The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-09-23
COTTON FARMERS SET PRICE.
SENATOR SMITH PREDICTS VERY
SHORT CROP.
Junior Member Accepts Invitation to
Speak for President Wilson in Mid
die West.

Columbia, Sept. 19.-E. D. Smith,
junior United States senator from
this State, came to Columbia from his
home in Florence yesterday to at
tend the funeral of Mrs. Annie Jo-
sephine Howe, sister of President Will
son. He returned to Florence yes
terday afternoon.
Next month Senator Smith will give
much Of his time campaigning for the
presidential nominees of the Demo-
cratic party. Early in the campaign
he had been listed for tour of two
weeks through tho Eastern division.
Yesterday he recci, cd a telegram
from Senator KEN Of Indiana, urging
that he join the Chicago G;vision for
a series of speaking engagements be-
fore the agricultural masses of the
Central West. Mr.. Smith accepted
the invitation.
Cotton and problems incident to the
marketing of the crop have always
been of vital interest to Senator
Smith, but he was never at any time
more concerned than just now over
the prospect for unprecedented high
prices. Although trade relations
one year ago were disrupted by a
world war we consumed 1000, 900
bales of cotton in excess Of an H.
100000 bale crop" he said. This
Iyear the surplus has been exhausted
and we will market not more than
700, 900 bales. Our own State will
mot gin more than SO per cent. of last
Years figures. A concrete illustration
is my own CROP. Il have 80 acres from
which have picked each year from
Is to 80 bales. This fall I'll probably
get TO-"
/ Prices to be paid for this years
crop are wholly lin the hands OF the
4 farmers. Senator Smith emphasized.
An extremely small crop and that Sec
tion of the federal reserve act
i whereby cotton was made liquid
asset. render this possible. All the
farmers have to do is to store their
Icotton in manner acceptable to a
member bank of the federal system
4 With this assurance from the mem
Der bank, the federal reserve act
4 jproyides that large percentage OF
1.-THE value of the cotton shall be ad-
4 tanced six months by the regional
reserve bank. Last year $40 was
IL advanced to the bale. Prices then
\ iwef6-esssse sssius -f6r Genus. s7vfrn rutpur
tselling at Is cents throughout the
South. an advance of $50 ought te
n be had" Senator Smith said.
i Another point stressed was that
the warehouses did not have to be
linked up with the State warehouse
/ system. The federal reserve act was
/ passed long before warehouse act
was placed on the statute books OF
lSouth Carolina, and the only require.
1 ment imposed was that the cotton
shall be stored in manner accepta-
BILE to the member bank. Senator
Smith was author of that section and
could speak with authority as to ex.
actions,
i Another issue on which Senator
Smith thinks the people should be-
stir themselves is the acquisition OF
the 100000 nitrate plant, as re-
Gently provided for in congress. Se-
lection Of the site has been left with
President Wilson. Senator Smith
was the author Of the bill and fought
for Its passage through both houses
|of congress, and believes that with a
supcrabundance Of water power ant
mineral deposit and proper distribu-
ton facilities near the fields for con-
sumption the State has more
than an equal chance to procure the
plant, if the people of the State
vigorously fight for it's establishment