The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-08-14
NOT TIME TO SELL
SAYS PREsIDENTHARRIs OF THE
FARMERS UNION.
Issues Address to Holders of Spot
Cotton and Urges Them to Hold
Tor While Longer.

|
/ Now is the time to hold. and vic
tory is yours. Farmres. do you re-
alize that cotton is scarcer in the
world today than it has been for 25
years? If you do not, the sooner
you realize it the NOR eyou will think
of the spots you have on hand, and
the crops you are growing. Now
remember that it all depends on you
to make it bring the minimum price,
10 cents. II you can be scared out
of your cotton for less than the mini
mum price / do not blame the fellow
for soaring you. l would do the
same thing if / were in his place,
but you, the Holder of spot cotton,
have all under hold in this fight, and
if you give up it is because you have
not the nerve to stand the fire of the
battle. Let me say to you, the Holder
of Spots: Hold to them, for the
next two months is the most criti-
cal period, as both the American
spinner and the European spinner
is about cut of cotton to spin. If
you, the Holder of Spots, will not
sell, there will be many mills that
will have to close down and not from
choice, but for the want of cotton
Conditions are all in your favor, but
nerve the backbone you lack. Now
do not say you cannot hold. We
have plenty of bonded warehouses
in our State and you can put your
cotton in them and borrow money
on your receipt. Let me urge you
dc this, and do not put any cotton
on the market until the minimum
is reached.
Let me tell you the European
mills are now out of cotton and
they have contracts sold ahead. They
have to come to America for cotton
and they will have to do this now
at cnce. This is the situation, SO no
cause for alarm. l know the bear
side of cotton is using the new crop
to bear the market so they may get
you to sell the remainder Of your
old crop, The price will now soon
go up back to - cents, and they
think you will then sell.
| know some of you have said if
it reaches IL you would sell. Now
the same thing that brings it back
to II will if you hold on make it
bring the minimum, Is cents.
Now as to the conditions Of the
l190S crop. I have correspondence
from every cotton growing State.
There cannot be more accurate ac-
count than we, the Farmers Union,
can get up and reports from all the
States is of this character. In the
first place, too much wet weather in
the early spring and there was a
poor preparation of the soil. When
the preparation is poorly done you
cannot make an average crop. The
rains west Of the Mississippi river
continued until July 1st, and the
cotton grew to weed too much and
is not fruited well. Now. the hot
dry weather has set in with them
and much damage is being done.
In other words it is impossible for
the West to make anything like an
average crop when they have wet
May and June. Such weather fills
the cotton plant with too much ma
laria and it cannot stand the hot
sun without great damage. To prove
this look how the plant is now turn
ing yellow and the leaves dropping
from it. This reports comes from
many of tie States. We cannot nov
more than duplicate the 1907 crop,
apd remember the shortage of last
years crop 100000 bales, and just
remember cotton futures cannot be
spun. b. Harris, President,
S. C. State Farmers Union.