Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-07-29

HOLD SPOT COTTON.
President Harris, of the Farmers
Union Issues a Circular,

Remember, farmers, that it all de-
pends on you to make the spot cot
ton that is now in your hands bring
the minimum price-fifteen cents.
know the spectators will try to
scare you and endeavor to get you
to sell. Now, let us see IL this is
true. met a farmer to-day who
told me that buyer drove out to
see him and tried to get him to sell
his cotton, stating to this farmer that
In an adjoining county he had bought
400 bales from the farmers. The
buyer told him he had better sell, as
1t was going lower; that new cotton
was coming in and that 1t would soon
be selling at eight cents. Now, far
mers, do not be "bluffed" by such
falsehoods. The trouble with that
buyer is just this-he is buying for
some broker who has contracts, on
which deliveries are due, and he is
being called on to fill them Cen
tlemen, make him pay your price
before he gets your cotton. 1t is
yours and you have the right to de-
mand it's value, and your demands
are not too much. Fifteen cents is
the price and If the old crop is held
by the farmers It will come They
might try to scare you with the new
crop, but let us see If it is not wis
dom to hold.
The new cotton crop cannot be
spun by itself until sixty days after
1t is ginned and packed and there is
not enough old cotton for the mill
consumption, so the mills have to
mix two bales Of old cotton with one
bale of new cotton before they can
spin it to advantage.
Why did this drop in price occur
in the last fifteen days? Has the
price OF the manufactured goods
fallen off and trade conditions in
worse shape? No; some weak-kneed
farmer got scared, and when the
price went up to twelve cents they
just turned loose enough to feed
the spinners for twenty days, and
the speculs tors said we will drop j.
down and scare them with the new
crop. Now, don't be frightened. Re-
member last year there was pre-
MUM paid for old cotton in Septem-
ber. Why was this? Because the
consumers had to have 1T to mix with
the crop before it could be spun.
Now as to the condition Of the
growing crop. Our National Presi-
dent, Hon. G. S. Barrett, called a
meeting of the State Presidents to
meet HIil anu Tie NdtlOudl EAeCu-
tive Committee in Memphis, Tenn,
on the 18th instant, and all Of the
cotton growing States were repre-
sented there, with two exceptions
North Carolina and Florida. We
got true and correct report of the
conditions existing in all Of the
States. The complaint was that
there had been too much rain and
the cotton crop had not been we'll
worked, and was very uneven. The
plant was growing too much weed
and was not fruiting we'll. The above
is true statement of facts concern
ing the growing crop. The next
forty days is the most critical period
for the crop. The weather will have
to be perfect for the balance of the
season IL we duplicate our 1907 crop.
saw a statement in to-day's paper
that Texas had sold all of her old
crop that was being held. This is
only another bluff to scare you. Just
remember that futures" cannot be
spun into goods, and our last ", RS
crop was 100000 bales short, so
take a firmer grin on your spots and
victory Is yOTrs. ]. B. Harris,
President S. G. Farmers Union.