The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-08-12
uReE0 TO HOLD COTTON.
Arg~nenf ~ Committee Giving Rca-
sons q sendins Appeal to ci'o-
PIE q south Carelina.

- s0~ W s"o Aoim-
ere Of south Carolina q committee
of the sumter County Farmers union
urges the holding Of cotton until q
higher price In obtained. The address
- prepared by committee CONSISTING
Of .. w. Dabbs. president of the
state Farmers' union. and J. N.
Brogdon and 9. N. Welsh.
II is a. follows:
To the farmers and all the busi-
nsss interests that are affected by
the price Of cotton:
The Sumter County Farmers
union st its last meeting unani-
mously directed us as q committee
10 call your attention to the serious
condition that confronts us In the out
look for low prices for this crop of
cotton. Thirty or forty days ago cot
ton soid In Sumter for Is 1-2 cents
(spoD. Today a holder who would
not then sell was glad to get ~ la
cents These are actaul sales. What
has brought about such . slump In
this short time after cotton had held
steady for nine or ten months at IL
TO Is cents? They say because there
b prospect Of over 100000 ba.s,.
II II not more because the world,
judging by the past. thinks It can
stampede the farmers and the mer-
chants. and buy below 10 cents be-
fore Christmas. The men who are
predieting such prices are working
with might and main to bring about
io-cents cotton by telling their farm
er friends. that the crop Ia the iarg.
est on record. You ought to sell as
fast az you can. for cotton is bound
to 20 lower Apparently not knowing
that this Ia the very way to bring
about lower level Of prices.
Now we have no quarrel with the
Northern and foreign spinner who
wants low priced cotton. II Il only
part of his busines to get the raw
material q the lowest possible price.
and II II also part Of his business to
ssll hin finished product at the high
est possible price. But how any
Southern men. even owners Of mill
stocks. can wish to see low prices for
cotton. or can I'm any way give aid
end encouragement to the enemy by
Joining In the hue and cry that
prices are bound to go lower is past
our comprehension. Every business
man and every cotton mill In the
South Il inevitably bound up In the
seaerai prosperity of this section.
II Southern mills would seek out
new markets for the manufactured
goods. and learn from the successes
Of foreign mills to cater to the de-
mands of the worlds trade In the
fabrics the world wants. put up In the
kind OF packages the world wants.
they could Join hands with all the
business interests of the Sotuh and
nx and maintain the highest possible
price for cotton and cotton goods.
That the mills viii not do this is
abundantly proven by the history of
recent years when our own mills kept
out OF the market while the farmer
was fainsg over himself to sell his
cotton. ana later paid more for their
stocks than the foreingers. with
freight and other charges added. We
may expect the same thing to hap
pen this fall. Hence we leave the
Southern spinners out Of the count.
But we do call on every merchant
and every fertilizer manuaftc lrer and
every banker and every railroad man
10 Join with the Farmers urion In
urging every farmer 10 hold back his
cotton until the world is willing to
pay a living price for II. Such
course can hurt no one. and II will
help every one: the merchants by Civ
Ing him cash customers for his
goods. the fertilizer plants by in
creased use OF their goods. the banks
by larger deposits. the railroads by
larger freights on more imported
goods that our people will have ,Se
money 10 buy. and every profession
and calling by the increase In the
circulating medium brought about by
the larger flow Of foreign gold In all
the arteries Of commerce.
There can be no question that
this will be the result OF high prices
for cotton. II II were not true. from
whence comes the present prosperity
81 tn south? IL II is cents cotton
that has done H. As surely as the
sun rises in the east and sets In the