Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-09-13
Fifteen Cents Cotton.

The following very sensible editorial
to which 1t seems that there Is little
to be added that would make 1t more
comprehensive, is from the News and
Courier of yesterday:
The buyers of cotton in the north
and the executive committee OF the
Southern Cotton association differ by
one million bales in their estimates OF
the cotton crop now being harvested
and the usual protest may be expect
ed from New England against the ac-
ton of the Southern Cotton assocla-
ton and the Farmers union In decid-
ing to fix Is cents the pound as the
minimum price Of the staple.
We do not pretend to know What
the price Of cotton should be. Ulti-
mately the law of supply and demand
will assert itself, but it is well enough
to emphasize again that the crop will
not bring its value unless the grow
ers express and act upon their own
opinion as to it's value. There Is pre-
cisely the same reason for a farmer
with cotton to sell to name a price for
II as there is for the owner Of horse,
OF a share of railroad stock or OF an
automobile to name a selling price Tor
his property. The southern farmers
are in better condition this year than
ever before to hold cotton. Few or
them will be forced to hurry 1t to
market. The chances are excellent
that better prices will prevail later In
the season. Cotton is not perishable,
ware e-housing facilities are more nu-
merous than they have been and COM
mon sense makes plain the duty and
wisdom of every cotton grower to fol-
low faithfully the advices Of his or
ganization leaders.
Admitting for the sake Of the argu-
ment that the crop will reach 13,O00,-
600 or more bales, 1t does not follow
in the least that the buyers should be
allowed on that account to determine
what the price Of the crop shall be.
The more cotton that is held between
the present date and the beginning OF
the harvest in 1908 the more the mar
ket will be steadied and, although the
farmer who holds necessarily assumes
some speculative hazard, the chances
{ loss to him are so small as to make
the argument in favor of loyalty to the
association and the union overwhelm-
ing. The southern cotton farmer is
in the saddle and he would be no bet
ter than a fool to listen to the plead
ings and outcries of cotton buyers that
they release their product for what
ever the buyers choose to suggest.
Presupposing that there will be dur
ing the season no substantial slump
from the prices now prevailing, the
present condition brings out clearly the
strong position Of the southern cotton
mills the mills in the field! A consid-
erable part Of the crop must this year,
as in every year. be promptly market
ed. Many farmers are in debt. They
owe the merchants and the banks for
advances and money used In thelr
farming operations. This cotton Will
become Immediately available to the
southern mills, who may buy 1t at their
doors and who can afford to pay the
price of transportation In excess OF
the New York quotations. In time the
New England and foreign spinners
NAV find It advisable to send compet-
tive buyers into the mill districts
early in the season and take advantage
of the quick offerings Of cotton. but,
of course, they would be compelled to
meet the prices offered by the mills,
with the result that the growers In the
mill districts would save freight and
sell all their cotton at figure equal
To or above New York prices. Hereto
fore the policy of outside buyers has
been to withdraw from the southern
mill districts until the southern spin
ners had secured their stocks for the
year. This policy has been Of material
advantage to our spinners, but II the
outsiders should abandon 1t they
would still retain some advantage and
a greater profit would inure to the
farmers. At any rate southern farm
ers who produce cotton in the neigh
borhood of the mills have had brought
sharrlv before them the very great
benefit that thev enjov through the
establishment Of the spinning indus