The Mena weekly star., 1908-10-01
MIL ASK BOWERS TO ACT AT ONCE
,. ,;dent of Arkansas Farmers Union to Be Requested to Take Steps to
 Check Night Rider Movement McCulloch's Request.

Beebe, Sept. 27.-"The pres
 nt situation, due to the alleged
 noearance of night riders Tn A rkausas, which has already
 od a marked effect on the cot ou market ir some parts of rkansas, appeals to me as being
 very serious one. l intend to rite to John Bowers Of Jackson lille. President of the Arkansas E armers' Union, imme diately and
 st him to either call an emer- cency meeting of the Arkansas ,r;on for the purpose of taking ,ebs to check the night rider Movement, or write letters to all ,.rts of the state at once and
 r the union leaders to do every ,b;ng possible to stop tue growth
 this movement. 1 beleive ,bat the proper solution is to appeal to the business men and cottou buyers and ask them not { to buy cotton.
 The foregoing declaration was made here tonight by k. Il. Mo. Culloch of this place, chairman < of the Executive Committee of X ,be Farmers Union and secre- tary of the national organiza- * ion of the union. The state V meut was given out upon MT. & McCulloch's return from Little # Rock.
 # The statement is considered to X be of unusual importance as in 4 dicating the position that may # he taken by the Farmers Union # in the present threatened night & riders movement Tn this state. F IL is interpreted to mean that k the union will ask the cotton N bu, CTS and merchants of Arkan- * sas 10 cease business intirely as far as buying of cotton is con- cerned.
 Would Stop Cotton Buying. "The union IS opposed to such thing as night riding" declared Mir. McCulloch today, "and will do all that il can to stamp out the growth of such movement. However it seems to me that the only possible solution of the sit nation at this time is to ask the merchants to stop buying cotton throughout the entire state. This is being tried at Paragonld and IS successful in checking the further appearance uf night riders. II the merchants want to take the indebtedness il would be all right, but we would ask that they cease buying any" But if merchants are allowed to take the cotton to apply on indebtedness would not the result be another scheme for financing distressed cotton?'" was asked Mir. McCulloch.
 "Iu way it would" he re- piled. "However there is 10 doubt but that the distressed cotton will be handled all right and without trouble without the and of any such scheme as that. Y"
 Thinks Situation Very Serious.
 MT. McCulioch stated that he had given the present situation much serious thought, and that as the result he intended to take the matter up immediately with the state president. He empha- sized the fact that the situation appears as an extremely serious one to him.
 Night riders have appeared al Elpaso, in White county, recently according to Mr. McCulloch whose private secretary was al that place Friday investigating the situation. "The riders warn ed several merchants not to buy cotton and several farmers not tt sell," stated Mir. McCulloch.
 Donaghey Wants Action Taken.
 Governor. elect Donaghey O Conway, who was in Little Rocl last night, was asked concernins hlS opinion of the present sltua ton caused by the appearance o night riders in Arkansas. Fl an opposed in the first place to giv ing much publicity 10 su c
 things" declared Mir. Donaghey "and l think that all steps possi
 ble looking toward the genera
 welfare of the cotton market an
 crop of Arkansas and the publi
 as we'll should be taken immedi
 ately. Certainly such move
 ment as has existed in other le
 calities should not be started
 this state.'
 IL has already been suggeste
 that it would be expedient for th