The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-05
BARRETT SAYS
HOLD COTTON
No Clique of Bear Gam
bIers Shall Dictate
to Growers
WORKING FOR THE SOUTH

Men Of CalIinss Urged to Unite With
the Farmers Union to Secure a
Fair Price for ale Farmers Cotton
Tho Biggest Question Before the
South Today is the Getting Of a
just Price for This Years Cotton
Crop.
Especial to News and Observer.)
Union City, Ga, Aug. 29.-National
President Barrett, of the Farmers
Union, today made his first official eX-
preston regarding the attitude Of that
big organization in the battle that
is coming this fab to maintain the
price of cotton at a proper level.
THE Farmers Union says Presi-
dent Barrett, issues an invitation TO
the entire South to cooperate with it
in saving to this section many mil
lion dollars on the cotton crop of
1911-12. 1t is for the merchant, the
business man, the banker, the small
est citizen, no less than the farmer,
to figure the difference between eight
or innocent cotton and thirteen or
fOurteen-cent cotton. The fight we
are going to win is not alone in be-
nan VI tIC Il IL 10 WdSSo III
the interest of the Southern business
world as a whole. To that degree it
is not only the duty, but the indi-
Vidual profit. of every element in the
Southern States to join hands with
the Farmers Union, to the end that
the powerful machinery of this or
ganization may be brought to bear
with complete success upon the pres
ent situation.
ITO the farmer, whether or not a
member of the Farmers Union, my
imperative advice is Hold your cot
ton, 1t is worth infinitely more than
the price now quoted. You should
first go to your local banker, if you
are in debt, and borrow sufficient
money, with cotton as collateral, to
enable you to hold. Your own bank
er knows you best, and it is to his
interest to aid you in the fight.
Should he fail you-and | DON think
he wi1l-you can depend upon as for
assistance.
THE Farmers Union does not in
tend that a clique of bear gamblers
or domestic and foreign spinneTs
shall combine to dictate the price of
our product CT to rob the section OF
a tremendous sum of money. 1t Is
for the South We are working. Now
IS the time for every Southerner to
prove his business insight. and it is
not the time for hypocritical preten-
sions. It is a cold matter Of dollars
and cents. If the farmer suffers,
the business man, every business in
terest, suffers along with him.
Tt is no longer possible to produce
cotton for eight or nine cents at a
profit. If we could return to the old
prices for mules, supplies, farm ma
chinery. land itself, the proposition
would be feasible. But as We cannot.
the farmer must insist upon the price
~ sc r-0I-a or
a level with that of every other
product.
The South ought to be ab%undantly
able to finance and hold its w prin-
cipal product. The accomplishment
should be q matter OF pride as we'll as
of common sense. Practical men
realize that the cotton crop of the
opening season Will no be nearly so
large as it has bee n~reported. We.
who have investigated, know that
there viii be a demand at a fair price
for every pound Of the staple pro-
duood- The main thing is for the
farmer. large and small, organized
and unarganized, to get together and
resolve that he will not be cheated
out Of the result Of his toll.
Every solitary Southerner is inter
ested in the same result. And to
each one. in whatever calling. I ex-
tend a cordial invitation to work with
US for his own monetary interest, no
less than that Of the farmer. AS for
the latter-anOther season or two of
fair prices means absolute emancipa-
ton from debt. That thought should
be sufficient 20 nerve him for the bat
tle-especially when he is assured as
SlStance in it's winning.
'Captain Reuben T.. Kolb. Commits
Sloner of Agriculture of
has called a meeting of the Commits
s1onefs OF agriculture Of the Southern
states and of all intareSta9 porf;oc
barFlng none. to devise means for
maintaining the price of cotton. This
conference will follow the Farmers