The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-09-13
DETERMINED TO WIN.

The Atlanta COQStllut1OlI t4luIo al
interview with Mr.. Charles Barrett,
president Of the National Farmers
Union, in which Mr.. Barrett says that
there is little doubt that the farmers
will win the fight for fifteen cents
cotton. It Will be the greatest fight IN
the interest Of the cotton growers,
that has been made since the war.
It is proposed to win without the
enactment of any laws; and there can
be no doubt that if the farmers will
only stand together that they can win
in this fight. We do not know wheth-
er it is true or not, but gentleman
told rs the other day that cotton
mill man had said to him that he was
now selling his goods on the basis OF
seventeen cents cotton, and that even
at that price he would make a profit.
The fact is that the farmers would
rather have high priced cloth in order
to get high priced cotton than to have
low priced cloth with low prce tor
cotton. It seems to Us that 1t would
be better for the manufacturer to pay
more for the cotton and get proper
tionate increase for the his manufac-
tured product; because that would
mean more prosperity for the cotton
section. Certainly the Southern man
ufacturer ought to be willing to pay
high price for cotton and higher pr1-
ces for wages, as he could make the
same profit out of his manufactured
product. And yet, strange to say, you
will find some Of the mill presidents
are always on the bear side of the
market.
But in regard to the minimum fixed
bv the Farmers Union, which IS also
the minimum fixed by the Executive
Committee of the Southern Cotton As
sociation which wet at Jackson, Mis-
sissippi, a few days ago, Mr.. Barrett
is quoted as saying: ''On the stand
ard of the Farmers Union there has
been nailed the inscription: Fifteen
Cent Cotton, and by that motto they
will win. What boots it if the gamb-
Ter, playing with the product OF the
honest toiling farmer as if it were a
stack Of poker chips, names f1ctl-
tious value to cotton, when the man
who makes it and who holds it in his
warehouse tells the world that his
goods will not be sold except for a
certain minimum price? We will win
the fight easy enough if the farmers
hold together, and I believe they will,
and the New York exchange will soon
be out Of business.
If, as Mr.. Barrett says, the farmers
are really in earnest and will stand
bv their resolutions, they can win.
Mr.. Barrett thinks that the next
most. important work which the Ma
tional union has done is it's opposition
to the importation of foreign labor.
He says that the Union now has l,
$4,000 members, and that all of the
Southern States are represented. An
organization composed Of that num-
Der of earnest and enthusiastic far
mers can weld powerful influence.
In regard to the importation Of
foreign labor Mr.. Barrett is quoted as
follows:
"'The next most important work, in
my opinion, that the national union
did, was the opposition to the impor-
tation of foreign labor. We passed a
resolution by unanimous vote that
stated unequivocally our opposition
to foreign immigration, and will take
active steps to prevent it, so far as the
south and west are concerned. We
don't want such labor, and we are not
going to have it,
Every other calling and profession,
unless it be the newspaper folk. is Or
eanized for their own protection. and
we can see no reason why the far
mers should not organize. But if
they mean to get fifteen cents for
their cotton, we cannot understand
why they should market it at twelve
and a half and thirteen cents.