Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-04-01

AAA way gathered at the court house Sat urday afternoon at o'clock to hear Hon. Harvie Jordan. president of the Southern Cotton association, speak on the cotton situation. The attendance was not so large as had been hoped for. but the room was comfortably filled, and marked attention was paid to the speaker, who discussed the sit uation in detail, and made a very forci- ble address.
 He said that the association had al- ready accomplished a great deal for the south in the past, and that he was confident that it would accomplish even more in the future if it was prop etly supported by the people. He said that he had been speaking of the con- sumption of cotton rather than Of the production. as that was no longer a problem for the people of the south. The present problem is how to sell our cotton at a profit that will reimburse us for our labor, as unless this fair profit is made on the investment the cotton-grower is engaged in an un- profitable enterprise. If cotton is put on the market at less than the cost of production the grower is no better eff, and is in fact worse off, than if he had planted no crop at all.
 South Has No Competition.
 We know absolutely nothing of the consumption of cotton, and in order to produce cotton at a profit we must be familiar with each detail of the cot ton industry There is absolutely no business in our present system of pro- tuction and disposal of cotton. There are but four competitors to our cot ton in the manufacture of fabrics. and these are silk. wool, flax and for eign-grcwn cotton. And until our cot ton demands 15 cents a pound on the open market it has no competition. Even then there is only a small amount of foreicn-eroWn cotton which can compete with it. Other materials gre all much higher in price than cot ton. so why is it that our cotton al ways sells for such a low price as it does?
 There are two conditions which cause this, and for both of them We are responsible. One is that we raise tco much cotton and find our own staple competing with itself, and the system of marketing cotton. The price of cotton has not been regulated bv the legitimate law of supply and demand for over forty years.
 Wants Warehouses Established.
 The solution of this problem is sim- ple and easy First we must have good system of first class warehouses at all the principal distributing points, where the farmer may bring his cot ton and receive for it a receipt that will be legal tender at aly bank in the south. The cotton may be properly stored and cared for in these ware houses which must be absolutely fire pl roof. so that the cost of insurance may be reduced to minimum. Then it can be sold direct to the spinner when he wants it. and a fair price obtained for it. These warehouses are being built all over the eastern part of the south
 We do not seem to be posted on the value of our crop. We are produc- ine the most valuable agricultural crop in the country today and the bankers and financiers of the country are beginning to pay particular atten- ton to the cotton crop of the south. I have talked with them recently con- corning the securing of money to ii, nance the crop so that it can be dis posed of at a fair price, and they say that the DanKS OI tile SOulu Ctu ocCule enough money to do this at any time. There is no other crop that is such firm mainstay in the credit of the country as cotton. All the capital stock of all the national banks in the country couldn't buy the southern cot ton crop for one year, and yet the price of this product is kicked about like football by the spectators on the boards of trade. It is time for the people of the south to assert them selves.
 The average farmer, after he has worked twelve months to produce his crop of cotton, and his wife and little children have gone out into the field and worked to get the crop in, takes :t to town and sells it to an expert eofton huyer. The farmer knows nOth.