Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-01-03
The Producer and Spinner Of Cotton.

We might answer this at once by
asking another question, viz: Do the
mills contract for all their coal
through the coal spectators, or do
the mills deal directly with the pro-
ducers of coalP
If the mills buy their fuel from the
mines it goes without saying that if
cotton growers will bulk their cotton,
and put themselves in the same posi-
tion as the business mine owners do,
the mills will then come to the cot
ton producers without any asking.
AS the situation now stands, the
mill men cannot deal directly with
the farmer, for the simple reason that
the farmer is not in shape in his un-
organized state to get his cotton in
sufficient bulk TO enable even one of
our local mills to contract for his
seasons supply of cotton direct with
the farmer. No one can sell 100
bales unless he has 100 bales. There
fore, our local mills, as well as others,
are compelled to either contract with
the cotton speculator for their cotton
or hire lot of men to 60 out on the
markets and pick up their supply in
a competitive way-one mill bidding
against the other.
Good business farmers, as we'll as
mill men, have learned to avoid what
they call cut throat competition busi-
ness, and most mills now are forced
to contract with the cotton specula-
tors for their cotton.
When our local mills thus place
their contracts with the speculator,
this is virtually loaning all this vast
capital to the cotton speculator, who
in turn uses this money power to de-
press prices of cotton, and robs the
local mill mans neighbor, the cotton
farmer.
Does this system of our local mills
foster community interest in the up
building of the South ?
Organized business farmers have
learned from experience to handle
this mill conference business rather
gingerly, somewhat after the fashion
of the ass that nubbleth the thistle.
On several occasions the Farmers
Union of Anderson has invited mill
men to conference with them on
the subject of selling directly to the
mills, with the result that only one
mill man has ever appeared at these
This snubihas caused the organ
lied farmers to drive down their no
good stake at this mill station, and
look forward for relief with the full
nowledge of the truth that the
fault of the situation is not in our
stars or the mills or in anybody else
except ourselves
The up-to-date organized farmer
has learned from experience that if
farmers want anything done for their
interest that the farmer is compe-
tent to do for themselves the things
they want done, and that the
farmers must do their own work, or
it will not be done!
Our way out of this dilemma is
just here. We are convinced that
the only safe plan Iby which cotton
producers can have absolute control
of their business is to organize at
least five hundred of the best cotton
counties in the seven best cotton
States, put their cotton in the hands
of one farmer in each of the counties,
and one State agent in each of the
seven States, and the balance of the
business is easy. When this is done
it will be immaterial to the cotton
grower whether he sells to the mills
or the cotton speculator. 1t is then
an easy matter for this organization
to hold control of at least three
million bales for their own set price
and let those who refuse to organize
remain outside as prey for the cotton
speculator. When this is done we
need not invite spinners to come to
the grower fOrH his cotton The