The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-08-25
M'LAUR|N AND
|. HARRIS { SPEAK ! 1. HERE
OUTLINE PLANS FOR FINANCING
COTTON cROP-EXPLAIN "
WAREHOUSE BILL

WAREHOUSE BILL
Honorable Jno. L. McLaurin, State
Warehouse Commissioner, and B.
Harris, of Anderson, Organizer of the
Farmers Union in this State spoke
in the Court House on last Wednes-
day, to an audience of about four
hundred leading farmers and bust
ness men of the County. Mr.. J. AL
len Smith, President of tine National
Bank, presided at the meeting and in
troduced the speakers. -. -..-....-#
Mr.. Harris, was the first speaker.
He stated that the officers Of the
Farmers Union met in Columbia,
some ten days ago, and that believ-
ing that the people of the State do
not know the benefits to be derived
from the State Warehouse System,
a number Of meetings have have been
arranged in different parts of the
State in order that the warehouse
Commissioner might address the
people as to the purpose of and bene-
fits to be gotten out of the ware
house system. He stated that he
was here to speak also for the up
building and up-lift Of the agricul-
tural interests of .Abbeville County,
which meant the;interest of every en-
terprise and business man in Abbe.
vile, County
He stated that the great question
before thespeople, was how to solve
the farmers problem, for when we
have solved that we solve all of the
problems Of life, in the South; that
Everything depends on the agricul.
tural, interests; the .womd depends
on the farmers for living. He
stated that farming was the only, oc.
cupation given to man by his Maker
that all other occupations were lin.
vented by man. He announced three
great commands which must be obey.
ed in, order to develop the country
First, diyersifcation of crops; Second
organization; and third, cooperation
Speaking on the first question he
stated that the farmer could raise
his living, at home at one-half what
it cost him to buy, it on the market
that the farmer who had been raising
cotton and purchasing the things upon
which he lived in Abbeville County
must quit it right now, not next year
He further stated that, the farme,
himself must do this, and not look to
someone else to do it for him; that
if the railroad trains were to quit
coming into Abeville County, it would
be but short time until the people
would be face to face with starva.
ton and he thought such condition
Iof affairs q shame and disgrace in q
country where everything might be
raised. r r".-
On the subject Of organization he
stated that some years ago farmers
in the West were burning their corn
for fuel, as we all read in the papers
but since 1902 no corn had been
burned for fuel although the crop had
increased some two million bushels
per year since that time. The reason
of this he thought was that the West.
|ern farmers had organized and co.
operated in the marketing of their
crops. He stated that he had seen
corn hauled to. the station and sold
at eighteen to twenty cents per bushel
and that he bought oats at IA cents
in the Northwest; that hogs were
selling at that time at 1 lac pei
pound and hay at $4.0O per ton;
that the farms in the West were
covered by mortgages but when the
people got together and gradually
marketed their crops they received
a proper price for same, and the
farmers of the West had prospered.
He was of the opinion that the
farmer should get IL 1-2c for his
cotton and that it can not be raised
Continued on page six.)