The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1911-06-29
armers' Union at Work Again.

dEmRTS OuIOI dt sSoAH> F-S
Back yonder just before the
Farmers Union was first organized,
the farming interests OF the South
were at the lowest. most discourag-
ing stage that we had experienced
since the most de>olate and demor-
allied condition known in its history.
Our great staple crop-cotton-had
so completely absorbed our attention
and efforts for years that We sudden
ly woke up; turned about to view our
situation, when it was found that
the South had on hand the largest
cotton crop ever known; prices
were foundering about from &c to
Z 1-2c per pound, and cotton bears
said, I'VE will get it for SC The
demand for supplies to produce this
bumper cotton crop was so great
that everything necessary to grow
and harvest this tremendous crop
had gone up in price and the whole
agricultural interests of the South
was long on cotton and shcrt on
everything else. Panic and dire dis
tress stared not only the farmer in
the face, but the merchant, the
banker, the fertilizer men, the mule
men, and absolutely every other man
and woman interested went down
into the calculation that soon con-
vinced everybody that cents cotton
would bust the whole South. Five
cents cotton would not pay for 81. 90
corn, 20 cents meat, S1.00 hay. high
priced fertilizer, and $1.00 labor.
Mule notes and mortgages began to
look more like dry bones than even
thirty cents. Instead of the mer-
chant and banker turning their COL
misunderstanding greenbacks, the
banker, merchant. and all other in
terests-"the whole family"-got
to looking green themselves. Every
body agreed that something had to
be done and then came conventions
of all interested in cotton and these
conventions led the way for forming
the farmers into the farmers union
and all other cotton interests into
lie cotton association" and hence
the slogan" lOc for cotton'by every'
body, and we finally got the lOc for
cotton. The five cents proposition
proved to be the fierce prod that
suddenly woke the old cotton bull
the farmer-from his long doze, and
when he did get into the arena for
"1Oc cotton or there is nothing do
ing" this bull-ragging won out. But
the Farmers Union soon saw and
realized the fact that this vigorous
sentiment was kin to bluff, and that
this "popgunning at the thing was
neither war nor peace, 'and that cot
ton bears whipped by bluff would
not stay whipped, if we were long
en- cotton and short on hay, grain,
hog and hominy; that we should d.
versify crops by growing more acres
in home supplies and fewer acres in
cotton.
The Farmers Union got in be-
hind the farm demonstration work to
show our all cotton farmers how
to raise corn and hogs and other
farm stock, and the food for the
same, and the results are before US
to-day. South Carolina now has the
largest crop of grain and mole hogs
than ever produced before, and the
union is IN it all. We have more
corn clubs and hog clubs and other
stock and dairy associations than ever
Anown before, and the Farmers
Union is foremost and in it all.
The Farmers Union won lOc cot
ton by bluff and the aid of vlgor-
Gus sentiment of Southern interests.
The union won l2c cotton with corn
and oats. and the Farmers Union
and the whole South have won l5c
cotton by a general diversificatlon OF
crops and the only way to maintain
lrZN