over
lures of the cotton growers rather SUI
perciliously. They said that they
would be glad to deal with the grow
ers direct II It was proved that the
growers could hold and control their
own crop and deliver 1t in better con-
dition than was now done. In other
words, they would deal direct with the
growers If they had to. In reply the
southern men said that they had for
two years tried the experiment OF
warehousing and marketing their own
crop instead of hypothecating it to the
middleman before it was put into the
ground. The experiment had worked
well and was spreading, and that soon
the spinners would have to come to
them to buy whether they wanted to
or not. There the negotiations halted.
1t Is likely that the better method
OF handling and marketing the crop
in the south may result In the pro-
ducers and the consumers getting to-
gether eliminating the cotton gam
blers and consequently the violent
fluctuations Of the market. and thus
making more out of the cotton crop for
both sides than has ever been the case
| before
| The United States IL in q good posi-
ton to dictate to the world the price Of
cotton goods We produce In the cot-
ton belt OF this country Ave- sixths of
the cotton Of the world, and It IL q
question whether there II any other
country that can ever compete with
us in this line. But the growers OF
tne cOttOn peit III tHc OIHt0u St0eCe
really have the key to the situation
They own and control the raw supply
and now that they are seemingly wax
ing up to their Importance IN thii
world problem 1t looks a. though there
would be interesting times ahead foI
the cotton mills Of the world 4 they
did not meet the growers and arrange
TO do business with them direct ana on
! reasonable basis.