Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1914-09-25
MASS MEETING DISCUSSES
COTTON SITUATION
DR.. H. Q, Alexander, Of Charlotte,
Speaks. Resolutions Adopted
and Views Expressed by
Many Representative
Citizens Present

SNiLcuS IcSCHt
The mass meeting Of the farm
ers, merchants, bankers, manu-
tacturers and others called to
meet at Halifax on Thursday,
September "A, was we'll attended.
Practically every precinct in the
county was represented in the
meeting and every vocation had
representatives in attendance.
1t was a gathering together of
men much in earnest of men
from every calling all realizing
the gravity of the situation now
confronting the south as a whole
and Halifax County, the third
cotton producing county in the
State Of North Carolina, in par
ticular.
Promptly at eleven O'Clock the
mass meeting was called to order.
Mr.. Frank P. Shields, of Scot
land Neck, presided and intro
duced DR.. II. O. Alexander. of
Charlotte, who spoke for nearly
two hours on the subject nearest
to the hearts OF his audience
the cotton situation. His talk
was forcible, lucid and convinc-
ing, giving a vivid picture of the
efforts which have already been
made to better the situation by
the organized farmers and prom
Use that these efforts shall not be
abated until relief has been OBJ
tanned.
DR.. Alexander touched on the
work done by the conference of
southern farmers and business
men held in Washington the lat
ter part of August. He spoke of
the relief that will be given the
situation by the emergency cur
rency issued by the Secretary of
the Treasury and the further re-
lief expected from this source af-
ter the Regional Reserve Banks
began operation, which will be
about October Is.
His treatment of the whole
situation was strictly from the
farmers standpoint. He out
lined the strong probability that
expectation of cotton to England,
at least, would soon be resumed,
mentioned the fact that the cot
ton tahings of American manu-
facturers this year would in all
probability break all previous
records and stated that he did
not believe the surplus cotton
which would have to be carried
over into next year would
amount to more than five million
bales.
DR.. Alexander stated that all
plans to carry over cotton into
next year could only be brought
to- successful termination on the
predicate that next years crop
will be materially reduced. He
stated that the Farmers Union
was opposed to the scheme OF
taxing acreage to curtail produc-
ton on the grounds that it was
not feasible or practical and if it
could be made so it would set a
dangerous precedent.
He advocated the extension of
the Buy Bale" movement,
the inducing Of merchants to pay
1Oe a pound for cotton to farm
ers who were unable to carry
over their own cotton and the
securing of pledges from indi-
vidual farmers all over the
South to the effect that they
would materially reduce next
year the acreage they had plant
ed to cotton this year.
The big banks over the South,
especially the big National Banks
in the money centers came in
for a good deal of criticism
from DR.. Alexander for having
misappropriated to their own
needs emergency currency placed
with them to relieve the cotton
situation. He stated, however,
that Gecretary of the Treasury,
McAdoo, had now come to real
ize this fact and that the full
power of the present govern
mental administration would be
exerted to insure the emergency
currency reaching the people for
whom it was intended: i. e., the
farmers. He advised the farm
ers to hold every pound of cot