The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-06-07
{. A. CALVIN
SAYS HOLD
YOUR COTTON

Atlanta, Ia, June 3.-"Hold your
cotton until the spinners are willing
10 pay fair price for it," is the ur-
gent advice of Z. A. Calvin, special
representative of the Cotton States
Official Advisory Marketing Board in
Washington, contained in a COMMIT
nication received by Commissions
OF Agriculture J. J. Brown, who is
president of the Board.
This official cotton board is com
posed of the Commissioners of Aeri-
culture, market bureau directors and
Farmers Union presidents of the cot
ton growing states. 1t was organized
specifically to look after and protect
the interests of the cotton producers,
and Z. A Calvin of Texas, was plac
ed in Washington as its representa-
tive with that particular end in view.
After calling attention to the break
in the cotton market for which sew
eral factors have been responsible.
and which some attribute to an al
legged conspiracy to put down prices
and others to combination of the
spinners, Mr.. Calvin produces evil
dcnce in the shape of the monthly let
ter of F. H. Bachman & Co., New
York Bankers, under date of April
18th, in which they advise their spin
ner friends" to use up their surplus
stocks down to the lowest possible
margin" as they feel certain decline
in price "is more than probable"
1t appears the market did decline
following the Bachman letter. for
some days later New York papers
which Mr., Calvin quotes, stated that
"the trouble with the market has
been lack of support from the mills"
These papers further stated.
"Spinners are doing a very good
business, with high prices for yarns,
which have shared very little in the
decline of cotton. Mill men buy as
little actual cotton as possible. Every
day of waiting has meant an extra
profit for them for the last few weeks.
Thus Mr.. Calvin shows that while
the price of cotton has gone down be-
cause the spinners have kept out of
the market, the price of goods has
kept up, and they are raking in their
extra profits.
Mr.. Calvin quotes figures to show
that the spinners have taken the ad-
vice of Bachman to the extent of buy
ing 760,172 bales less between August
l and May l8, than they bought the
previous year.
Whether there is conspiracy to
put down the price of cotton or not"
Mr.. Calvin says, "in the light of the
facts surrounding the case, the peo-
pie are going to believe there is such
a conspiracy"
If cheaper cotton would help to win
the war, Mr.. Calvin says the cotton
farmers would gladly have consented
to reduction in price to aid the gov
eminent, "but they know that cheap
er cotton only means greater profits
for the spinners and other middle
men, they cannot be blamed for pro-
testing" Continuing he says:
The Southern people are just as
patriotic and just as anxious to win
the war as any people in the United
States, and they do not want their
ability to aid destroyed by conspira-
tors. They want to buy their pro
rata of Liberty Bonds, and subscribe
their share to the Red Cross, but they
cannot do it if selfish interests are
allowed to destroy large part of the
value of their products.
"Spinners may be induced to buy
cotton sparingly or to stay out of
the market altogether for time, but
the South is able to hold every bale
of cotton produced this season, and
the crop will be marketed only as the
spinners must have it.
ut is the duty of every patriotic
Southern man, whether he be farmer,
merchant or banker, to stand by the
cotton crop and see that it is not
sacrificed in order that few already
overfed spinners and middle men may
still further increase their profits and
fortunes. Messrs. Theodore H. Price
and H. F. Bachman & Co., should be
made to understand that their propa-
ganda is about as disastrous to the
South as if they were agents of hte
Kaiser"