The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1911-11-08

growers holding cotton to be imme-
diately to secretary-treasurer State un-
ion to detray expenses quick campaign
for pledges, publishing receipts daily.
This plan already under way in South
Carolina and quick and effective re-
tirement of cotton seems assured. 1t
is absolutely necessary to bring the
individual producer into line right
now if millions of dollars are to be
saved to the cotton belt. Plans for the
future can be agreed upon later, but a
| feasible quick campaign of this kind
pushed simultaneously in all our
States can and will effectively stem
the present disastrous tide in this
critical moment. / most earnestly APP
peal to your patriotism in the names
of the masses of Southern people to
act upon this matter and act quickly
Am arranging for whrlwnd campaign
through belt in holding cause for
| Senator Smith, President Barrett and
other members of national committee
created at Montgomery Kindly wire
me Immediately if in behalf of every
material interest in the South you
may be relied upon to take the speedy
action invoked.
"E. J. Watson,
"Presidcnt Southc:n Cotton Congress.
Approves:
"E. w. Dabbs.
4 president State Farmers Union
81. Whitncr Reid
Secretary -Treasuer
Farmers Union sun :"
Form OF Agreement.
/ The form OF agreement suggested is
as follows:
we, the undersigned, owners of
cotton of the 191O-ii crop, hereby
| pledge ourselves to withhold from the
market the number of bales entered
opposite our respective names until
september |, 1912, or until the price
OF cotton has reached 13 cents, and we
do severally solemnly declare that we
VIII regard this pledge as sacred.
- We further agree not to plant,
for the crop of 1912, more than 60 per
cent of our arabic lands i'm cotton.
- We hereby agree to forward TO
j. Whitner Reid secretary-treasurcr
the state Farmers union. Columbia. S.
c., by postal money order two cents
per bale for the cotton held to defray
expenses of the holding campaign"
Columbia Record.
Letter OF Instructions.
The following letter was sent out to
the presidents OF the county unions
Friday by Secretary Reid:
lin accordance with action taken at
the mass meeting of the State Farm
ers' union held i'm Columbia Thursday
evening. am directed by the presi-
dent of the State union to address YOU
TINS letter. impressing upon YOU the
vital Importance, not alone to the cot
ton producing interests of our State
but to the union itself, of your
prompt, vigorous and earnest action
upon the request made. We are at
this moment facing a crisis which de-
mands that the individual cotton pro-
ducer shall be reached and reached
effectively, and 1T Is the sense of all
/ who participated in the deliberations
held that we, as the farmers organ
ization in South Carolina, owe it to
ourselves, to our wives and to our
children to exert ourselves to the ut
most for the next few weeks, even to
the neglect of personal business, to
secure in writing. pledges from each
individual owner of cotton I'm every
township in every county in the
State. Feeling thus, the call has been
sent out In an official manner to every
other State I'm the Union that grows
cotton for similar action to be taken
simultaneously.
beg herewith to inclose copy
OF the call that has been sent to the
other States, which will explain itself,
and give you an accurate idea of the
quick campaign that is to be made in
the effort to check the downward trend
or the price Of cotton. / also in