The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-09-05

our great money crop, cotton, thar
Hon. Walter Clarke, president of tn,
Mississippi division of the Souther,
Cotton Association. In company will
a number of gentlemen representing
the Cotton Association and the Farm
ers' Union, several weeks were spen
during the summer in foreign field,
studying the situation with referenc,
to an improvement that would plac,
American cotton on an equal foot
ing with that from other sections oil
the world. Mr.. Clarke now propose:
to visit points in the state that de-
sire to know the result of his inves
LEGATIONS and give a series of talk.
upon the need of improvement in oul
methods Of handling. 1t is an edu
catlonal campaign that will bring
splendid results. Last week Mr.
Clarke gave the following letter tc
the press of the state:
" After leaving the conference at
Vienna, | visited the ports of Venice
Bremen, Liverpool and Manchester
saw bales of cotton from many coun
tries. All of these bales except your
own, were beautiful and symetrical
IN form and perfect in packages
Yours was the most detestible, con-
temptible and despisable package i'm
imaginable, held in contempt by every
one who was forced to use it. AT
every place | found many bales COW
cred with mud, dirt and slime, and
thousands of bales in the pickeries
i visited one pickery in Manchester
where [ found, after being picked, the
damaged cotton removed varied from
10 to 50 per cent and the remainder
OF good cotton contained moisture
from 10 to 80 per cent.
"The bales of Egyptian and Indian
cotton are sampled, one bale out of
: every ten. Each and every one of
your bales are sampled from two to
SIX times. Several manufacturers
told me that had quit using American
cotton and were using only Egyp-
tan. When asked the reason, thew
said that for the past three years.
they had so much trouble on account
OF water-soaked packages, mixed
grades, mixed staples and false pack
ing, that they had discontinued the
use Of American cotton until these
elements of uncertainty were re-
moved.
g founs that the Manufacturers
Association of Great Britain, Ger
many and Italy had organized cot
ton-growing associations in their col
onies and were spending thousands
OF dollars on this work. This work
OF grovsSg cotton in their colonies
had succeeded far beyond their wild
est expectations. / conclude from
my observations that your monopoly
is threatened possibly not in the i'm
mediate future, but eventually, unless
you take steps to correct the many
abuses to which your cotton has SO
long been subjected.
"a large number Of European
manufacturers will meet the repre-
sentatives of the Cotton Association
and the Farmers Union at Atlanta
Ga, on October z, s and 9. 1 have
been requested by President Jordan
to appoint delegates from the differ
ent counties of Mississippi to this
convention. would very much pre-
fer that you meet in your own coun-
ties and appoint your delegates.
trust that you will do this immed-
lately and send one of the very best
men you have to this convention"
The live little city Of Baldwin, half
in Lee and the other half in Prentiss
counties, he'd preliminary fair last
fall and made splendid success of
the effort. Again this year the event
will be duplicated but on a much lar
ger scale, resolving itself into three
big days time, October 25, Is and 27
The people of Lee, Itawamba, Prem
tiss, Pontotoc, Union and Tippah
counties are invited to participate
John Dulaney has been elected presi-
dent and Forest Prather as secretary
Charley Newman seems to be head
uher and is making a canvass of the
rritory for cooperation and ex-
4Abits. A good list of cash and other
premiums to cover a wide range Of
exhibits has been offered and there
is little doubt of the success of the
undertaking. The writer is pretty
well acquainted with the territory
grounding Baldwin, and is confident
lat display can be made that will
1 fleet great credit upon the territory
presented. The promoters Of the
terprise are deserving Of the well
ishes and active help of all who are
terested in the development of the
tate. Make it big event this year