The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-09-13
Committee Named at New Or
leans to Fix Price on
Staple
MANY PLANS SUBMIT
TED FOR HOLDING
President Wannamaker De-
Clares( That Cotton Is Selling
Below Cost

New Orleans Sept s.-Five hun
dred delegates, representing ten lead
ing cotton Safes, 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 its excel
lent purpose" and said. II confident
ly look for helpful results from it.
President Wannamaker launched
at once into organization and called
on each State to appoint two mem
bers on several important commit
! tees Welcoming actresses were made
by Mayor Behrman, Governor Pleas
! ant, of Louisiana, and others and IN
replying in an eloquent address, after
which he was compelled to rise and
respond to continued applause, ThQs.
J. Shackelford Of Athens, Ca, cpalr-
man of the finance committee, decIar-
FED that whoever solves the prob
lem Of a fair price for cotton has
solved all the problems Of the South
Commissioner of Agriculture, j. j.
Brown, of Georgia, was named oy
President Wannamaker chairman OF
| the committee on recommending a
minimum price for cotton. This COM
| mittee will report Tuesday morning
and predictions vary as to the figure
| that will be fixed. Georgia delegates
are talking 81 1-2 cents, while Texas
| is shooting as high as so cents. Dis
cussion in this committee is expected
| to be quite warm.
Governor Hugh NJ. Dorsey and Sen
ator Hoke Smith came in on the
morning train and both were cordial
| ly received Senator Smith. char
| ter 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
IWannanaker said he proposed to send
a commission direct from this meet
1 ing to President Wilson to ask him
to call 4 meeting Of representative
bankers, merchants and producers in
Washington, from all sectors of the
country, to devise ways and means Of
extending the needed European cred
its to prevent calamity.
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 1856 per pound average,
I; 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 calan-
ity and is willing to take American
cotton at a, fair price. The association
he said, is pushing. bill in congress
to require the department of agricul-
ture to make periodic reports on
acreage abandonment, as this is a
vital factor in determining the sup
ply.
Another law sought is to provide
for the designation in the South Of
| warehouses of delivery so that pur-
chasers of future contracts can de-
mand delivery at southern ware
houses.
T.. D. Jennings of South Carolina,
introduced q resolution pledging al
delegates present to use their best
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 chair
man of the committee on permanent
organization.
Many letters and kilograms were
read, among them being one from r
H. Fletcher, of Fo' 'yth, Ca, read at
the afternoon Sc ION, in which he
said: Cotton is going down every
day Europe is not able to buy. I will
have about 100 bales this fall. 1 will
sell half Of my cotton through the
American Cotton Association to for
eign spinners on one years credit.
Get everyone who is able to do this
and we can whip the fight. The half
we keep at home will be worth as
much as the entire crop
There were many other telegrams
along similar lines; some declaring
cotton should bring so cents or more.
and others suggesting the prompt
exchange of American cotton for
German potash.
Following Senator Smith this after
noon, speeches were also made by
Editor D. D. Moore, of the Times
Picayune; Col. w r. Thompson. Of
New Orleans, and Philip c. Wads-
worth. of New York, an authority on
the handling and compression Of cot
ton
A special committee will be sent to
Washington to confer with w. P.
Harding, chairman Of the federal re-
serve board. to take up the matter
of reviving and establishing an export
financing corporation to handle ex
port cotton.