The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-05

Nsfieu the question OF ENDORSING tne
NHyv orleans plan and pledging theIn-
ssvles TO carry out its provisions as
ia reduction of acreage and the use.
off ffprfifSzer r. was put tos,a vote prac-
,tirai3y every man IN the house, white
ard coIpred, stood, to be counted
When The negative vote was called
for not aman stood up- And furth-,
ern,ore when Chairman jennings eA-
paained the need of money to pay the
necessary expenses Of the campaign
and stated that the State committee
had asked that each man who signed
the pledge pay ten cents per acre OF,
cotton planted this year, the response
was immediate and considerably more
an. half of those who signed pledges
snafd orHrs. their acreage fee. on the
spot, wlniie others promised to pay
later. slrhee farmers will support the
acreage reduction campaign and Will
iilaIsce ss.to the limit necessary to
make it a success.
- The meeting was called to order
l,Y. Chairman Jennings who stated
that he had been requested to act in
S thfs capacity by the State COMMITTEES.
he DISCUSSED the New Orleans plan
5 briefly but cornprehensively, explain
ing the situation and the necessity
for action by the farmers Of the
South. if they would save themselves
and this section Of the country from
bankruptcy. He gave palm facts that
cannot be dedged or explained away
and told the crowd that it was now a.
Simple question whether Or not the
farmers and business men of the
Sedth had the sense and the back
bone to save themselves. If they
haven't Shey will go back into con-.
ditisn Of slavery to the cotton specu-
lsttofs.
M T. Frank Williams, county
farm demonstrator was called on to
ekysain the plan of organization for
the county and the campaign that
win be: made to secure the pledges OF
! an the farmers in the county. This
5 he: did, saying that he would need
xl1e, active. help and cooperation Of
pubic spirited men to serve on. the
saSaImittees that, would be named to-
secure pledges from farmers in each
school district, and he said that he
felt sure that he would receive all the
help that he needed. The commit
tees VIII be announced by Mr.. VIII
sa:.ss.:ns early next wek. Mr.. Williams
digreSsed from the campaign to
urge the farmers to plant corn, velvet
beans, and other food crops for man
and beast, assuring the crowd that
these crops were fully as profitable as
cotton and that this had been proven
by the experience Of number OF
farmers in this county within the past
TIVE years.
Mr. J. f. Bland Of Mayesville, one
of the most extensive cotton planters
OF the county was called on to state
his views. He said he would not
make a, speech, but would say that
he was in hearty sympathy with the
plan, had signed the pledge and would
stick to it to the letter.
Mr.. E. W. Dabbs was the only
farmer present who made any crit!-
c4szn Of the New Orleans plan. He
expressed the objection that farmers,
like himself. who had been follow
ing rational systm of crop diver
sificatior for years and had not been
in the habit of planting more, or
very little more than fifty per cent
Of their land in cotton, should not be
expected to reduce 33+ 1-3 per cent.
while the all=cotton farmers reduced
their cotton only the same percen-
tage. Hk said that he had planted
littze more than twelve acres OF cot
tea TO the plow and had produced
large crops of grain and many hogs,
large part of which was still on
hand for lack of a market. In these
circumstances, he did not eeel that it
was a. fair proposition to expect
those situated as he and others
were to reduce their small cotton
acreage still more and the all-cotton
farmers, after reducing SO Is per
ceIat would be planting more acres to
tfe, plow
Mr.. r. l. Manning addressed the
meeting on the cotton situation, re-
viewing conditions here and abroad,
and stressed the importance and ne
cessity OF. the. farmers controlling the
ebfton crop and being in a position
I6,:dictate when and how the crop
sh;ElI, be sold. By reduction Of
acreage, by keeping the supply OF
Cotton only equal to or less than the
demand the farmer can demand and
Will receive a fair price for his labor
ana the use Of his land. Not only
the prosperity OF the South but its
industrial safety is at stake, he said.
We are facing crisis, and the way
we Of the South meet it will deter
mine our well-being or our poverty
and dependence for years to come
He said that he had so arranged his
farming interests that the acreage
would be reduced and that the plan
would be carried out on ali the
land he controlled. He appealed to
the farmers of Sumter county to en-
dorse the movement and 70 stand
fast to the end.
Mr.. Jennings stated that last year
ne planted only fifty per cent of his
lana in cotton, in fact a little less
than that proportion. but he had al
ready arranged to reduce his cotton
oil