The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-16
FARMERS MUST HOLD COTTON This Was Message of
 Two Speakers. SMITH AND JORDAN HERE They Addressed Meeting at the
 Auditorium.
 President and Organizer of Southern Cotton Association in Eloquent
 Words Paid Tribute to Work
 of Organization. .tg t

| Harvie Jordan, president of the South- ern Cotton Association. and tke other by E. D. Smith, financial secretary and natoinal organizer of the Southern | Cotton Association.
 The speech of President Jordan con- stunned about ten minutes. during which time he presented sound facts and arguments for the holding of cot ton in order to secure better, prices. MT. Smith must have made one of the ablest efforts of his life during the | hour which he spoke and he held the closest attention of his audience. Few more powerful speakers have been heard in Montgomery than Mir. Smith. This was the verdict of the three hundred people who were in- tensely interested from beginning to end of his remarks.
 MT. Smith. who is president of the South Carolina division of the South ern Cotton Association. is a gifted orator. He is fluent. versatile and hu- morous. and his style of delivery is one that carries his audience with him in the great climaxes that he reaches at frequent intervals during his dis course.
 Both speeches aroused much enthu- siasm and at the close it was believed that the eloauence of these two lead CTS of the cotton movement of the South had done much toward accom- plishing good in Montgomery. The meeting was a regular session of the Montgomery County Cotton Asso- citation and 1t was called to order by W H. Seymour president of the Ala bama division. at 11:30 o'clock. After mour introduced President Harvie Jordan.
 President Jordan Speaks. In the beginning, MT. Jordan said he did not expect to have had the pleasure of talking and he did not con template taking up but a few mo- ments. He then entered straightway on his theme There were several mat ters or features which he said he wish ed to speak about. The first was the fact that twelve months ago spot cot ton was worth eight cents per pound in New York, while today 1t is selling for eleven and a half cents, and he de- clared the Southern Cotton Association was the predominating factor in secur- ing the advance in price. and in main- taining 1t through the winter. In his belief, if the association would con- tinue to grow in the future as it has done in the past, 1t will not be many years before the South will absolutely fix the price of cotton. The South. he said, will then leap forward in prog ressive development
 
 Cotton Association was the only or- ganization in the world which the spinners of the world has asked into a conference. He alluded to the val uable results of the rece.-t conference in Washington between the spinners and the association. and he believed the conference will have a greater ten dency for the building of warehouses throughout the South. It was also his belief that it will ultimately bring about revolution in the marketing of cotton.
 MT. Jordan then discussed acreage. He said the association expects to get up an acreage report on May "1. and he urged all farmers to assist as far as possible in giving the facts. He said there was no doubt that this years cotton crop will be but slightly in excess of last years acreage. The conditions during the past month were unfavorable on account of the floods in the West and frost in the East.
 MT. Jordan impressed the fact on his hearers that the consumption of cotton was growing faster than its production and he wanted certain peo- pie to get rid of the idea that ten cents is all that is wanted for cotton. The idea, it was his opinion. prevailed among ninety per cent. of the farmers and he declared 1t to be mistake. Other commodities. he argued, have doubled and multiplied in price. there fore the same rule should hold for cotton.
 Opposed to Immigration.
 A significant statement made by Mir. Jordan was that it was not in har- mony with the cotton movement to i'll "our Southland" with all sorts of for eigners just to increase the popula- tion.
 At present it seemed to him there was not enough cotton to supply the demand until eptember i. Many were faithful in holding their cotton, and he believed the time will come when they will be amply rewarded for their fidelity.
 Another feature, MT. Jordan pointed out, was the loss Of an enormous amount of manufactured cotton in tho San Francisco disaster. The loss, he said was estimated at $50,0O0,000 of the manufactured product, or about SO0,O bales of cotton. -lEs would be a factor in favor of a shortage.
 In view of these things, President Jordan said in closing, he could not see how any man could sell his crop now for September and October delivery at ten cents per pound.
 President Seymour followed Mir. Jor- dan with a brief address in which he said. to his mind, it was not so much question Of securing an mcfeaSeu price for cotton as 1t was for a main- tenance of values. He strongly urged renewed interest in the movement and he said it was the greatest thing for the success and advancement Of the South
 Monopoly of the south.
 Almost from start to finish, the line of thought conveyed by Mr. Smith was that the South has a monopoly with cotton and as men of the South 1t should he the duty of everyone to de- mand q good price for the great sta pie. At times he was bitter in his al- lusions tn the oppression of the destl- tute South after the close of the war between the States. He referred elo- quently O the memorable struggle ana said he did not intend to intensity the feeling that existed but that he stood IS a defender of the beloved Southland. He wanted the world to know there was something else in the South besides the possession of dollars. Here there was the supremacy of the Anglo Saxon race. and the purity of Southern wo- men.
 He spoke of three steps in the pro cess of civilization. wealth, leisure and learning. and neither of them. he said' could be disa associat ed from the other He fully discussed each step and reach at, in, aFaF