The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-03-14
The Lexington Dispatch.
Wednesday, March Ia, 1906.
Earvie Jordan Spoke
to Farmers In Florence.

5UO farmers 1rcm ClHerent cOunC!es
Of the Fee Dee section were here to-
day to hear President Rarvie Jordan
and MI. F. 81. Hyatt speak. Nearly
every county in the Pee Dee section
wes represented
Mr.. F. H. Hyatt, of the Southern
Cotton association, made very in
teresting talk. He urged the farm
cas- to cut their acreage and laid
great stress on the necessity Of the
farmers raising their supplies. They
would never do anything as long as
their smoke houses and corn cribs
were in the West. They could die
tate terms of their sale if they had
their own supplies. Mr.. Hyatt re-
ceived applause.
President Harvie Jordan was next
introduced He was received with
great applause. He had been anxious
to come to South Carolina and get in
touch with her people and get some
of their enthusiasm. This State was
to be congratulated on her stand in
the movement and class of officers
she had elected. He said be propos-
ed to discuss but one or two of the
features of the cotton association.
FIRST, he would discuss production.
It had been said there was scarcity
of labor. There was no scarcity Of
labor in production of cotton go long
as we make more than the world
wants. .Don'5 talk about scarcity of
labor in cotton production, but put
the labor to raising food supplies.
What We should learn is how to mar
ket our crop of cotton after it is pro.
duced. The pleasure of profit of
business comes wheo you put money
in your pocket. Uoless we run cur
business 30 as to make profit our life
is failure. Our people know how
to produce cotton but not thing
about its consumption. The federal
government is spending hundreds OF
thousands of dollars every year to
find out and tell us everything about
it's production from the time it is in
the seed until it leaves the hand Of
the producer, but not one word after
that They tell us nothing about its
consumption. They do this for the
spinner, but what do they give us?
The government is doing but half Of
its duty. 1t is treating US only half
fair. BE said he had just returned
from Washington, where be had been
before the Investigating committee
and he urged the importance of this
and believed we would soon get it.
He illustrated what the manufsct-
iurer made out of dur cotton when we
bought it back by a handkerchief.
Ordinary cotton handkerchief cost
him 10 cents and it takes Is to weigh
a pound. which equals So SO a pound,
while the farmer gets about l 0 cents.
The manufacturer gets Sl,250 for
what he buys for $50. 1t is our duty
to study the question and find out
where this $1,000 is absorbed: The
same is true of thread. J. and P.
Goats buy long staple cotton at Is
cents per pound, make 8 dozen spools
to the pound and sell it SO cents a
dozen. They get $22 so for what
they buy for Is cents. That is too
much margin for cost of manufact-
urer and dividend. What is the re-
suit? j. and P. Coats are multimil-
lionaires and the producers are beg
gars.
Gotten has only four competitors
in the world-wool, silk, fax and
Indian cotton. Wool sells for 80
cents per pound, flax 40 to SO cents,
silk 81 and Indian cotton Is cents
per pou md. So our cotton stands to-
day without competitor up to Is
cents per pound. Why do We ever
sell a pound for less than Is cents?
It is due two main reasons. First,
by reason ff over production our
Co6Sou Cob HPteS aSdiust itsei1 III tuo
markets. Becond, it is due to the
| fact that We have no system of mar
ketlng. We violate the legitimate
laws of supply and demand; rush it
all on the market in a few months.
Those who violate that law--the
farmers-have to pay for it. It is
| the one monopoly controlled by a
certain class of people. We control
it absolutely and yet by that system
of marketing We are get slaves to the
| rest of the world.
We have got to use more brains
and less muscle; they must both
work. A man who depends on mus.
Gle alone will be factor in the world.
We must bring the whole South to.
gether. How By building ware
houses and put an expert cotton man
in charge, who can grade it and with
receipts for it deal direct with spin.
! ners We must d0 awav with the