Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-12-20
FARMERS UNION DIFFERENCES.

FARMERS UNION DIFFERENCES.
Troubles Adjusted and Everything
Now Harmonious.
Columbia State, Thursday.
Notwithstanding the fact that Pres
ident Goodwin Of the South Carolina
division Of the Farmers Union called
off, the state convention of the un-
ion, scheduled to be held In Columbia,
and declared in his order that any
action taken by said proposed con-
vention would be null and void" del
.egates from fourteen counties arrived
in the city yesterday and promptly at
II o'clock a. m, the convention was
called to order in the city council
chamber. Mr.. c. S. Barrett Of Union
City, Ga, national president Of the or
ganization, was present and presided
over the convention.
Three sessions were held yesterday,
one in the forenoon, another in the af-
ternoon and one last night. Altogeth-
er about forty delegates were present,
including the officers. The following
counties were represented: Anderson,
Chester, Lee, Greenville, Edgefeld,
Florence, Greenwood, Cherokee, Rich
u,
Orangeburg and Sumter. - -
Besides President Barrett, the fol-
lowing high officials Of the union were
on hand and took very active in
terest In the meeting: r. F. Duck
worth, president Of the Georgia d.
vision: T. NJ. Jeffords Of Oklahoma,
secretary of the national board; r. H.
Mccullough, national secretary-treas-
urer.
Newspaper men were not admitted
to any of the sessions, and very little
information regarding the proceedings
Of the convention was given out Tor
publication.
The most important work done was
the reading Of the report Of Mr.. w.
C. Moore, state business agent, who
has recently returned from Europe.
His report dealt with the work he
has been doing for the union abroad,
and it is said to have. been very
interesting statement. He spent about
six weeks in Europe, visiting the big
spinners and perfected arrangements
whereby the union will be enabled to
ship cotton direct to England to the
spinners and receive almost l cent per
pound more for it than is paid on the
local markets.
The scheme for handling this cotton
in this manner Is as follows: Mr.. A,
a member of the union, will consign
forty bales Of cotton to the county
business agent, who in turn Will con-
sign 1t to the state business agent, to
be exported About 70 per cent Of the
market value Of the cotton will be paid
in cash to Mr. A. through these off,
GERS OF the union and the remainder
will be paid as soon as the reports
from the shipment are received.
Mr.. Moore talked at length on the
matter of baling cotton. The Ameri-
can bales are so badly put up that they
are hardly in what might be termed
decent shape when they reach the for
eign spinners, and this causes consid-
erable complaint and results In large
loss to the farmers. He recommended
that the union take the matter up with
a view Of getting more improved meth
DDS for baling cotton. He stated that
the state business agent Of Alabama
is now experimenting with four Amerl-
can-made congresses constructed on
the lines Of the congresses used IN
India. If they prove satisfactory 1t IS
proposed to have them installed
throughout the south as rapidly as
possible.
The report of Mr.. Moore consumed
a part of each session held yesterday
and 1t was very generally discussed py
the delegates present.
A resolution urging the South Caro-
lima general assembly to repeal the lien
law was unanimously adopted. This
question called forth general discussion
and 1t was urged that the repeal OF
the law Is necessary in order to pro-
tect the farmers throughout the south.
A similar resolution was adopted at
the Greenwood meeting.
Another matter which came up for
discussion was the parcels post. the
union put itself squarely on record as
favoring the passage Of law provlo-
ing for a parcels post system and II Is
announced that national committee
representing the union will appear be-
fore congress at the present session
and urge the passage Of the Dill.
At II o'clock last night the conven-
ton adjourned to meet again In Co
lumbia on January %. At this meet
ing it is proposed to complete the state
and other matters OF more
or less vital interest to the members or
the organization throughout the state
will be taken up.
Although President Goodwin Of the
South Carolina division was present,
he did not preside at any OF the ses-
sions. ,
"The meeting was entirely harmoni-
ous," said a member of the convention
last night "All differences have been
settled and the union is going to work
earnestly and with more vim and Vigor
than ever for the principles "hlch II
stands for"
When asked If there would be any
change in officers at the January meet
ing. one of the delegates replied that
he could not say anything on that line:
It was learned that the Farmers
Union Bureau" which has been con-
Quoted by Mr.. ]. c. Stribling OF Fen
dleton. will no longer be conducted. II
Is not known whether Mr.. Stribllng
recent criticisms Of the officials VINO
called this convention had anything 10
do with this action. Last week MT;
Stribling had the following hot shot
in his bureau" column, which appear
ed in papers throughout the state:
About the only plausible ana rea,
sonable excuse for calling this special
meeting. only five months aiter We
met in July, may be in giving the new
members who have come in since July
the opportunity of participating IN
casting the votes that choose the man
ayers for the next seven months. Bul
some may say that the act OF joining
the union under the leadership or
the present officers was equivalent 10
an endorsement of the present ofncials
Of the union. At best this December
meeting can not be called anything
else but a kind of revolution or revolt
at our own actions. Our constitution
that was adopted to guide the action
of the union has not guided the action
of some of our officials but little more
than the curl in a pigs tail controls or
guides the movements of the pigs
nose"