The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-03

4-I "-a
fault with. the buyers fer orr
them a price lower than What
deem is a fair and just ora
the laws.of trade@ profitable tr.s.
are based upon buying as ehe4rr
possible and selling as high Ii
sible- Therefore ii stands 10 ~a..s.,
that those who are successful In l..
ness must, of necessity, fix The ~
Of what they sell, SO as to me-. ,t.
expenses of what they have 10 .
and to insure them a profit T.
essential for the farmers to So r.g-
late their affairs as TO be in a pos
ton to fix the price OF this ,.,r-
modify Again, all statistical matter
pertaining TO the size Of the rrr.
the number of spindles that
capitalized and ready for operation
the receipts of cotton at the r.-.s
are all gathered and tabuat,a
those whose interest it is IT,
cotton as cheaply Is possible. The
farmers have no agents in the n,rd FL,
gather trustworthy statistics as 10 the
amount of cotton that the world needs
the supplies on hand owned by tng.a
who buy. or the number of spindle
operation in consuming cotton. The.
have no adequate facilities for ~tar-
ing the cotton nor any organized ~g--
tenn of financing this cotton when
stored. For the past several years. 10y
their determined effort, aided by the
shortness of the crop, they have been
able to obtain a price that Was salts
factory. Therefore,, there was no ne
cessity for warehouses or for borrow
ing money. This wax the time-dGr-
ing this period Of prosperity-When
these things should have been pro-
Vided.
The United States Government
maintains an army and navy at an
enormous expense during Years and
years Of peace, because the Govern
ment recognizes that at any m
the necessity for this army and navy
may arise and the life of the Govern
ment and Of the Nation depend upon
its preparation TO meet the crisis. 50
the farmer and the South. If they
propose to solve this problem. must
solve it by preparing in times of pros
perity and at all other times-the ne
cessary facilities to meet any crisis
that ma arise.
The Government itself. under It's
present form of administration, lends
it's powerful aid to c~heapening the
price Of the raw material and protect
ing the price Of the finished article.
Every department of the Government
| seems to be committed to this policy.
MI. Wickersham, the Attorncy-
General, last year was prosecuting the
bulls who were attem pting to put the
price of cotton up. The Department
Of Agriculture this year was predict
ing out of Season an enormous crop.
the effect of which was to put the
price Of cotton down.
The duty of this convention is to
begin now practical means along tho
lines of preparing warehouses. formu-
lating plans for obtaining money, ar
ranging for the gathering and dis
semination Of correct statistics 50 as
hereafter, in the future, along prac-
teal, business lines, controlling abso-
lGtely their own affairs"
Along with a other cotton
growers, enator John Sharp Will
liams, Of Mississippi, expressed tho
opinion that Southern farmers ought
not to sell their crop at the present
low starvation prices. and not a few
Of the big city papers have made that
the occasion for criticizing the Mis-
sissippian and accusing him and 9TH
ers Of trying to corner the cotton crop
and other more absurd things. An
sWering such criticisms, the Columbia
State has a strong and sensible edi-
torial, which fully swe the New
1OIk papers. II IS dS IOlloNS.
with all of it's keen perception, the
New York World the same
CbtuSeneSS in discussing the market
ing of cotton by the farmers which
characterizes other Eastern ne~spa-
pers, and hat it is amused at the ad-
vice Of John Sharp Williams to Ms
9isslppi farmers, to hold their cotton
Tor better prices, is no surprise To- per
sens observant Of the prevailing s4Ili-
ness of the Eastern press in respect 10
his question.
"A bale of cotton, if properly cared
Tor, Will keep indefinitely. There IS
a psoluteiy no more reaSon for the
owner of it to hurry it to market and
sell it than it is for the United states
steel Corporation to be precipitate IN
d~lsposing Of all the steel rails that II
nav haDnen IN have on hand at l.