The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-04-08
FARMERS UNION.
Union Growing In s. G.

r.commi,teemsn +. C. Wllloughby last.
week ORGANIZED six locals in Marlboro county
and will work in Horny county nexI "eeh.
President b. Harris is IN First District rouno'
ing the boys up and saying nothing ABOUT IL.
Burn, and J. b. Harris, President OF Occnee
couniy. have been commissioned ana nave
four new planted; Most OF tne o1gahi hn; ,o nis
out for the biggest growth later on tnal has
ever been made IN this state.
Stand by Your Army.
Rally, boys, rally around the banner OF the
Tne advance of the grand Grmy Of the crafts
men of the farm marks the beginning OIL the
turning point of the career III all those tnat
have combined 10 ROD the FARMER u toe pfontS
The silent tramp, tramp, tramp Of the on.
ward movement OF the Farmers' Secret Or
ganizatiou dri yes thrilling terror into the
ranks of our enemies that equals That Terror
of the new noisless army gun.
The farming industry OF our country as 10
strength financially. IL at lasst I'VE times mat
Of the country. Our basic national INDUSTRY
is agriculture. Scarcely any combination OF
two branches of other occupations equal tnat
Of our farms In products. Our FARMERS not
only feed them ali but he leads them all IN
exports, and cotton brings n ell the bulk OF
Ali the gold from other coun Tries. .
As TO strength OF the farmers Dallot ana
consequent power to correct the evils OF gov
eminent, or improve the economic conait:ons
of trade that Cypress our farming Interest, our
farmers az q body polite IL q great sleeping
giant, and when aroused action In sell defence
our enemies may look out for sbot Ia their
rear as they retire over the fence mat pro-
What Ia It then after all this that gets into
the minds Of farmers hat prompts them TO
| bow down to others and plead for help Is u
% 4 simply the lack or education, which Will
| reveal TO them the benefits derived from In
| t~elligent cooperation and united action Tor
their mutual benefit? Il Is plain cowardice.
and the lack OF grit. It'll not conservatism!
Mol you CAM pass around cowardlce for con-
seryation any more than you could pass
around white washed rye for rice.
Both cotton mills and cotton growers are
now working a hot and hard game OF bluff at
each other. Growers are Pledged TO cut Scre-
age Is percent, and zoe mills are pledged TO
cut their production 25 percent. We know
Of some mills that are cutting only forty
minutes per day, whilst they are advertised
for q rs per cent, cut produce Ion. We also
know some cotton growers That are pleoged
10 cut acreage that are blowing to plant their
usual acreage In cotton; but u large number
Fertiiizsr trade was $4,000 tons short in
South Carolina first OF March. 1t ID today
equal to last J ear, but q larger proportion OF
fertilizers are being used on grain this year
than ever before. But Notwithstanding all
this, there Ia evidence OF danger ahead for the
all cotton grover; o, me I e pa Sran are aed 'h }sI, %e
| udJ bOOh Sfof
the all cotton planter and you had best STAND
from under danger.
Cotton goods are now retailing at a price
that would. we are told, make II profitable To
spin cotton at Is cents, and yet the mills are
trying to reduce prices by bucking and shut
ting down, which has caused producers o.
raw cotton TO make calculations and serious
~ consider the wisdom OF manufacturing
their raw cotton.
There are many counties In the South now
that spin from one 10 four times The amour,
Of cotton produced In their respective coun
ties. For illustration. I am told that Ander
SOD county, Soc, the second largest cotton
producing county In the State, spins about az
much cotton as Ia grown In the county.
Now the limit In this brow beating and
legal robbipg OF cotton growers Las been
reac h ed, and II those In charge OF the millt
will not spin, there are others that can build
ern farmers before the war did spin eight
tenths OF the goods worn by The common
wealth people, and when the necessity stares
them up TO this point they will DO 1t again.
On one side OF this grim and relentless con
test between producers and buyers OF cotton
is the toiling millions OF half paid farmers
On the other side are the captsins Of greed
aud graft, who have assumed the privilege OF
setting prices and leVying tribute upon pro-
or q dime to produce. Every device that
greed could plan TO outwit the cotton farmer
hes been used to bear down the price OF cot.
ton, and the weaker have been forced 10 take
the cotton bear prices or take TO the woods,
In their desperation to rule or ruin, the re-
cent made-to.ordeS panic has caused the mills
and other manufactures TO shut down or cut
lime at The peril oforead riots. This drastic
action OF the money power OF Gotham Is send
Ing out great armies Of tramps over the
country, who will grow into law breakers.
The failure of our government 10 throttle
;hese panic breeders, gamblers and destroy FRS
nf peace aud prosperity OF our common coun-
try, are rrcruitlpg an army OF law breakerf
.nd breeding anarchists; and these same peo-
pie talk atont shooting down with gait iDe
guns the very people'they have forced TO this
extreme desperation.