The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-09-20
PRICE IS FIXED
Caaysation Of Farmers Declare What
Cotton is Rs.th t. Them.
NAMES FIFTEEN CENTS


AS the Minimum Price ct Which the
Staple Should be Scld.-Advises
Holding Cotton Until That Price
is Paid for it-Farmcrs Have the
Whip in Their Hand.
At Montgomery, Ala. on Wednes-
day, five hundred farmers and as
many bankers, congressman, United
States senators and BIZ. mess men,
representing every cott;:u growing
State in America, declared in conven-
ton that the farmers COT. cn is worth
Is cents a pound and resolved that
the farmer should hold h 5 cotton for
that price The resolution followed
committee report that the crop IN
America would not exceed 12,500,-
900 bales.
For financing the crop Of this year.
a resolution was adopted to the eff
tecte that the farmer should deposit
his cotton in a warehouse and use his
receipts as collateral until he could
sell his cotton at not less than Is
cents. There was also a resolution
urging that the several State legisla-
lures should provide for system
Of bonded warehouses.
Declaring that organization among
the farmers and cooperation among
them with the bankers and tnanclers
was the solution Of the problem, the
convention resolved itself into
permanent organization to be known
as the Southern Cotton congress and
adjourned to meet in Atlanta at the
call of the president, E. ]. Watson,
commissioner of agriculture CT South
Carolina.
The meeting in Montgomery is to
be followed by similar convention
in every Southern State, to be called
by the commissioner Of agriculture
Of each State. BY these conventions
the action of the congress is to be
ratified and reinforced by further
steps toward securing better price
for cotton.
Among the speakers at the con-
vention were Senator E. D. Smith
of South Carolina, who received the
thanks of the congress for his at
titude in congress toward the govern
ment cotton report; Congressman J
Thomas Hefin, Of Alabama: Con-
gressman Henry D. Clayton, of Ala
bama, and Dudley NJ. Hughes, con-
gresham from the Third district OF
Georgia; Oscar W. Underwood, ma
jority leader of the house OF Repre-
sentatives, chairman of the ways and
means committee, sat in the aud
ience.
It was Senator Smith who per-
haps made the speech which decided
the congress in its naming the price
-or cotton at Is cents, for Congress,
man Fefin wanted to make the price
Is OF Il cents, with Il cents as the
minimum. Congressman Clayton N
his speech. declared his belief that
il, ten years time, the world would
be using 25,OO0,000 or 30,000,000
bales of American cotton.
A resolution reported to the con-
vention from the committee on leg
islation aroused prolonged discussion
and heated debate. This resolution
provided for the establishment OF
State bonded warehouses where cot
ton could be stored and held and re-
ceipts issued which would be hororeo
the same as currency, not only in this
country, but abroad.
It was a good resolution, all ad-
mitted. but the majority thought that
such a resolution should have recelv-
ed more consideration.
CONGRESSMAN Henry 2. Clayton, OF
the Third Alabama district, stated
that the resolution was too big
thing to settle right away and askec
that it be laid aside temporarily. On
vote of the convention it was lalo
aside. 1t was the consensus OF opln-
ion of the convention that only mat
ters relating to the present crop anc
aiding the farmers at this speclai
time should be taken up.
Among the most important mat
tiers taken up by the convention was
the report OF the committee on leg!s-
lation. This committee recommend
ed that a department of statistics De
established in each State under dl-
rec.ion of the agricultural depart
ment and that each agricultural com
missioner of each Southern State take
up with his respective legislature the
question Of such department.
At certain periods of each year. the
figures are to be compiled by eacf
State. and then strike an average o.
; crop conditions, estimates, etc. OF
all the States together and publish
them the same as does the govern
ment each year.
a The government was severely crlt-
icised at the committee session lot
alleged inaccuracy in crop estimate
and ginning reports. It was the op'n-
ion of the committee that the South
no longer should depend on the gov
ernment for the crop reports, out
make them out at home.
q Commissioner Watson OF South
Carolina and President Dabbs OF the
South Carolina Farmers union, were
!. severe in their arraignment OF the
United States department Of agrlcui-
ture in gathering cotton statistics.
Commissioner Watson stated tnaI
The government has had statlclan II
Ahe State for the past ten years
gathering data for the government
a,S 6,,r;ro his admin