The Greenville times., 1906-02-10


all the mills were. TO run on full time
to September I next there wonld be
on hand no goods-but about one
million bales of unspun cotton-per-
haps more. Now what is the man
ifest solution of this situation?
PLAINLY MORE MILLS
Our situation may be likened II
this; Suppose. we produce, as we
are doing now,I3,5oo,oo balos of cot
ton, but have only ginning capacity
for 100000 bales, running the gins
all the year. would we then be pie
for the ginner? How much would
he charge for ginning do you think?
WoIld it be 80 cts a hundred lbs. as
now or would it be $500 per hum
to hunt up and bid lower to get
more customers? Would he be
supplicant for more cotton to gin at
cheaper rates or would he be mighty
dictator of high prices for ginning:9
Would /, as a sensible man, in that
situation even suggest to him the
idea of cutting his price? Or would
I say to him. Here. if you will gin
my cotton first I will pay you $500
per bale more than you are getting
would we ever get the price Of gin
ming back to 80 cents where it prop
erply belongso By holding cotton
in the coton--house, do you think?
Would it be by cutingt our acreage
and letting our lands lie idle? Or
would the slogan be Build more
gins-build gins-build gins and
build still more gins?" When we haa
by multiplying gins cut the time OF
the gins one month out Of the yeai
the tune would change. 1t would no
longer be If you want me to gin
your cotton first, you must give me
an extra tip" But it would sound like
his: "Send your cotton to me and |
will gin it cheaper. I will give you
private rake off
AS we shortened and shortened
their rtln, the rake off would grow
until finally we had gins enough to
do all the ginning in four months,
instead of twelve Then the price OF
ginning would get back to 80 cents,
where it belongs, and only then. The
solution of the price of cotton is the
same-more mills and more mills and
still more mills, until it can be no
longer said there is a surplus of cot
ton. But that, instead, there IS a sur
plus of mills. As long as there is 4
surplus of cotton the mills will die
tate the price in spite OF all other
tactics that can be brought to bear
But build surplus of mills and soon
as you cross this line, the planter
then is master. To keep him mill go
ing the full year or as long as pos
s;blc in the year the miller must hus-
tie to get the cotton Where before
he was a prince and the planter &
s.nplfcant. the miller now becomes a
supplicant and the planter the prince.
Even as in times past the price Of
cotton declined in exact proportion
to the surplus Of cotton, So now
it will rise in exact proportion to the
surplus Of the mills.
1t would pay every county in the
South to build this year a fine cot
ton mill
1t wo1ld even be magnificent in
vestment to build it and then throw
the stock in the FIRE The extra price
on Just one crop would pay for it
several times over, If built it would
be put to singing and spinning by
some one In the deathly silence OF
the underspinning past the plant
pr has listened to his doom in the
,rv Of "Plea5e take my cotton at =
cents per pound, or even I, and my
cotton seed at 81 per ton. But the
music OF a surplus OF all spindles
ike the music OF a surplus OF all mills
will bring to his delighted ear the
wonderful song Of "Please, Mr.. Plana
er let me have your cotton at 20
cents per pound and the poor plant
er veritable Cinderella at the ball
puff his cigar, cock his head to one
side and sing back, We'll. Mr.. Man |
chester Man, my own mill has al
ready offered me 20 cents for tins
cotton. but seeing as how It IS you.
I will let you have it for y. All
these things were aired before this
and Notwithstanding the
opposition in this mass meeting were
able to strangle the convention into
a haif-hearted upport, the fiat has
gone forth. The victory of the
fat has gone forth. The victory of
planter over the cottonseed trust was