Woodruff County news., 1908-11-05
The Folly of the Southern p.o,,.

Tbs agitation in the South for .
 eral years has caused many pson,a e. inquire into the cause of the cond, tions here. Cotton being the bas,, oe nearly all prosperity in the South ,uo naturally look with a jealous ava
 the fuctuation in price, adding to or taking from It's value many milliono of dollars. often in single day wbv should 1t be worth $10O0O, 900 more or less today than 1t was yesterdava Every business man in the South wben asked the cause will tell you that speculation did it. When asked bour speculation can add to or take mi,,iono of wealth from the people in so short time only one in thousand will ha able to talk intelligently about tbo hows and the why's. This lack of in. formation and careful study on th0 part of so many of our people is large- ly responsible for much of our trouble Manipulation fixes the price of cetton under the present system of marketins A few individuals who dominate tba exchanges can subtract millions from the value of our chief commodity at will. Public sentiment in the South however, is very important factor in market values. Public sentiment Is the heavy artillery with which the er. changes lombard the market. They dare not run counter to this sentiment very long. The first thing, therefore undertaken by the manipulator in bear raid on the market is moulding of pessimistic view as to trade con. ditio1s and the constant agitation of the bumper crop idea. When the South is thoroughly saturated with these ideas they raid the exchange markets break the price, and public sentiment in the South allows the spot market here to follow, not so much because we have to, or because true conditions justify it, but because a pessimism possesses the people and they become panicky and sell, and the selling sus tains the fictitious price caused by the bear raid on the exchange market.
 Thus a manufactured sentiment costs the South millions of dollars every year. Thus sentiment fixes the price of cotton. Thus sentiment pre- vents the carrying into effect of the only sane method of marketing cotton that is to feed the markets of the world as the world needs the cotton. What of the Southern man in any calling who talks down the price of cotton and contributes his share to lower values? He unwittingly plays the role of traitor to his country, to his neighbor and to his home. What builds boom towns? Talking them up. What causes runs on solvent banks? Talking them down. Talk by South. ern men has the same effect on cotton values and costs the South millions every day
 The drummers of this section are 8 powerful factor in moulding senti- ment. May I not appeal to them to change their tactics? Better prices will give you better business; maybe not this month, but eventually 1t will all come back with interest The bankers position gives weight to what he says. May suggest to you, Mfr Banker, that S10 per bale to add to our cotton will increase the bank de posits of the South $100,000,000 and you get your share of it. Mer- chants are a factor in moulding pub lie sentiment May remind the mer- chant that one-fifth added to the value of our cotton will increase his trade in the same ratio. Why not boom the price of cotton like you would boom your town or your business? Both de- pend on cotton. I suggest that every business, professional or commercial organization depending on cotton for it's prosperity hold meetings and at once in its own way begin to boost cotton.
 have made a most thorough in- vestigation of crop conditions, and based on these investigations am pre- pared to say that all crop estimates is sued to date are unreasonably high. The crop will be very short one. Even the preacher can tell the truth and help collect his salary at the same time.
 G. k. HIGHTOWER, Secretary Farmers Union National
 Cotton Committee