The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-07-16
MIR. SMITH FAILED TO COME.
Newberry County Cotton Grower s
Association Reorganized
Yesterday.

association had announced through
its president. Mr. II. I. E. Hunter that
! Mr.. T. D. Smith. president Of the
State Cotton Growers association.
would be in Newbery yesterday and
deliver an address. About two hum
dre,} or more Of farmers came to New
berry for the purpose Of hearing Mr..
Smith. Mr.. Smith did not come. He
did not send any message as to why
he did not appear. The meeting was
not call to order until about l o'clock
hoping that Mr.. Smith would come on
one or the other Of the midday trains.
President Hunter tried to reach some
body connected with his office in Co.
lumbia, but failed. Mr.. Fred Long,
who was at Edgefeld last week where
Mr.. Smith spoke, stated that Mr..
Smith told him that he would be here
yesterday. That is the last message
which has been received from Mr..
Smith.
This is about the third time that
Mr.. Smith has disappointed the New
berry farmers. Mr.. Hunter promised
the meeting yesterday thathe would
endeavor to get song explanation
from Mr.. Smith taGehing his failure
to be here yesterday and that he
would publish the reasons in the
the countypaper or failing to secure
any reasons, would advise the farmers
to that effect.
It Has a great disappointment, for
a great many Of the farmers left their
work in order to hear the speech OF
Mr.. Smith. Despite the fact that Mr..
Smith was absent, however, there was
a good meeting and it will no doubt
result in the reorganization and the
revivifying Of the Newberry County
Cotton Growers association.
Mr.. Hunter. in calling the meeting
to order, stated that even though some
Of the farmers were put out because
Of Mr.. Smiths failure to come, and
even though Mr.. Smith probably has
not treated the farmers of this coun-
ty as they deserve to be, that was no
reason for eondemning the cotton as
sociation.
In this day everything is IN COM
bine, and if the farmers fail to meet
combination with combination they
may expect to be at the mercy Of the
great combine Of the country. The far
mers cannot expect to make money
or even to exist until they do combine
in order to meet combination With
combination. Not for the purpose OF
fighting any one, but if any one gets
in the way and is hurt, is it simply
his fault.
Mr. Hunter stated that we had prac'
tically no organization in this coun-
tv. The election Of officers should
| have been in December, but though
he tried very hard only two persons
came. The farmers in the Cotton
Growers Association can do great
deal Of good in maintaining the price
of cotton and there is no conflict be-
tween the Cotton Growers Assocla-
ton and the Farmers Union. We
know that we cannot make money
with cotton at 4 cents and even at lO
cents. with the present price Of la
Dor. there is no money in growing cot
ton. but it makes no difference as to
the price, the farmers should have
some say as to what that should be-
There is no sense in making cotton
and taking less for it than it cost to
make it. It would be better to make
no cotton, for we can live in this
country without growing cotton.
| In the Cotton Growers Association
every citizen of the south IS entitled
to membership if he feels an interest
in the prosperity Of this section. Mr.
Hunter also said there seemed to be
some mistake about the cotton asso'
citation going into the banking busl'
ness. It was not the purpose OF the
cotton association to engage IN bank
ing. It was their purpose to estab'
| lish cotton warehouses and to secure
from the banks now in existence
money on receipts issued by these
warehouses. Mr.. Hunter expressed
desire that cotton association shoulc
be revised.
Mr.. Alan Johnstone stated that NJ
Hunter was still the president ano
would remain so until his successor
U-as elected: he felt that the asSOcla