The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-30
THE SOUTHERN COTTON
ASSOCIATIONS VICTORY
BY B. DIXON ARMSTRONG.

= In attendance upon this meeting at
! Asheville, was an official representative
/ of the Farmers Education and Co-opera-
tive union. This gentleman was given
! FIJI Recognition by the committed and
was invited to aid them in determining
| the question before them for solution.
] His assistance proved most valuable ana
his participation in these deliberations
i resulted in his recommendation. to the
I splendid organization he represented.
The minimum fixed by the Southern
Cotton association and the Union adopted
II cents as their minimum price. The
harmonious cooperation of the union was
greatly to be desired. I wish to remark
just here, that not only was this coop
+ Grafton TO be desired then, but at all
times. and the rank and file of each or
sanization should demand such co-opera-
tion at all times of it's leaders, Lack of
harmony on the part of leaders, is sure to
result in weakening the ability of both
organizations to gain the very purpose for
which they are organized, and should not
: be tolerated. The question of fighting
I Tor and securing a just price for our sta
pie is of too vital Importance to all
of us to permit a few jealous leaders TO
hinder our efforts. This question is big
ger than any one man or set of men, and
1 the rank and file i'm each organization
should see to 1t that the enemy gain no
/ such advantage. as quarres among !he
leaders will lead to. If leaders can't set
! tie their jealousies or quarrels privately,
! they shall not do so publicly at our ex-
pense They must either pull with us Or
get out, and those who will do our bid
ding will be placed at the head.
| Eleven cents having been decided upon,
! the south was again called upon to refuse
| To sell for less than that minimum. The
! trade generously agreed that II cents was
! conservative and just. and that we were
| entitled to it. BY the LIST of November
/ We had gained our second splendid vic
! tory Eleven cents was being paid us for
| our cotton. 1t took us less than two
months to win the fight This achieve.
ment was even more wonderful than oui
first for it was won just in the midst u
our season of settlement of the years ac.
counts.
An immemoria custom has been prey
alent in the south to make all obliga
/ tons fall due and become payable durins
| the months of September, October an,
| November. This custom has been a grea
! factor against the producer in forcing
prices down during this period From
date or meeting of the executive com.
| mittee, September and November l.
bear" spectators and spinners had a
/ great harvest, due entirely to the fact
| that it was settling time in the south
| Every conceivable bluff, threat and ac.
| tive effort was made to force cotton tc
! and cents per pound. They did actual,
| drive 1t to 49, cents, but thanks be &c
| Almighty God large per cent of oui
| people have at least learned that no croI
| of cotton we ever produced in our live.
| was or is worth less than 10 cents pei
pound. No consumer of our product car
complain at paying that price for raw
cotton.
So, just as soon as that gang woult
| hammer cotton down below 10 cents tn,
| farmers quit feeding the market" be
| You'd what was forced upon them b,
their debts and that system on the par
/ of the farmers forced the price back t,
the 10 cent figure Too much cotton. how
ever was sold around 91S cents but W.
had enough Independent men who wer
! not forced by circumstances to dispos
of their cotton below Il cents and VIII
believed in the justice of our cause. an,
! they stood firm and forced their forme
! masters to pay the price their leader
told them was Just and right. Victor,
was ours. Yes and from now until tn
ED of time, it shall be ours Give us
conservative price to hold for and "B,
the Eternal Gods we will hold for tina
figure or else the world may go naked
1 out we fnuSI Dt convinced tnal IN
price is not high that we may d.
our fellow man wrong. We will bacl
any movement we have no doubt abou
the justice of. We have proven that l.
the world i'm the achievement of on
assoca ton. by what we have alread
done. just we have shown the world
by refusing to hold our cotton for pric
we thought unjust, and prohibitive an,
| incidentally put our leaders on notice
| will Ipplipp ia mi u-hi 10
We think is so high that those of our fel
| low men who have invested their saw
| ings in cotton mills or who depend upol
their labor in the mills to support them
| selves and their families may be thrown
| out of employment and caused to suffe
| as we suffered when scheming men com
| bined to drive our product down to ant
% cents. Having suffered ourselves from
| the cruel wrong inflicted upon us by de
| signing greed, we know what ii mean!
| and we will not Intentionally nfict sui
| fering on the innocent and helpless a.
we once were inflicted.
| At last the farmers of the south know
as well as the cotton trade has known
! for many years. that an ''all wise Proyi
dence' has placed in his hand. as hi
| blrthright monopoly of a product upoi
| which three -fourths of the world depend
for its clothing
The consuming world should realize. i
| 1t has not already done so, that notwith
standing our monopoly. we may be de
pended upon not TO abuse the divin
| trust
The intoxication of two magnificent
| overwhelming and glorious victories eacl
proving beyond a shadow of a doubt on
| power to fix our price. stand pat an,
, get il did not cause us to forget tina
| we should not abuse our power. w,
| demand of the world fair treatment an,
| this she must give us. More than that
| we will not ask
| | do not wish to say that the IL cen
| holding movement was wrong from TIL,
| viewpoint of those who were responsible
| for it, Intrinscally. cotton was worth L
| cents. My next article will cover that pc
| Rod in the history of the association.