Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1907-09-04

ducer of cotton sits down and serene
ly permits the man who knews the
power cf that monopoly-the middle
man in distant marketing centers.-
to rob his bucket of milk Of all tho
rich cream, is almost beyond compre-
hension. But he has been doing it for
years; he is doing it. now andeit al
most seems that he. resents. the at
tempt Of any one to show bim where
his interests lie and how he can save
TIE millions of dollars which now SO
from his crop to sustain the high hv7;
ing Of the men who handle cotton
and cotton products in New York and
across the water.
3 Let the Southern planter once real.
ize that he has the power to, say how
his crop shall be marketed; let him
begin to export his product to the
markets of the world, dealing direct
.ly with the important consumers
through direct shipment from strict.
cotton belt seaport, and then you will
see rolls of money now spent in COM
missions, terminal charges and so on
ad infnitum-all of which the farm
er himself pays-remaining in the
hands Of Southern producers.
No crop in the known world is han.
died to the consumer as cotton is ham
died; no crop pays higher trihnte Ao
men whose interests are. Y
make as much out Of theI IS
ducer and owner; no crop.
tribute to the gambler.
The cotton situation in the South,
as have said, is full of promise; so
it is; but not as full as it might be
if the Southern producer would but
Claim his rights, put stop to costly
and indirect marketing and deal di.
rectly with the consumer, shipping his
product direct from his own ports TO
the foreign ports that the cotton
reaches. ] have had occasion to in
yestigate every phase Of this feature
of the handling of the South s sta
Pile crop at home and abroad and off,
ciaIIy am now engaged in u work
that may perhaps sooner or later ef-f
ieetive1y break some of these artif-
lcial bonds now holding the producer,
of cotton to only a share of his own
profits and very small share at
that The same. thing is true of the
Southern manufacturer. Let him once
get his product direct to market, to
the consumer, and an era Of prosper
.ity and a tide of development viii
sweep over the South Atlantic States
that no power, real OF artificial can
stem.
Can the Imagination picture the ar
rival Of the time when the world 5
demand for crude cotton will not be
ever-increasing7 Not so long as the
worlds population increases, and not
SO long as cotton, as it must do, coll,
tinues to be the chief article going to
clothe two-tLirds of the population Of
the known world. 1 use the term
"ever-increasing" advisedly.
The demand for cotton products
grows more rapidly than the develop.
ment and increase Of production and
tho time is not FAR distant when the
production of twice the acreage Of to-
day will be in demand and when by
better a, more careful methods of
cultivation the yield per acre will be
douhlo what n &c iodry
Many have thought that the i'm
mense development Of cotton manu-
featuring in the Southern States and
che increase Of this industry in New
England would curb foreign develop
ments, but this is not true. In Eng
land this year in one district alone
there. will be put in operation new
mills equaliing almost the entire man,
Iufacturins capacity of the State ,oP
North Carolina.
Over on the continent enlargements.
and new plants are the order,;of the
day. Even the cotton gamblers in
New York can not under such condi.
tions, force down the price of cotton,
beyond reasonable profit, and I do
not believe that there will ever be d
period of serious depression again.
The farmer should see to it that he
does not sell his cotton cheaper to the
foreign consumer and that lie puts in
to his own pocket all that proportion
of what really belongs to him that is
now being unfortunately taken in.
freight charges for roundabout bauls
and in commissions by people who
have no interest in his welfare or his
country. And the manufacturer is in
tiie same sized canoe padding along
side complacently.
IL the producer and the Southern
manufacturer would knock a few
holes in the wall that has been sur.
rounding them, pay a little more at.
tention to what the "other fellow is
doing, know more about where this
crude cotton is finally marketed and
how, and cease chasing the lightning
bugs i'll the shape of politicians who
consume their time tr1fling with mat
tters most often Of concern only. to the
politicians local welfare, and awake
to a full realization of their tremen
dous advantage of geographical loca.
tion and climate conditions and be.
come conscious of their own power
upon industrial lines and their abil.
ity to control good share of the COM
merce of the world, then will come an
era of prosperity i'll the South that
America has not yet seen in any sec.
ton.
Then will come prosperity and plen.
ty, education and moral and social
elevation for both capital and labor
But even with conditions continuing
as they ere, With no rapid improve.
neat The day Cor smaller crops thar