Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-22
TO HOLD COTTON.
Farmers Union Seeks to Awaken
Producers to Their Interest.

The South Carolina Farmers Union
is making an urgent plea to farmers
and business men to cooperate in an
effort to hold cotton off the market
until the spinners are compelled to
pay a price at which the producers
can live. The agricultural depart
ment is cooperating. The plan in
mind right now Is to hold county
meetings at the various court house
towns throughout the state next Mon
day, and a state meeting in Columbia
on Thursday, September %.
The letter that is being sent over
the state comes from the office Of ].
Whitner Reid, secretary of the South
Carolina State Farmers Union and is
signed by Commissioner Watson and
President Dabbs Of the Union. II Is as
follows:
To all Bankers, Merchants, Farmers
and Professional Men; Boards of
Trade, Chambers Of Commerce, Bus
mess Mems Leagues and Farmers
Unions:
You are doubtless fully informed Of
our efforts during the past six weeks
to secure reliable reports Of the crop
conditions; and that our investiga-
tions and the Investigations of all the
commissioners of agriculture Of the
cotton states. presidents of Farmers
Unions, the National Farmers Union
meeting at Shawnee, Okla, and the
great Montgomery Cotton congress, all
agree that the cotton crop Of 1911 will
be about the same as the crop Of 1910.
The Montgomery congress added to
the most careful compilation several
hundred thousand bales to cover our
natural disposition to underestimate,
with the result that we consider 12,-
100000 bales a liberal estimate for
this crop.
But what effect does it have on the
market? None at all. Nor can II have
any as long as our people almost fight
to see who can be first at the weigh
ers' platform and we find interior mar
kets making new records for Septem-
ber cotton sales. Therefore this has
ceased to be a battle Of the leaders
with statistics, crop conditions, trade
reports, ETC., but 1t is absolutely one
Of receipts-a fight all along the line
by the individuals who have toiled all
the year to grow the cotton and 1t
rests with them, the grower Of one bale
as well as the planter or the merchant
who grows or controls his hundreds Of
bales. to call halt otherwise we warn
YOU that the price Of cotton will be so
low that business will be paralyzed
and bankruptcy will stare us In the
face.
That something may be done at
once, we call upon you to meet at your
respective centers Of trade, not only at
your county seats, but at every point
where cotton Is marketed, on next
Monday the 25th at any hour Of the
day most convenient to your people,
there to assemble and discuss this mo-
mentous question and devise ways and
means to put into effect the advice of
the Farmers Union and the Montgom-
cry Cotton congress. Your leaders
have done all that they can do. We
have gathered the information. and we
have through the press that has most
ably seconded our efforts, sent 1t to
every hamlet on every rural route
in the state. The work rests with you
the growers Of the cotton, and with
you the part owners of the cotton-the
bankers, the merchants, the profess
sional men-you whose prosperity Is
measured by the price Of cotton, to get
together and stop this loss Of millions.
You alone can do II. It Is idle to sit
down and say that Brown, Hayne,
Sully, or any bull clique will raise the
price Of cotton. or can raise 1t so long
as our people put II on the market. It
Is no less idle to say that we can do
nothing until the Farmers Union trus-
tees and the French English syndi-
cate get together and furnish us with
foreign capital. All this Is well enough
and we believe that the money will be
forthcoming, but before 1t can reach
the local banks there will be no cotton
then to finance at the present rate Of
sales. We do implore our fellow cit
liens to give heed to our call. Meet
next Monday and meet for business.
We will send speakers to every point
we can, but there should be meetings
where every one can feel free to ex-
press his views, and let there be no ad-
journment until you have decided on
a plan Of united action. Do not walt
for our speakers. for we may not be
able to secure them, and we could not
possibly secure one for every meeting
that we hope will be held in the state.
On Thursday the 28th at p. m. in
Columbia in the hall Of the house Of
representatives, we trust that we will
have delegates from each one Of these
local meetings. After comforting to-
gether we have decided that Thursday
the 2Sth will be better than Wednes-
day the 9th for we do not wish to in
terfere with the Red Shirt Reunion.
Remember the days-Monday the
25th for local meetings all over the
state and Thursday the 2Sth for the
State Cotton congress in Columbia.
We are sending this to all the news
papers IN the state, to boards Of trade,
to bankers and merchants, Farmers
Unions, and to the commissioners Of
agriculture and the presidents Of the
state Farmers Unions in the cotton
belt.
E, J. Watson,
Commissioner of Agriculture for S. c.
E. w. Dabbs,
President S. c. State Farmers Union.