Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-04-30
McLAURIN AT FILBERT

There was quite large and ap-
preciative audience at Filbert last
night to hear Hon. John l. McLau-
rim, state warehouse commissioner,
talk about cotton and finance. They
came from the immediate vicinity,
from Yorkville and Glover and from
the surrounding country for a dis
tance Of seven or eight miles. The
audience was composed largely Of
farmers, their wives and children, and
all gave close and appreciative atten-
tion to all the speaker had to say.
Senator Beamguard, who spoke and
voted for the warehouse law at the
extra session Of the legislature at
which it was passed, presided over
the meeting and introduced the
speaker as not only the best informed
man in South Carolina on the subject
of cotton and finance; but as a man
who had a message and who knew
how to deliver the same. He testified
to Mr.. McLaurin's earnestness and
persistence in securing the passage Of
the law and his intelligence and abil-
ity in putting the same into effect.
Mr.. McLaurin spoke for nearly an
hour, covering for the most part the
same points that have already been
made clear in his different published
speeches and addresses to the public
through the newspapers. He took
occasion to express the peculiar pleas
ure he felt at the unusually intelli-
gent and comprehensive grasp that
had been exhibited by the Filbert
people of the purpose of his efforts
and the ends to be obtained, and then
went into detail as to the whole prob
lem. He explained how the southern
cotton crop Is the main basis OF
prosperity not only Of the south but
of the whole United States. and how
northern and foreign interests were
able to get more out Of cotton than
the producers were able to get. He
showed how prices were controlled
by forcing the greater part Of a.
years supply on the market within a
period Of two months, and made 1t
clear that the remedy. lay In provid-
ing a means whereby the process Of
letting loose of years supply could
be more evenly distributed through
out the year. This he explained, was
the object of the warehouse, and he
made it quite plain how, If the farm
ers would build, own and operate
of their own, they could
save for themselves the six or eight
talon 0f the
crop on the road from the ginner 10
the spinner.
In the course Of his talk Mr.. Nc
Iaurin took especial pains to explain
the difference between the privately
owned warehouse and the state ware
house. He showed how the credit OF
receipt Of a privately owned ware
house was necessarily Of a local char
acter only, while the credit Of a state
receipt was universal. He
also showed the advantage Of having
a receipt that guaranteed title, weight
and grade, as compared with a receipt
that did not even satisfactorily guar
antee rhe delivery Of the identical
bale on account Of which it had been
issued.
He told his audience also that un-
der the state warehouse system 1t was
easily practical for the owners Of
to store cotton at cost of
not exceeding cents a bale month,
including insurance and all other ex-
penses. and how Of course they could
add as much profit to that as the bus
mess would justify. But one Of the
most important achievements up to
this time, outside of establishing the
superior credit Of the state warehouse