The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1907-12-12


Ter banks throughout the south urg-
ing them to get the cotton on the mar
ket. theodore Price and other cotton
gamblers have tried every means at
their command to force the holders
to SELL The big wholesale merchants
in New York, st. Louis and other
commercial centers have brought 10
bear all the influence in their power
to force the cotton on the market,
but in the face of all this, the loyal
members of the two organizations as
well as many who are not members,
have stood as firm as a stone wall
and held for the price determined
upon.
The farmers of Mississippi hold in
their possession today a product that
"a worth approximately sixty million
dollars in English, German or any
other kind of gold Reference is Of
course made to the cotton that is be-
ing held for a fair price. This cot
ton is being held for Is cents per
pound, what it is actually worth, SO
acknowledged by all who are in a
position to know the real conditions
as they exist. The two powerful Or
ganizations, the Farmers Union and
Cotton Association, are behind the
movement and success seems to be
theirs, although our people were not
sufficiently supplied with warehouses
and the necessities of life at home to
make the fight they went into. 1t
has been a great battle, the first of
its kind where the cotton planter de-
termined to fit The price on his pro-
duct, and has been hard fought.
The writer is personally acquainted
with a majority of the members Of
both branches Of the new law-making
body, and feels safe in saying that
it is well above the average, COM
posed largely Of safe men who will
do what they, ,dossa hest, after care
full consideration of the matters to
come before them. The measure of
benefit will no doubt fare we'll at their
hands and those without merit as they
deserve. Mississippi is still safe and
only those with a selfish interest are
uneasy about what the next legis-
lature will do.
in few days, the question naturally
arises as to the probable legislation
by that body. Will it be for the best
interests of the state or detrimental
to the best interests of our people7
Will it be of the safe and sane kind
or wild unstable? Will the members
be prompted by desire to enact just
and equitable laws or by spirit Of
revenge for past disregards of the
rights of the peoplee Will the body
recklessly extravagant in appropria-
tons or penurious to a point that will
hinder the legitimate development of
our resources?
The night rate on. telephones has
been done away with and the rate
made the same as during the day, no
reduction being made in that. The
Farmers rate has been raised from
So per year to something like $12 to
500, the rate at large number of
local exchanges raised considerably
and the end is not yet. There is moth
ing in which the people should be
more interested than telephones, yet
the concern that has monopoly of
the business in Mississippi is fast
putting the service out of their reach.
How is this for fortification against
the schemes of Theodore Price and his
cohorts?. The man who is fixed as is
Mr.. Rogers can hold cotton as long
as he wants to and it is pity that
more people are not in the same con-
dition. But We are coming to this
every day. Mississippi in ten more
years will raise just as much at home
as Mr.. Rogers is raising now.
Let the editor of this department
have the result of your experiments