The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-09-10

be empowered to memorlallle
the governors of the nine prlncl-
pal cotton-produclng states to
call their legislatures in extra
session to enact the necessary
flaws to carry out this plan;
Resolutions offered by w; u.
! Black, of Barnwell, providing
that the cotton producers offer
to the fertilizer companies as
additional collateral their cotton
for them to hold for 12 cents a
pound for one year if necessary,
on the condition that the ferti-
| lizer companies renew the farm
ers' notes for one year, that the
fertilizer companies sell only
one-half as much fertilizer next
year as they did this year, and
that the cotton producers offer
|. to the banks their cotton as ad-
ditional security for their debts,
the cotton to be based on the
price of IL cents a pound and
the banks to hold it one year, if
necessary, at that figure, were
also adopted. The idea is that
this would retire about 5000, 600
bales and keep it off the market
for one year, and that the sur
plus of the cotton crop would be
bought up by the mills at IL
cents, giving 100000 bales to
be disposed Of in this way.
United States Senator E. D.
Smith attended the conference
and called attention to the pres
ent crisis and of the need of pro-
viding storage room for the cot
ton, the distribution of the emer-
gency government money thru
the small banks in cooperation
with the larger banks to the
small cotton producers and the
necessity of legislation to pre-
vent a duplication of a large cot
ton crop in 1915.
! Senator Smith said he thought
| it would be a blessing to the
South if not a bale of cotton was
planted in 1915, and he heartily
endorsed the suggestion to pre-
vent the planting of the more
than so per cent another year
by legislation.
The senator explained that the
crying need was to provide ware.
house facilities and he thought
it would be a good idea to mem
orialize insurance companies to
permit cotton to be stored on
skids in suitable places under
guard. The senator explained
the plan to get government aid
through the banks to finance the
crops, and offered the following
resolution, which he promised to
present to congress and which
he thought could be passed by
that body:
Resolved, That this meeting
hereby memorialize congress to
materially reduce the expense of
issuing currency under the vree-
d-Aldrich bill to the banks,
provided the benefit thereby &C.
cruing be accorded to the plant
ers dealing with the banks to
the extent of the reduction so
provided"
The resolution was adopted
unanimously with cheers.
SenatorSmith entered earnest
ly into the discussions and made
it plain that he was doing ev-
erything in his power to get
money for the farmers. If I
were governor I would call the
legislature IN extra session to-
morrow" said the senator, while
the audience applauded. Sena-
tor Smith thinks the important
thing is to pass laws making it
mandatory to reduce cotton
acreage at least so per cent next
year.
w. F. Stevenson thought such
laws could be passed by the leg
islature under the police power,
and set forth the position for
chilly.
DR.. Wade Stackhouse of Dbl
lon, president; B. F. Taylor, of
Columbia, secretary; E. J. Wat
son, T. B. Stackhouse, Senator
j. Arthur Banks, W. L. Gray,
of Laurens, and R. B. Besler, of
Sumter, were among those who
took prominent parts in the dis
cussion of the grave situation
now facing the cotton interests
of the South. It was decided to
canvass for members among all
classes of citizens, the member
ship to be 81, which would en-
title the member to a button
showing his membership. Twen-
ty-seven counties reported and
were represented at the meeting
tonight and DR.. Stackhouse said
he would take steps to organize
other counties at once. About