The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-08
LETTERS TO EDITOR
The Cotton Market Question


 Many well meaning persons have made suggestions for relieving the present distressing condition of the cot ton market; the farmer and the mer- chant advancing to him. Permit me first to call attention to the unwisdom of some that have the more recent stamp
 As to summoning the cotton spinners to d conference to get an agreement that they pay 10 cents for cotton would. in my opinion. be much like inviting hungry pack of wolves to confer round about sheep fold: whether they tthe sheep) were likely to find help or whether the wolves could arrange to care for those they could not eat now, until a later period. all to the good Of the wolves in the last analysis. The records show that when cotton is cheap n'ost mills buy beyond their needs. When cotton is high they fall back upon their stock. At the present time, owing to the fact that the last two crops of approximately 32.0Gn.000 sold for an average price of 12is cents for middling tHester), mills in Europe and New England mills in this country spin cotton that they had purchased at much lower prices of former crops. This gives comparative 'clean-up that is, not for many years have cotton mills been as low in stocks of raw cotton Now. if every spindle in the United States and Canada was to run full time, night and day, the mills of this country could not possibly spin over 6,500.00 bales.
 We will suppose that one-thiTd of the crop command will be hold off the mar ket by those able financially to do so, until the spring of 1915; some Of it for a year; this 100000 bales, together with American spinners buying a full years supply at the reduced price would leave actually 4,00000O bales of the new crop in distress. That is without any market. but money for it i'm great need by the farmer and small merchant. In fact our whole business world. Just think of it, at 10 cents this represents in round fig mes S2O0 000, ,00Ol This must come from some source.
 wish to advance A plan that may lead to some practical relief.
 Let the governor summons to a confer ence the following:
 All the members of the legislature now legally entitled to seats
 All the members (prospective) of the in coming legislature.
 The governor and lieutenant-goverror to be elected.
 The present commissioner of agriculture and his successor.
 One farmer or merchant delegate, to be chosen by mass meetings, for each 10000 bales of cotton grown in 1913 in county Census basisl.
 The members of the House of Represen- tatives and two senators from Alabama.
 Each member of the conference to have one vote.
 upon the incoming legislature to enact into such laws as may be the recorded judgment of the conference
 The governor to pay the legislators their railroad fare and per diem out of the contingent fund for not over a three days session.
 This body of men can find light to guide us out of the darkness now en- veloping us, and frankly, thus far, no dawn in sight
 If this body of men should deem it wise to arrange for a system of state bonded warehouses with cotton classed. weighed and certified. they would lay the founda- tion for financing the crop. These ware houses could issue duly prepared receipts, issued to them by the state in blank form. European spinners would purchase them and hold. Eastern manufacturers, merchants and other business and even professional men would buy them. Banks could use them as the basis of loans from the federal treasury through the new ma chinery; that is with farmers and mer- chants notes and receipts at tached l will wager that :, 1,000, 900 bales of Alabama cotton could be sold in Europe at 10 cents with the receipts in use They could be sent to the banks with the draft The English cotton spinners could use the Canadian banks.
 Alabama will have 1.250,000 bales of cot ton ready for market by December 21, according to past records; that is, if the present low prices do not discourage pick ing. It costs s7.50 at least to pick bale of cotton at 50 cents per hundred, approx imately 15o0 pounds of seed cotton to 300 of lint. Respectfully, PERCY CLARK.
 Birmingham October T. 1914