The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-01-09
TO GET RICH II THE En-
PENSE OF 9TH RS

The meetings in every cotton grow
ing State Of the South. called in part
10 elect delegates 10 the Southern
Cotton Association TO b. held shortly
IN New Orleans. seemed u show that
the farmers are deeply Interested IN
their organization, and that in the
measures they have adopted to secure
fair prices for their crop they have
the cooperation Of the merchants,
bankers and other progressive inter
, csts in the South. For many years
the farmers ave sold their cotton 1T
the price nxed by the speculative or
spinning world having no voice in
fixing the prices they were 10 receive
for their product. The genera habit
was to sell the bulb Of the cotton as
soon as it was ginned at prices often
made artihcialIy low. The result has
been that, while the wheat and hogs
raised in the West and North. and
nearly every other product If the
farm, had gon up in price, cotton
felt the upward tendency Of prices
less than any other commodity except
tobacco, and the continued low price
VI INC "ttu was hIlONl - Dt que To
the m~anipulations OF the tobacco
trust. Seeing that they were working
hard and receiving only enough for
their crop to give them board and
clothes, and seeing that the bigger
the crop they raised the poorer they
got, the cotton farmers resolved To
get together" and see if they could
ptt hlffnr th1ir c4nIifiap ,EpAN- M
aanized the Southern Cotton Associa-
ton and the first hing done was 10
urge all farmers to reduce the cotton
acreage 20 per cent, and to raise their
supplies on the farm. That was SEN
sible advice. Men are working for
nothing and boarding themselves
when they actually ~impoverish them
selves by their industry ana thrIit,
as cotton rme have been doing. y
cotton crop of 5000 900 brought the
farmers as much money as 4 crop OF
L, 900, 600 bales, and much more
profit. The first step to sClf-help was
to decide not to glut the markets
with more cotton than the world
would use at a fair price. There was
nothing wrong or in the nature of q
trust in hat. When the crop was
made, and it was evident that the
crop was short. the association advised
farmers to hold their cotton at eleven
cents. Many took that advice; mally
sold at the prevailing low price, but
enough held 20 force the price up to
eleven cents. Reports then showed 4,
that the crop was certainly short, and
the president advised that three mil
lion bales be held ninety days in the
belief that before that time cotton
go to fifteen cents. Many did
take that advice, believing that it
wiser to take the certain twelve
than to hold cotton until near
the planting season for fifteen cents.
if cotton goes to fifteen cents, it
not mean that spinners must
pay fifteen cents for cotton, but that
the average price paid for this sea-
sons crop would be twelve and a half
cents. Is that too much if the crop
does not exceed 10, 600, 900 baIes.When
you consider how almost everything
else has gone up in price?
But the men who have been VI to
their necks in trusts organized to Ell
rich a few at the expense of the many
out: The farmers have organ
lied q gigantic trust and are resolved
to rob every other class for their il
richment.' The men who are starting
cry are men who have plucked
the farmers al the farmers had
no voice in fixing a price upon the
en+ ton thau hoJ TO coll Conn noantin~
On this talk about "a farmers trust
he New Orleans State says:
"Because the cotton producers Of
the South have created an ~organiza-
ton the purpose of which is to con
marketing of their product and s
prevent the price of it being made
sport of spectators. they have
been accused Of forming a dangerous
and all that sort of thing. But
it transDires that practically the same
action they have adopted to protect
themselves was taken several years
ago by the farmers Of Denmark Mr..
Hamm, our consul at Hull, England,
furnished the State Department
with an interesting o of the
cooperative organization existing
among farmers in Denmark, and his
calls attention to the fact That
at Esbjerb there has been establish
ed a cooperative dairy with a mem
of $50, milking 1900 cows.
Nearly ell of the milk is mad into
the bulk of which is shipped
% the English markets. In addition
to the Esbjerb organization there is
the Danish butter and egg
association with a membership
of $4,000 farmers controlling fifty
dairy establishments, h pro-
ducts of which are shil ped to Esbjerb,
where the butter is r1ade into a uni
form quality by means of a blending
process and 1000, 600 poundSannualIy
sold in England"
Unfortunately some speakers listen
to the talk of "a farmers trust
started in Wall street, without reflect