Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-10-18
SPINNER AND PRODUCER.
Organ Of Speculation Thinks They
Would Do Each Other.


The cotton spinners Of all countries
are coming to hold council with one
another. They will receive q cordial
and hearty welcome in whichever part
of the south they may visit. That they
will be made to have an enjoyable time
goes without saying.
But the spinners are not gathering
themselves together merely to have
"a good time" That is only one OF
the pleasing amenities Of life..a mere
side issue. They are assembling to
discuss and consider matters concern
ing the betterment Of their material
well-being.
There is Of course a considerable
variety OF matters to be considered,
but after all the spinners are only af-
ter one thing. At least this one. thing
overshadows all the others. That one
thing Is the question as to how they
are going to be able to get their sup
plies Of cotton cheaper.
While 1t Is a fact that spinners as
we'll as every other class engaged In
producing, handling or using cotton,
make better profit when cotton Is
bringing a good price than when the
price is low. nevertheless when spin
ners come to actually buying and pay
ing for cotton, they are anxious to get
Il as cheap as possible. So we see
them coming together to devise ways
and means of bringing about lower
prices Of cotton.
They have one staple idea to work
on: they earnestly advocate the abol-
ltion of everything that savors Of spec
ulation in cotton. They think they can
see, and they have reason for so think
ing, that the general effect Of specula-
ton Is to cause prices to rule rather
higher than they would otherwise be;
sometimes materially higher. They
are quite persuaded that II there were
no such thing as speculation In cotton,
they would nearly always be able to
buy at lower figures. Hence, they
strenuously advocate the abolition OF
exchanges where futures are dealt In.
With this object in view they come
over and call upon producers to join
and make common cause. They know
that the leading spirits among the
farmers have been striving to put a
stop to dealings in futures. To be
sure the motive actuating the produc-
ers is diametrically opposite to the
motive actuating the spinners. The
spinners want to stop speculation be-
cause it makes prices higher; the pro-
ducers want to stop speculation be-
cause 1t makes prices lower. n
Seeing then that the means sought
are the same in both cases, although
the desired ends are exactly opposite,
the spinpers are very willing to take
the chances, and unite with the farm
ers to stop speculation. Is not this
alone quite enough to set the farmers
thinking, and. to at least partially open
their eyes to the truth Of the matter?
Since, as we have seen, the dc 'ire Of
the spinner, at any given time, Is to
buy cotton as cheaply as possible. we
have no doubt that he would welcome
with enthusiasm any movement cal
culated to eliminate speculation. But
why the cotton grower should eagerly
join In the attempt we are at a loss to
imagine, II speculation tends to put
prices lower the spinner Is the last
person in the world who would seek
It's abolition.
All this talk about CLOSER relations
between farmers and spinners sounds
well, and as a matter Of fact such clos
er relations and a feeling Of good fel-
lowship are much to be commended.
II is highly proper and desirable that
the most cordial relations possible
should be encouraged; the one buys
what the others grows-both are at
once mutually dependent upon and in
dispensable to the other. But to refer
in high sounding rhetoric to their i'm
aginary community Of interest is pure
nonsense, beyond the bare fact that
both are vitality interested in cotton.
One wants cotton high and the other|
wants 1t low, and that is the whole
truth of the matter.
They say they desire to do without
the so-called "middleman." This
sounds good" to the farmer, but the
spinner knows the idea Is totally i'm
How is the cotton going
to get from the farm in Texas to the
mill in Europe without the Intervention
# the middleman? The farmer would
cut a pretty figure taking his cotton
1irect to- the spinner, and the spinner
buying direct from the farmer. Both
would have to employ the services Of
various intermediary agencies. which
Is exactly what is now done, and
doubtless done more economically than
could be done by any other plan that
could be devised.-Savannah Cotton
Record.