The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-13
(The Carolina Union Farmer.)

The cotton %spinners have held two
or more conventions this year to
discuss matters Of interest to the cot
ton spinners. A part Of their proceed
ings are given publicity through the
press, but the line is drawn against
nublicity when they go into session
behind closed doors. The part that is
given out to the public nearly always
contains remarks and arguments to
prove 90 that there is naturally a
close relationship between spinners
and producers Of cotton, and it is this
rather difficult job that causes a tired
feeling to come over the far-sighted
and intelligent cotton farmer. Cotton
s~pinners wouldn't be human beings il
they did not want to buy cotton as
cheap as they can get it. And cotton
growers would not possess this element
of human nature if they didn't want
to create a strong market and get as
high prices for cotton as possible. SO
the relationship that naturally exists
between spinner and producer is about
the same sort Of relationship as exists
between the lion and the lamb. Even
if by any sort of strained argument
it can be plausibly shown that the in
terests Of the Southern s%pinners and the
South ern cotton rover are closely re-
loted. how much love do the Southern
spinners, or the European spinners who
consume five-eights of the cotton crop.
have for the Southern cotton produ-
GERS And this reminds us that In all
the recent conventions of cotton mill
men. we nave never heard of a single
one Of them making an oratorical plea
for fifteen-cent cotton and there is
nothing in the part Of their proceed
ings, which they give out to the public,
to indicate that they are in love with
the farmer and lucent cotton.
AS long as Southern farmers contin-
ued to produce bumper crops OF cot
ton the spinners seemed to be satisfied.
They were even willing for us to build
our own warehouses n some OF them
proposed to buy our cotton direct-if
We would keep on planting big crops.
During the days Of bumper cotton
crops the cotton exchanges and Spe-
culatOrs threw their combined 1ntlu-
ence on the bear side Of the market,
because it is easier to win on that side
when there is an abnormaliy large crop.
As long as the exchanges and specula-
tors were in the bear side and were US
ing all their power to depress prices,
We heard not a word of complaint
from our closely related kin folks and
weli-wiShers-the cotton spinners. But
when we got our eyes Ope and began
to raise more food products at home
and less cotton and the spectators
naturally drifted over to the bull side
of the market, because it is easier to
win on that side when the crop is not
too large, the spinners decided that
the exchanges are not doing a legiti-
mate business; and last week these
same spinners who were satisfied with
the methods of the cotton eXch1a ngeS
when they helped to give them low
priced cotton threatened to secure leg
islatiOn to put the exchanges out Of
business, if they keep on doing bust
ness which has become inigitimate
since the era Of fifteen-cent cotton.
After stressing the idea that a close
relationship should be maintained be-
tween s%pinnerS and producers, theSe
cotton nil men, in convention as
sembled last week., called attention OF
cotton that the world needs
more cotton and they advised the
FARMERS to raise more cotton. And
that very same ~cOnVentlOH OIL SpfnIeIS
deplored the fact that they themselves
had not been more successful in their
plans to curtail their own production!
With their factories closing down al
over the country because they have
more yarns than they can find a prof
liable market for, they gratuitousiy
advise the dear old farmer to raise
more cOttoni Would more cotton raise
the price of yarns? More cotton means
more hard work for farmers and less
returns for their labor. There was g
time when South ern farmers were east
~ deceived and led into suicidal error
but We feel like stopping here to say
to the %spinnerS that they have under.
estimated the intelligence and bushes:
sense of the Southern farmers-the
organized farmers-if they think they
will blindly swallow advice that has 6