Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-08-30
Should Organize.


the cotton farmers of York county
have not kept up their Farmers I'm
ion organization: but as we see it
there is no good reason for their
remissness. On the contrary, there is
every reason why there should be a
good, strong Union, and no reason why
the Union should be neglected.
There has never been a time when
the spinners were better organized than
they are now, and although the prin-
cipal and avowed object Of the spin
ners' organization is to keep up the
price of yarns, reason and common
sense tell us that the time will come
when this same organization will be
used to keep down the price Of cotton.
Organization with the spinners is a
plain matter of business and or
ganization should be plain
matter of bushes with the far
mers also. The spinners organize for
the purpose of increasing their prof
it's and that is why the farmers should
organize. 1t is not n matter of antag-
onism but a matter of protection on
the part of both.
OF course. there are those who say
that the mills would not take advan-
tage of the farmers if they could and
neither would the farmers take ad-
vantage Of the mills. This is very
nice. benevolent talk, and we do not
like to discourage any such sentiment;
but as to how much there is to it, we
will leave to the decision of the far
mer, who may now have cotton that
he produced with view to realizing
12a cents a pound; but for which he
is now able to get 16 cents. VIII he
demand 16 cents for that which he eX-
pected to Sell at 123 cents? If so is
that not seeking an advantage? On the
other hand does any one suppose that
there is a mill in this country that
would pay 16 cents for cotton today
if it could buy that cotton just as
readily at 10 cents?
We do not doubt that such cur
tailment as may now he going on is
principally for the reason of forcing
the price of yarns higher: but If the
price of yarns were higher and this
same curtailment would force the
price of cotton lower, who doubts that
there would be a resort to just such
a curtalment.
And if organization is the weapon by
which the price of yarns can be rails
ed, how is the price of cotton to be
protected except by organization?
There are those who preach that the
present situation is altogether the re-
suit of supply and demand. and who
try to encourage the belief that or
ganization has not even been a factor
to it: but there Is nothing more ah-
surd.
Who is it that does not remember a
few years back when the price Of cot
ton was far below the cost Of produc-
ton, and the country was feeling the
pinch so sorely that there was serious
talk of actually burning cotton so as
to diminish the supply and raise the
price?
During those times this writer heard
a mill man say to a farmer from
whom he was buying cotton at cents,
Il could pay you 10 cents just as
easily; but, of course. l am not going
to because do not have to-
And why did cotton go up? The
reason was due more than anything
to organization throughout the whole
south-organization that resulted in
the dissemination of thought and in
reason to dispute that proposition.
Cotton is high enough now maybe;
but not too high. There have been
times when the difference between the
raw material and the manufactured
product was four or five times as great
as it is now, and this difference was
principally at the expense of the far
mer.
The time is coming when this diff
ference will exist again unless the
farmer takes the steps necessary to
protect himself. The only step he can
take along this line is the formation
of a rock-ribbed, iron-bound organi-
zation and maintain it through pros
perity as well as adversely.
At this time the farmers are asleep
to their interests.