Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-01
COTTON GROWERS Def
Plain Talk in Convention Which
Opened This Morning.
SPIRITED TALK FROM SOUTH
Demand That Manufacturers Meet
Producers on Common Ground.
LARGE AREA REPRESENTED
Spinners and Farmers Exchange
Views-Organizati Effected
Addresses by Delegates.
LARGE AREA REPRESENTED

Addresses by Delegates.
The cotton producers of the south today
threw down the gauntlet to the spnners of
the north. They said they were willing to
deal with the mills of the north and the
mills of the world on a fair basis. which
would let the producer and the manufac-
turer each take a reasonable profit, but
they are tired, they said, of having the
market controlled and whipsawed by half
dozen cotton gamblers in New York.
Sooner than see that happen again, they
declared, they would lock up the crop in
a southern warehouse with southern key,
financed by southern money, and hold the
crop till the manufacturers came to them.
ready to deal direct and pay the grower a
fair price for his product"
This policy was announced at a meeting
which opened at the New Willard Hotel
this morning. 1t was one of the liveliest
conventions that has met in Washington in
a long time. 1t was the first time the cot
ton growers and the cotton manufacturers
have ever held joint convention. They
formed q. joint association today and elect
ed officers 1t was n world representative
meeting. There We're present delegates OF
the American Cotton Manufacturers Asso-
citation, the National Association of Manu-
facturerS, the Southern Cotton Association,
the National Association of Cotton Manu-
facturers, the National Ginners Associa-
ton, the Farmers Educational Association
and Cooperative Alliance and the Inter
national Federation of Master Cotton Spin
ners the latter an English association that
was this morning taken into membership
with the other associations represented.
The object Of the meeting was to form an
association that could meet on common
ground and discuss the needs Of the grow
ers and of the manufacturers. 1t was to
be friendly meeting and a friendly asso-
citation, but soon as the meeting opened
the growers took the floor,
The Def Iss ued.
Representative Livingston of Georgia and
E. D. Smith of Arkansas both briefly offer
ed the following proposition:
We are the growers of the world. We
have a natural monopoly and the world
wants what we have. Now we can produce
cotton for the whole world but we intend
TO do 1t on q reasonable basis OF profit
Come to US as manufacturers and We Will
cut out the middeman and the cotton
gambler and deal direct with each other,
leaving n reasonable profit for both. But
refuse us and We will lock up our cotton
and hold it till the world clamors for the
supply and you will have to come and take
It at our own price"
The preliminary business OF the meeting
was brief, There were present Director
North of the census bureau, representatives
OF the Agricultural Department, of the New
York and New Orleans cotton exchanges,
growers OF the south. young business men
of the north and the south, growers and
spinners, well groomed and well dressed,
and the solid representatives of the English
cotton interests, a region where the livelf-
hood Of one-fourth Of the population de-
ponds on the manufacture of the cotton
that they cannot raise themselves.
ORGANIZATION Effected
Mr.. ]. c. MacCon of the New England
Spinners' Association took the chair tenn
porariy and appointed a committee on or
ganizatiOn, consisting of 2. I. Hickman of
the American Manufacturers Association.
w. T. Van Diver of the Southern Cotton
Association, J. !. Westervelt of the National
Association Of Manufacturers, Stephen A
Knight OF the New England Cotton Manu-
facturers Association, II. w. McAllster Of
the Federation of English Spinners and
+. a. Clavin of the Farmers EduCat onal
Union This committee soon reported the
following nominations and they were unanI-
mously adopted as the permanent officers
of the association: President, Jas. r. Mac
Coll, president of the New England Cotton
Manufacturers Association; first vice presi-
dent. HarVie Jordan, president Southern
Cotton Association; second vice president,
r. NJ Miller, Jr., president American Cot
ton Manufacturers Association third vice
president II. w. MacAIster of the Interna-
and Manufacturers Associations Of Europe
secretaries, w. j. H. Woodbury. Richard
Cheatham and c. V. Bryant.
Address by President MacColl.
Mr.. MacColl, after thanking the associ-
alton for the honor of his election said
that there are several questions the meet
ing wanted to consider. The first thing
he said, is the question of an adequate
supply, The spindles of the world are
increasing rapidly. out of all proportion
to the increase in cotton production. AS
example, he said, in the past two years
there had been an increase of 6500,000
spindles in England alone. and that this
increase is larger than the whole increase
of the past twenty years. He said there
is a constantly increasing world market
and that the orient is opening up as a
vast consumer Of cotton. There should
also be stability of supply, and the grow
ers are entitled to fair profit on their
crop without being subjected TO the wild
fluctuations Of the market caused by spec
ulation in futures. They needed some
method Of control over the spectators in
this great and necessary crop.
There are also questions, Mr. MacCon
said. which the association must discuss
Of the more economical growing of cotton
and better methods of handling. There Is
the question of the government crop re-
ports Some people are in favor OF having
these reports abolished altogether. others
want them largely modified. What the
association wants, in his opinion, is to
have them as accurate and helpful as pos
sible to the largest number OF growers
and spinners, and to have them aid in all
possible ways the legitimate interests of
the business.
Cotton Conditions.
Representative James c. Ellerbe OF South
Carolina was called upon and spoke brief
Nv of the cotton conditions OF the south.
He said that It is the one crop where there
has been little Improvement of methods
in generations. This was largely due to
the fact that II is a hard crop to handle
with machinery. and that field labor had
10 be depended on almost entirely. He said
there had been little change or improve
nent in methods since he was boy. and
in the nature of things there could be but
little.
Representative Livingston of Georgia then
arose The President politely invited him
10 come to the 'front.' but he said he guess
ed he could make himself heard from where
ne was, and with that INDUCED in some
very straight talk. He said in the cotton
belf OF the south in recent years produc-
ton had improved somewhat, but that labor
had not. Education had spoiled the negro
laborer for the fields. and he is drifting to
the big cities and to the north.
au~ f b t....,