The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-04-10
The PRICE OF COTTON.
Nix. 3. D. SMITH RETURNS FROM
GEORGIA AND ALABAMA.
He Reports the Work of Organizing
the Cotton Growers and OF Inau-
gurating Plans for Securing Better
Prices for the Cotton is Progressing
Very Successfully.

Very successfully.
Columbia, April 2.-President f.
D. Smith, Of the Cotton Growers as
sociation, was in the city today. He
has lust returned from Georgia and
unper Carolina and reports that the
work of organization is getting along
very finely, and that he and all the
officers of the association are very
much encouraged.
MT. Smith says that the farmers
ara now realizing the force and USE
fitness OF business organization.
To-day he gave out the following
interview with regard to the present
work in hand:
..since the Birmingham convention
/ have been busily engaged in organ
ling the work of the Southern Cot
TON association. have just complet-
ad a tour through Alabama and
sGearria. The work has been the
most successful Of any yet accom-
nlished; committees have been ap-
pointed, to solicit subscriptions to or
ean;ze warehouse and holding COM
,5anies for the purpose OF locally
fnancsnp the cotton crop and main
tanning a profitable price to the
grower. At every place visited the
plan adopted by the Birmingham
production and profit to the grower
for building warehouses, negotiating
loans and concentrating the cotton IN
the hands of business committee
has net with uniform approval.
.e4+ ;s manifest to every business
man that cotton is the basis OF our
credit and is wholly our circulating
medium. It is absurd to expect the
negro, and the poor and dependent
white producer to be able to nam
tain the proper value of this article
upon which every interest in the
so,,th is dependent, when those who
b1ry from them, up to now, have flxeo
~ price. represented the organized
brain and capital of the world, and
whose business it is to get the ar
+;.le &c cheaply as possible. The
,-or+b British America and Europe
consume about S5 per cent. of our
cotton crop. Hence IS per cent. OF
orr BUYERS represent foreign capital
Now is ie not an absurd proposition
to leave to the poor debt-ridden, dis
organized producer Of cotton to go
mn against the representative OF
Northern. Canadian and European
capitalists, with unlimited resources
nerfect organization and expect
them. the poor disorganized, to win and
bring into the south, in confiict with
the worlds richest and shrewdest'
ANYTHING like the full value Of the
cotton crop, upon which We all are
denendent? There is not a bank,
mercantile establishment or any bus
mess vocation or avocasion in the
south that is not dependent directly
on the currency brought into circula-
ton nv the sale of the cotton crop.
Now it is nanifestly the height OF
follv-fron business standpoint
to leave the poor and disorganizea
nroducer to determine in a con-nce
with the shrewdest foreign buyer the
amount of money that shall be put
into circulation in the south, to oe-
ternaine the deposits in our banks, the
anoount Of goods to be sold by our
merchants, the comforts and conVe-
niences Of our homes, the education
of the boys ana girls OF the SOUTH
and the development Of our re-
sources. the establishment Of our
manufacturing plants, to manufac-
ture the raw material in the south by
the capital OF the south, 50 as to OBJ
tain not only the proae on the raw
material, but the greater profit on
the finished article, to develope our
water power, 50 as to light our cities
run our factories and connect our
roads. When all these could be easi-
" within cur reach if the capitalists
in every county in the south were TO
ioin forces with the producers Of our