The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-04-18
SOUTHERN COTTON
ASSOCIATION.
An Enthusiastic Meeting in
Enfield Tuesday.
Great Address ~ lion. L. D. Smith

The Halifax county pranch OF lie
Southern Cotton Association hell.
session in EnA~lv' Tuesday 10th.
There was a good representation but
no routine business was transacted,
the time being given to President c.
c.. Moore, of the North Carolina
Division of the Association, and Hon:
E. p. Smith, Of South Carolina, gen.
eral financial agent of the entire
Southern Cotton Association.
Mr.. Moore made one of his char
acteristit Speeches, brimful of COM
mon sense and earnestness in the
work of the Association and then
presented Mr.. Smith, whose address
was the feature Of the day.
Mr. Smith is himself a farmer and
came with q message to the farmers
Of Halifax county-simple, logical
and most powerful in every feature.
Ex-Representative w. F. Parker said
on the street after he had heard Mr..
Smith through that it was easily the
most powerful address ever heard
in the town of Enfield.
Mr.. Smith is fluent in speech, clear
in argument, convincing in logic and
eloquent in every sentence. He is a
profound scholar, having spent years
in colleges and universities studying
Economics, or what Adam Smith
called wealth Of Nations" He has
studied commercial interests of this
and other countries from the view
point of cotton purely and simply.
He has been abroad and has studied
he question face to face with the
great manufacturing industries
there, as we'll as here at home. He
has battled with the New York Elk
change in defense of the rights and
legitimate profits of the Southern
cotton farmer, and is at home with
any feature of the cotton question.
In his able address he declared
that from observations he had made
in the disappointed hopes of the toll
ing cotton farmers Of the South, and
tie more h4artrending disappoint-
ment in the farmers expectant CHI l.
dren and faithful, toil-worn wife, he
has promised God not to cease his
efforts until the farmers of the South
come into their own and receive for
cotton NOR nearly it's true value.
1t was the purpose to report the
address, but Mr.. Smith held his au-
dience nearly two hours, and so
there is not space to give it; and
from the very first sentence the
writer was so spell-bonnd he forgot
to make single note. And we feel
sure that every man who heard the
great address will excuse us for
listening and taking it in rather than
making notes for a report.
It is impossible to give even an
analysis of the address in the space
at hand. The burden of the address
was declaration to the farmer, sus-
tanned and proved by the most con-
vincing logic, that the South has a
stupendous monopoly in the staple
which the world needs and must
have. By apt and telling illustra-
tons he showed how the South has
been almost giving away her wealth
for forty years through the depreci-
ated price Of cotton and said that
the one chief reason for it is because
the Southern people have not
thought carefully and deeply enough
about their own interest.
1t was shown that the mortgaged
cotton and cotton pledged in one
way Or another for debt is hurriedly
put on the market at the first OF
every season, which supplies the i'm.
mediate wants and needs of the
manufacturer and sets the price OF
cotton at low figure. The remedy
for this, said Mr.. Smith, is the ten
million dollar stock company pro-
posed by the Southern Cotton Asso
citation, which will enable the stock
company in each county to buy what
cotton is compelled to be sold ano
hold it in the warehouses until bet.
ter price is secured.
Mr.. Smith proposed that Halifax
county organize a stock company
of one hundred and twenty-five
thousand dollars, which will make il
easy to hold every bale of cotton il
the county until prices become salts
factory, which will be very soon af
ter the mills find that it can not be-
had at low figure.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Smith
great and eloquent address subscrip
tions were called for on the propos
ed ten million dollar stock compan,
on basis of S. per share. Abou
three hundred shares were taken
A committee CONSISTING of Mess r