The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-26

been called to meet in Birmingham
through the efforts of the Commercial
club. the committee on January 10 and
16, and the general convention on January
Il to 10 Inclusive, history of that organ
ization, It's purposes, what it stands for
and some of the problems which have con-
fronted il and to be solved; should be Of
interest 10 every reader of The Age
Herald
By series of manpulations ON the part
of few Spectators, made possible by
good demand from consumers and a short
crop in 1873. too small in fact for the
requirements of the trade. these specula-
tors succeeded in pushing cotton up to
l6la cents per pound in the spring of 1904;
dangerous time to the producers under
their system of marketing cotton for high
prices, for at that time almost the entire
crop had passed from the hands of the
farmer, and the temptation to over plant
is almost irresistible During that par
ticular spring or planting season, not only
We're the high prices a mighty influence
to put in an unprecedented acreage o.
cotton, but experts p with the solemnity
of owls, and oh! how many experts this
high price cotton developedD were every
where declaring that low priced cotton
was from that coed hour to be mere
matter of memory These "palace car
sages, who never saw a cotton field ex-
eept from the rear of an observation car,
travelling at the rate of sixty miles per
hour "wagged their heads and soemnly
declared that the south was beginning
her triumphant march to riches and opu-
! lence. "She can never over produce" as
signing reasons which Cooked good to
''us boys" who were more than ready to
believe that the farmer was at last get
ting in the saddle" Everywhere you'd
find these wise ones who declared The
south couldn't grow a twelve million bale
crop, even if it was possible to raise one.
Twelve million, they told us, the mills
must have at any old price. Sixteen and
half cents was thus offered, and to back
up our hopes, d few of our fool neighbors
were turning up their noses at that price.
Nothing under 90 cents can buy my cot
ton" was an every day expression from
| a few who by some chance had cotton ON
hand. All that sort of talk just at plant
ing time made the cotton producer get
gay" Being assured that cotton would
never sell below figures then prevailing,
I'VE boys" hunted up the childrens states
and got to Figuring and our figures
proved it was tommy rot to waste time
foollng with corn, peas, hay, hogs, and
such THAT preaching came from those
book farmers any way" and while it's
true they had convinced us, at the time,
and we had followed them with profit.
But 161a cents yes 2Ocentsll "Oh, well,
we were q years OLD and no set of pro
fessors'' could do Our thinking. We
planted. Every available acre was planted
in cotton more still was added to that.
A perfect season followed. Even the
boil weevil became appalled, at the in-
mensity Of the job and gave it up We
were happy, OH so happy But. harvest
time came. The impossible had happened.
The south had only produced, but had
gathered fourteen million bales of cot
ton. All at once the inevitable resulted.
Prices fell and the lower the price the
faster she fell In a few months only
prices tumbled ID cents from IS cents.
1t cost us more than that to produce 1t.
Everything was banicky. We didn't know
what to do. WI had acted the fool and
wanted to get fight. If we had to sell
at cents 1t would bankrupt us. These
same wise mn" began now to tell us
that cotton void go to and possibly
cents. What vas to be done? Two mil
lions of bales surplus, The south pro-
duced It, she must therefore take care
of it.
just at this time there was a meeting
of cotton prodtcers and etomotogists be-
ing held at Shreveport, La. This con-
Vention, known as the Bug Convention,
had as delega es in attendance good men
from most of he southern states. A dozen
of those men, With Harvie Jordan at their
head, decided that the situation was SO
acute, so seridls to require the thought
, of the best hen in Dixie directed to a
remedy for Iur troubles. 1t was then
decided by tlbse men to call a mass con-
vention of thi south's best brains to coun-
ell together md devise some plan which
might be adpted and put into operation
and thereby avert the awful calamity
which confrbted us.
An address was then drafted, and the
southern prfs was called upon to aid in
bringing int New Orleans the point de-
cided upon FIR a gathering of the best men
in the soutI to discuss our troubles and
suggest a Rmedy. To the press Of the
south is dlk the credit for the success
of that needing in New Orleans on jan
uary II, IL md 10, 1905. 1t was the largest
gathering 4 the kind in the history of
the south, hid will be recorded in history
as an epod- maker.
A new eb dates from that time in the
history of the cotton world. The south
responded TO the call by sending more
than 1000 bralny, earnest, honest men.
! Every secton of the cotton belt was rep
, resented Two days of earnest, serious,
honest dtcusslon and interchange of
ideas resuled in the birth of the Southern
Cotton association. The common sense
which characterized its deliberations at
tracted ne attention of the Southern
Banker association, which was also In
session il the same city, and when the
association was decided upon, they (the
Bankersl generously agreed to aid in car
rying oul the plans outlined by that as
soeiationIby raising $4,000 from southern
banks AMI giving 1t to the association for
the purpse of executing the plans agreed
upon. Cher business interests in the en-
tire soup were equally generous in back
ing the iound, simple plans to which the
association was committed.
| Reduced TO few words. the problem
of aveGing disaster to many men and
business. Institutions in the south was
solved n this way: Twelve millions of
bales q cotton, we were informed, was
needed for consumption. We had pro-
duced i,0Od,000 Two million too much.
The tHde agreed that 100000 of bales
would bring fair price. Ten cents was
considtel fair Gas "A compromise), hence
the 2,Ot,Wo bales of surplus was the cause
of ourItIoqble. III this was true; II 2.000-
900 bahs placed on the market was our
tribute !ufely 100000 bales held off the
markel, vas our remedy.
The foundation stone for orr work on
a remhd. bf our condition was to control