The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-08-12
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
NEWS
PRESIDENT J. A. WHITEHURST
DISCUSSES COTTON CONTROL

"The American Cotton Association
will not make "A direct fight upon IN,
World Cotton Conference but viii re-
gard IL strictly as n manufacturers an(
hrokerI organization, which Interests
are not usually concerned with the cot
ton producer"
This was the reply OF President J
4. Whltehurst, of the state board OF
agriculture. when he was asked 10y tho
secretary of the ArdmOre Chamber OF
Commerce about the two organizations
named. in the course OF a conversation
in Mr.. Whitehurs,s office In the stat
capitol Il few days ago. Both the Amer
lean Cotton Association and the World
Cotton Conference were recently or
panized
\ "Srlf Defense" Movement
The American Cotton Association had
IT, origin at meeting In Memphis.
Tenn. last May. This meeting was com
posed of bnnkers. brokers and cotton
producers, assisted by number o'
prominent statesmen including Senator
Robert l.. owen and =. @. Harding of
Birmingham. Ala. governor Of the Fed
oral Reserve Bank,
The purposes Of the American Cotton
Association includes restriction ~ ovcr
production: holding cotton in ware
houses to the end that surplus produc
ton may rcmain under the control ana
ownership of producers or local buy
crs. and for marketing the surplus only
ns the manufacturing demands war
rant il in other words, To let the pro
ducers. with the assistance of their 10
cal hanks. hold back the surplus Of any
year so that the acreage of the next
crop may ba regulated according 70 the
surplus cotton in the hands Of the pro
ducers; organization Of machinery for
selling cotton direct 20 the foreign man
ufacturer instead of remaining at the
mercy of the cotton gamblers and mid
die men; gathering of statistics which
should he based on actual facts as to
cotton production rather than on spec
ulative conditions.
"TOb0gganing" the Cotton Market
"Immedately after the signing Of the
armistice" said Mr.. Whitehurst, "the
powerfully organized cotton gamblers
and manipulators, feeling that they hac
free hand. in the short space Of sixty
days forced the price Of cotton from -
cents--a really very reasonable price
down to % cents.
Their determination was to put cot
ton on the toboggan and force it down
TO 10 cents pound--what they call
reasonable price.
THE organization of the American
Cotton Association brought terror ana
disappointment to the cotton mnnipu
lators The strength of our movemen,
was made apparent 10y the fact thar
cotton Immediately began to climb back
to where it was at the time the armis
tice was signed. am now quite con
fident that the price of cotton will reach .
60 cents this fall, ana ! think that pr;ce
is not out of line with the price OF
other staple commodities"
At the Memphis meeting Senator I
Owen presented in considerable detail "a
plan which is far.reaching in its aims
and generally believed by those who
have studied the cotton situation from
the viewpoint of the producer, to be
the best proposal yet made in the in
terests of the cotton producing sections.
This proposal was for the organiza-
tlon of a cotton export corporation
which would become the selling agency
for the cotton broker, cotton merchan,
and cotton producer, establish agencies
in Europe and Japan and sell direct TO
the foreign manufacturers instead OF
continuing to submit to the dictation
and operations of the cotton market by
the board of trade or Liverpool. anC
Manchester, England.
The plan includes concentration OF
cotton in fireproof warehouses; at con
venient shipping points throughout the
south. where It will be under control OF
the foreign manufacturers and brokers
Also "Self Defense" for Gamblers
When the foreign manufacturers and
brokers became aware of this movemen;
they issued a call for "a World Cotton
Conference" to meet in New Orleans in
October. soliciting the cooperation OF
chambers of commerce and other bust
ness organizations, state officials and
even cotton farmers to participate in
the conference
ArdmOre Il Concentration Point
If President WhitehurSts plans ma
terialize he expects to concentrate q
large percentage of the Oklahoma crop
in fireproof warehouses at several points
along the southern border of the state
so that the movement of the cotton