Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-09-20
MIR. DABIsS WAXED WROTH.
That Twelve-Cent Minimum for Cot
ton Was Sumner.

lima Farmers Union e. w. Dabbs,
writing to the Charleston News and
Courier, says:
The presidents Of the Farmers I'm
ion i'll the cotton States have met,
and when cotton was selling at from
. to 16 cents in the local markets
they, in their wonderful leadership.
declare for a minimum price Of 12
cents, aud make a great show of or
SaniZation in every State to secure
and maintain IL cents. On top Of
this they telegraphed President Will
son their condemnation Of his stop
ping the railroad strike. If they
knew what "asses' the business
world regards them, they would want
to crawl into a knot hole and replace
the knot
President Morrison wrote me ask
ing my opinion of his going to this
meeting. l wired him at my expense,
1t being too late to write: "By all
means go TO New Orleans and urge
stand for 25 cents at once. Issue a
call to the farmers and business men
of this State to stand for 30 cents.
Meeting can be called later" etc. He
had suggested a meeting during the
Stat" Fair, when asked to take a
stand for 25 cents cotton. l hope
something prevented Mr.. Morrison
from being at this New Orleans meet
ing, but l cannot understand his si-
lence except that he is SO disgusted
that he, like myself, is ashamed of
the so-called leadership in the Farm
ers' Union.
Some weeks ago wrote several of
the State presidents and President
Barrett, urging them to line up the
union for 25 cents cotton. Barrett
wrote, 81 will see what can do with
the boys" Or words to that effect.
President Alexander, Of North Caro-
lima, said the North Carolina Council
would meet on the 2sth of September
and he would then present the mat
ter to them, but said we could not do
anything under the present monetary
system, and for me to send SIS cents
to the North Carolina secretary for
three books that would prove this
and show the remedy. | presume he
was. at New Orleans, more Interested
In condemning President Wilson than
in securing what cotton is worth.
Both Morrison's and Aexander's
time for considering the price of cot
ton were set too late to do the peo-
pie who need it most any good; but
it would have been we'll if no meeting
had been held, or could ever be held,
when such an absurd price is fixed.
It is hard to write about this mat
ter In words fit to print, and l will
not repeat what has been said to me
about it, nor give utterance to my
own thoughts further than as above.
am discouraged that on the
strength OF this price many farmers
will sell believe it has given the
bears their only weapon Of attack in
this rccord-brcaking year, and is
lion dollars day. How long it Will
last, and how much further loss it
will entail, depends upon the yigor
with which men who are Informed
and all the newspapers show the true
situation.
David Il. Coker writes me: 81
think noticed that some farmers Or
ganization had fixed a minimum price
for this fall of 12 cents. Under pres
ent conditions such a limit would be
ridiculous and will do much harm, as
1t may give the farmers a wrong idea
OF the situation. hope the Farmers
Union will do something to check the
flooding of cotton on the market and
consequent unnecessary decline
am very strong bull on cotton.
Every mill is making good profits,
based on Is cents cotton. There is
no excuse for the recent decline cv-
cept that cotton is offered faster than
there are buyers for it. This decline
may go furthcr-possibly one or two
cents--if the farmers do not hold
back some. ] should not be surprised
to see cotton considerably over IS
cents next spring, but that will be
too late to benefit the croppsr and
small farmer unless he arrangns to
hold his crop. With the present or
ganiZations-State or other bonded
warehouses, banks which will read
lily loan at reasonable rates on cot