The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-09-12
TEXAS ASKS FIFTY
CENTS FOR COTTON
President Wannamaker Declares
That Cotton is Selling Below
Cost.

New Orleans, Sept. 8.-Five hun
dred delegates, representing ten
leading cotton States gathered in the
Grunewald assembly room, heard
President J. S. Wannamaker open the
meeting of the American Cotton AS
sociation this morning by reading a
personal letter from President Wilson
in which he commended it's "excel-
lent purpose" and said, ~ confident
" look for helpful results from 1t. y
President Wannamaker launched
at once into organization and called
on each State to appoint two men,
bers on several important commit
tees. Welcoming addresses were made
by Mayor Behrman, Governor Pleas
ant, of Louisiana, and others and in
replying in an eloquent address, at
ter which he was compelled to rise
and respond to continued applause,
Thomas J. Shackelford, of Athens,
Ca, chairman of the finance commit
tee, declared that whoever "solves
the problem of fair price for cotton
has solved all the problems of the
South"
Commissioner of Agriculture j. j.
Brown, of Georgia, was named by
President Wannamaker chairman OF
the committee on recommending a
minimum price for cotton. This
committee will report Tuesday morn
ing and predictions vary as to the
figure that will be fixed. Georgia
delegates are talking 81 IL cents,
while Texas is shooting as high as
SO cents. Discussion in this COM
mittee is expected to be quite warm.
Governor Dorsey on Hand.
Governor Hugh M. Dorsey and
Senator Hoke Smith came in on the
morning train and both were cordial
" received. Senator Smith, chart
er member Of the association, spoke
at the afternoon session and gave
some good suggestions in connection
with organization. Governor Dorsey
by special invitation, will preside at
all sessions of the association Tues
day.
In keynote speech, President
Wannamaker said he proposed to
send a commission direct from this
meeting to President Wilson to ask
him to call a meeting of representa-
tive bankers, merchants and pro-
ducers in Washington, from all sec
tions of the country, to devise ways
and means of extending the needed
European credits to prevent calam-
ity.
This committee has been named,
with John S. Holder, of Georgia, as
chairman. President Wannamaker
declared cotton is today selling be-
low the cost of production, and
quoted figures prepared by W. W.
Morrison, of New Orleans, showing
that it cost 34.56 per pound average,
to grow this seasons crop; and that
if cotton today were selling at the
same relative value as other products
it would be bringing 48.06 cents a
pound. He showed Europe must
have prompt credits to avoid calam-
ity and is willing to take American
cotton at fair price. The associa-
ton, he said, is pushing a bill in
congress to require the department
of agriculture to make periodic re-
ports on acreage abandonment, as
this is a vital factor in determining
the supply.
Another law sought is to provide
for the designation in the South Of
<sware houses of delivery" so that
purchasers of future contracts can
demand delivery at southern ware
houses.
To Handle Distress Cotton"
L. D. Jennings, of South Carolina,
introduced a resolution pledging all
delegates present to use their .bes.s
efforts to establish in every cotton
county in the South corporation to
take care of distress cotton. A spe-
cial committee was named to devise
plans for carrying out the purposes
of this resolution. L. S. Tomlinson,
of North Carolina, was appointed
chairman of the committee on per-
manent organization.
Many letters and telegrams were
-e4d, among them being one from r.
n. Fletcher, of Forsyth, Ga, read at
the afternoon session, in which ne
said: "Cotton is going down every
day Europe is not able to buy. l
-, l.4 10O bo1oe fbic foil