Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-10-19
BARRETT OPPOSED
TO VIEW OF JORDAN
Severely Cciticizes Interview of
Harvie Jordan. ga4
HE THINKS JORDAN is WRONG
President Barrett Takes President
Jordan to Task For Statement That
Present Crop of Cotton Will Be Sec
ond Largest In south's History.

Atlanta, Oct. 1S. President C. S.
Barrett, of the Farmers union, was
! in Atlanta Wednesday on his way to
Topeka, Kan, where he will attend
on Monday the conference set for
that date, and which will attract
prominent Farmers union men from
all parts of the south, the west and
indeed the whole country.
On being asked for an opinion con-
corning the outlook for the cotton
crop and the probable price of cotton,
Mr.. Barrett said;
II can say no more than l have
persistently stated every day for the
past six weeks, and that is, that the
farmers of the south have a splendid
opportunity this year to get an ade-
quate price for their cotton crop, pro-
vided@ they are not overzealous in
rushing it on the market.
THE National Farmers union con-
vention, held in Texarkana, Tex.
on Sept. 5, fixed the minimum price
for the sale of cotton at II cents
We believed that it was right then,
and we know it now. We regret that
the Southern Cotton association did
not stand by us instead of naming 10
cents as the price-obyiously too low.
"It is a strange thing to me-" con-
tinued Mr.. Barrett, that great
many people who ought to be up
bold;pn tho EorO,orC, union oro +rxy
ing to explain that it is entitled to no
credit for having fixed the price of
cotton at II cents, when the South
ern Cotton association fixed it at 10
cents. Some say it is due to the
weather that spot cotton has reached
the price fixed by us; some say it is
due to a short crop; some ascribe one
reason AMI some another, but the
overwhelming and unanswerable fact
remains that, whatever is response
BILE for 1t, spot cotton has sold for II
cents per pound during the past week.
"Ot my own knowledge can say
that | know of thousands of farmers
throughout the south who, when cot
ton was selling under II cents, held
it for that figure, when IL cents had
been made the minimum price by
the Farmers union. Bad weather or
good, storms or no storms, if the
cotton producers had rushed all their
cotton on the market, the price could
not possibly have been pushed up to
II cents. Fortunately, however, the
ENo~ pV~-J t.
organized that when the convention
acted, thousands accepted it's advice
and held their eotton until it reached
the reasonable and just price fixed by
us. 1t all shows the advantage of
organization. If labor can organize
for higher wages, which is just and
right, and If capital can organize to
make the public pay more for manu-
featured articles, why in the name of
common sense Is it not just and right
for farmers to organize for their own
protection and to secure a fair figure
for their product? This ds Just what
Is being done through the Farmers
union.
THE best thing about our 'organiza-
tion," continued Mr.. Barrett, lis that
we try to be reasonable and just.
recall, for instance, the time we re-
fused to accede to the request of
President Harvie Jordan of the South
eFn Cotton association, to raise the
sale limit to Is cents per pound, after
that association had fixed the price
at II cents, following the example
set by us few days previously, when
he had first fixed the price at II
cents. We felt that it was unwise
and unjust to make a raise from IL
cents to Is cents, when he had fixed
the former figure as the minimum sale
price. Events justified the correct
ness of our position, and 1t would
have been much better for the farmers
Of the south if President Jordan had
stood by his original action, as we
did.
LAS to the exact conditions today,
| think that President Jordan made
a great mistake in Washington a few
days ago if he stated, as published,
that the recent reports of storms in
the gulf states were exaggerated and
that the present crop of cotton would
be the second largest in the worlds
history. That statement of President
Jordan had instantaneous effect In its
use by the bear interests throughout
the world. The market dropped the
very next day and was followed by a
drop the day afterwards and the down
ward trend of prices was not checked
until further reports of continued bad
weather and damage of an extensive
nature already done the crop in the
fields, had the effect of checking the
downward turn.
"We do not want to spread the re-
port of large cotton crops. Even If
1t is true, it is not our business to be
putting the world on notice to that
effect"
Pressed Gun Against r1eau.
Moultrie, Ca, Oct. 18.-Minsey
Nov a cucoocefYI fa arYnor of the Roh-