The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-09-23
THE FARMERS UNION.
President Harris Issues An Address in
Reference to Marketing the Cotton

President Harris Issues An Address I'm
Reference to Marketing the Cotton
Crop.
To Cotton Producers
The great money producing crop OF
the South-cOtton-is now being har-
vested. The farmers should investi-
gate conditions and use good judg-
ment In selling this great money crop
Of the South.
BY so doing many million dollars
will be added to her wealth.
First, we will look into conditions.
The supply Of cotton Is less today than
1t has been In twenty-five years. The
merchants shelYes are scant Of goods
The supply Of cotton Is less today than
creasing every day, and they have 20
be clothed. Again, the output Of man.
ufactured goods have greatly decreas-
ed this year from the fact that the
1907 crop was 100000 bales short.
This shortage will have to be made
good, as the world needs the goods.
As to the condition Of the 1908 crop
We have heard nothing for the last
eight weeks but a bumper crop. Who
Is 1t that circulates these reports? !
see In Europe, 5000 miles away
crop Of American cotton this year of
100000 bales, while many Of the
knowing ones on this side are sending
out literature forecasting the crop at
100000 bales.
The South is now being flooded with
circulars Of bear dope by speculartors
and manipulators who are try ing to
sell the market down under the influ-
ence of these bearish arguments.
The wholesale jobber in the cotton
trade are demanding concessions from
the manufacturer in the price OF
goods while the spinner Is holding
back as long as possible in order to
be able to lay In their supply as low
as possible.
| Never before have so many inter-
ests combined to hammer down the
price of spot cotton. There never was
. time that the growers will be CALI
ed upon to exercise the full limit of
their strength in resisting prices as at
the present time.
There was never time that CO.
operation was needed as badly as Il II
today.
Our annual meeting Of '-rhe Farm
ers' Educational and Cooperative
Union OF America" met at Fort Worth,
Tex. on the first and was In session
four days, The attendance was large,
all the cotton-growing States were
we'll represented by delegates.
The unanimous consent Of the del
egates was to keep the minimum
price u secret within the membership
national cotton committee wa.
formed. with delegate from each
State. for the purpose of handling cot
ton.
President Barrett will call a meet
Ing the first Of January. as by tha,
time we will know the true condition
Of the crop.
As to the condition OF the growing
crop. Every cotton-producing State
was represented and there we had the
opportunity Of getting true report as
to the condition Of the growing
crop. Not a single State reported any
thing like an average crop. Some
repoted 40 per cent. of. some 80 pc,
cent. some 20 per cent, some Is Der
cent.
1t will be impossible for US to make
an accurate report at this time. To
begin with, We had floods and we,
weather up to the 1st Of July, then hot
dry weather. Rust and blight and a
dozen other pests we had never heard
Of before.
East of the Mississippi river you
hear that Texas and Louisiana are
going to- make a bumper crop. When
You get west Of the Mississippi they
tell you: Mississippi Alabama and
| Georgia are going to make bumper
crops. When you investigate it you
find 1t Is false. In the last three
weeks I have been in seven Of the
leading cotton belt States, and in no
place did I find anything like an av-
| erage crop. From the time left
home until reoched the Lone Star"
State did not see single field Of
cotton that did not have blight, either
rust or black rot. and was poorly
fruted.