The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-10-16
COTTON PRICES.
Ex.Gov. HeywaTd's Address to
The Farmers on the
COTTON SITUATION.

gs Thinks That All Shoald Stand
Together for Higher PriccS-Gives
Much Valuable Information on the
Cotton Question, Which VIII Prove
Interesting Reading, Not Only to
Farmers, but to All.
Ex-Gov. Heyward was one OF the
principal speakers at farmers con-
vention held Orangeburg recent
". The meeting was held for the
purpose OF considering the cotton sit
uation and this subject was thorough
u treated by the former governor.
He said:
The question of most vital inter
est to the cotton planter tooas' I.s
crop being practically mace - .ts
question Of price. In thls n ~.
alone is interested. Inc "noie ~ 49, 49,
is equally interested with hihl III .ite
nroducton and marketing o. the Gov
TON crop, because this crop IS tooas
Nv most important industry, con-
tr;i>,+ine as it did last year $780,
on0 900 to the business Of the South,
s50o.O00,000 OF which came to US
as a result of exports.
The producers Of cotton realize the
fact that in this question OF prlce
more is at stake today than simply
the one crop Of this year-that new
period in the industry is being en-
tered upon and a new basis or values
determined. Economic conditions are
such that the period OF low values
which have recently prevailed IS no
longer possible. 4 Kew commercial
basis of value must be agreed upon
We are in what might be termed d
transition state because OF the SIedV
5rctations in price. which are the
tendency Of the day, prevailing last
wear to the extent OF 20 per cent
what the farmer wants is not only a
renumerative price, and to this ne is
jnsfIy entitled and he has rlgnt
+o demand, but he also wants tha
price as staple from year to year as II
ie nossiblc TO make il. IN 0eterM1n-
ing what that price shall be two I'M
nor1ant considerations must De INSIST
Cd upon-one as important as the
other 70 the producer. The pr!ce
os;S mnst Weld a fair profit to the
nroducer, but it must not be so nlsh
that it will IN any degree checA 81
curtail the Wonderful increase ID the
consumption Of cotton whIcn mas
taken place during the list IL years
for If it does disaster will follow.
Three Facts Established.
'.Three facts have now been IN
6;snutablv established in connection
with the cotton industry and these
mean everything to the grower Oh
cotton. The first is that the Soutn
has a monopoly the world over N the
raising OF cotton; the second, that the
consumption of cotton is !ncreaslns
wonderfully each year and the thlro
that the South has the ability TO Keep
mace with the increasing consumption.
These three circumstances comolneo
mean that the South will be the rlcn-
est and the most prosperous part OF
the greatest country in The world.
.sIn order not to be dependent up
on the South for their supply OF cot.
ton foreign spinners have searcheo
the world over for source OF supply
and with what result? Inc oni!
countries which enter into competl-
ton with the South in the export OF
cotton are Egypt. India and Brazil.
Although cotton has been planted IN
1901 fNof n0nHrTv mas
never raised more than 100000
bales, and that last year. The Iand
in Egypt adapted to the cultivation
of cotton is exceedingly limited. and
the quality Of the cotton raised does
not place it in competition With the
bulk of ours. India comes next to
us. but India consumes nearly all the
cotton she grows and will never be-
come a competitor in exporting cot
ton to Europe. Brazil, where such
efforts have been made to break the
supremacy of the South. produces on
ly 250,000 bales, and the Brazilian
mills use all of this. Peru and Mex
leo have undertaken to grow cotton.
but it practically amounts to nothing.
So much for our monopoly.
Of the greatness and the lmpor-
tance OF this monopoly, a prominent
American banker the other day said:
Bring me all the grain, all Of the
provisions. all of the foodstuf, all OF
the steel, and all of the iron Of the
II States of this great union, which
was exported last year. and will sell
the cotton crop Of 1907, and pay you
cash. and yet have money enough left
to capitalize 200 national banks.
Consumption of Cotton.
''The next question which interests
us is the consumption. Take a period
of 20 years In this time the con-
sumption of cotton in Great Britain
has increased 21 per cent. On the
continent of Europe 25 per cent.
'sIn the Northern States Of this
country. once the only part Of the
country where cotton was spun to any
extent, SO per cent, and in the South
ern States 149 per cent. The demand
for all products Of cotton, especially
cotton cloth. is increasing HIid widen
ing every day. The civilization and
evangelization Of the world means
the clothing of the world. The cot
ton farmer can know that when ne
contributes his quota towards the
100000 expended each year in
foreign missions that he is not only
Iaving us treasures in heaven but
that his own Will be returned to him
with usury.'
'tArd the world can never demand
more cotton than the South can sup
ply. Less than one-siSth Of the lanS
in the South today is improved; and
less than one-half Of that is planted
in cotton Science is being applied 70
agriculture more and more each year,
and science will some day enable US
to raise twice as much cotton upon
our present acreage. Science will,
through fertilization. cause our
lands to bear more stalks. Through
improved methods of cultivation,