The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-08-06

status of the cotton crop the follow
ing extraordinary call has been issued
to the Southern cotton congress by
President E. J. Watson:
ITO the people of the cotton belt:
In 1911, in the face Of an impend-
ing disaster to cotton, with l6,0oo'-
OOO-bale crop almost certain to drive
the price to s cents or lower, entail
ing incaioulable loss to the producer,
at the suggestion of the Farmers
union, the cotton growers, the mer-
chants, the business men and the
bankers of the South met in Mont
gomery, Ala, and formed the South
ern cotton congress, inaugurating the
great fight for the maintenance OF
fair price for cotton, resulting by
December of that year in a complete
victory over the manipulators, and
saving millions of dollars to the pro-
ducers and to the nation, means be-
ing employed that it is needless to
discuss.
when the congress was adjourn
ing, as the president Of the body, the
undersigned undertook to push the
fight for justice to cotton in the mar
kets and to be the watch dog and the
tower sounding the call for action
only when cotton was again threaten
ed with disaster. The body adjourn
ed subject to the call of the president,
and with the understanding that such
next meeting would be held in Allan
ia, Ga.
"Since 1911 there has been no
necessity for the congress to meet
and hence l have issued no call, for
no great disaster has been imminent
at any time.
Though the iniquitous methods of
marketing that have been permitted
to prevail have not yet been cured by
national governmental action, and
this had become vital matter to
cotton growers, almost necessitatlng
the calling Of the congress to wrestle
with the problem, we have preferred
to await the action Of the United
States congress in that regard.
Cotton is not alone the South's
chief asset; it is the chief asset of the
nation, preserving the worlds bal
ance of trade in favor of the United
States and bringing to America her
golden stream.
Impending Danger.
In the past few days the great Eu-
ropean cotton-consuming countries
have been plunged into a war. which
it now appears, brings the grower
and handler of cotton face to face
with disaster. In two days the price
of cotton has begun to fall startlingly.
Cotton is about to move to the mar
kets, the markets are about to be
curtailed by millions of bales and
closed. From the standpoint Of the
financial stability and integrity of the
nation itself, of the producer, of the
banks and bankers, of the merchants
and business men, of every CONNER
cial interest of our own textile plants,
it is vital that the 1914 crop of Amer
ican cotton shall not be sacrificed to
the irreparable damage of prosper
Gus and rapidly developing section
of the Union and of the nation.
81 don't believe in business hys-
terra and for several days have wait
ed and watched the course Of events;
1t is clear that great damage has al
ready been done, certainly more than
can be undone were there an imme-
diate suspension of hostilities.
Whether the danger Of total finan-
cial loss for one year at least to
growers of cotton is impending is i'm
material; the danger is sufficiently
manifested to show that the time for
concerted action between growers,
merchants, business men, bankers,
cotton manufacturers and even the
national government itself has come.
Extraordinary Call.
Il am. therefore, exercising the
authority voted in me by the South
ern cotton congress, and after con-
sultation with officials of the Farm
ers' union, the most important regu-
lar organization of Southern cotton
growers, and with business men, is
suing this call for an extraordinary
session of the Southern cotton con-
gress to be held on August 1914,
1914. In view of the fact that it is
important that all members of the
congress of the United States should
be given the opportunity to confer
directly with those so vitally affected,
the session is hereby called to meet
in Washington, D. c., instead of At
lanta, Ga.