The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-30
Conference Concluded

dSHllS ton, september 2U.-Southefn governors and congressman concluded series of conferences here today with out determining upon any definite plan for the relief of cotton planters from conditions growing out of the European war. While they resolved that next
 years cotton acreage should be ma terially reduced no specific means of curtailment ~ere agreed upon.
 The conferees agreed to attempt
 to secure federal legislation that would
 enable planters to obtain loans from
 the banks on their surplus crops, while
 prompt action was urged upon tho
 warehouse bill pending in the House
 and upon the Senate bill proposing the
 repeal of the 10 per cent tax upon
 state banks which participate in the
 amended Aldrich- -Vreeland currency act
 They attempted to maintain cotton
 prices above 10 cents a pound, and a |committee was named to submit the
 conference resolutions to President Will
 son.
 The resolutions unanimously adopted |are:
 Resolved, That it is the sense of
 this conferences:
 That the acreage of cotton to be cul-
 tivated in the United States in 1915
 shall be materially reduced. That to
 accomplish this end every legitimate
 means shall be employed.
 That the members of this confer-
 ence shall make every possible effort
 to secure federal legisla tion which will ena ble the producers of cotton to ob-
 tain loans of public funds deposited in the banks at reasonable rate of in terest to be fixed by the government, upon such part of the present crop and under such conditions as may be prescribed by law, and by the rules and regulations lawfully made by the treas ury department.
 Would Extend Market Resolved, That it be the sense of this meeting that there be established by joint resolution in the House of Represen- tatives and Senate of the United States commission looking to extension and mar keting of cotton and that Senator Hoke Smith prepare such resolution. Resolved, That it is the sense of this commission that the House of Represen- tatives should pass the Senate bill all lowing the state banks to issue currency under the provision of the Vreeland-Al- drich bill as amended, without paying the 10 per cent tax. Resolved, by the governors of, senators and representatives in Congress from the cotton states, in convention assembled in the city of Washington September 29, 1914. That we will most earnestly 'endeavor to maintain the price of cotton above 10 cents a pound, and to accomplish this end we will bring to bear, as far as we can, the power of the national and state gov ernments, to restrict acreage for the year 1 1915, and furnish governmental aid to han dle the present crop.
 Resolved, That this conference request prompt action upon the warehouse bill now pending in the House of Representa- tives.
 Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to call upon the Attorney 1 General to lay the facts about cotton seed before him and to request such action as the facts, may justify
 Committeeman Named | The committeeman named were. Rep resentative Hughes of Georgia and Lever of South Carolina, and Senator F. D. | Smith of South Carolina.
 l Representatives Hardwick and Lever and Senator Joseph T. Robinson were ap- pointed to submit the resolutions to the | President.
 l Adoption of the resolutions came after many hours of heated debate. Vigorous l objection met the proposals that the gov ernors pledge themselves to call special
 sessions of state legislatures to enact pro- l hibitive taxes on cotton production in l 1915 in excess of 50 per cent of the 1914 l crop. Many of the governors were un- derstood to have contended that such laws would be an exercise of police power, and | that state constitutions forbade extension 1 of that power beyond a prescribed field l A committee had reported that the state 1 had full authority but it was impossible 1 to reconcile divergent views.
 | The suggestion that q federal taxation
 law be enacted met with opposition from
 congressman. That also was abandoned 1 It was suggested that cotton growers represented one-third of the population and cotton consumers two-thirds. which
 would make it virtually impossible to en-