The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-07-26
Fifty Cent Cotton
MIR. E. w. Dabbs Beliyes That
Now Is The Time to Fix
Higher Prices
Editor Daily Item:

Editor Daily Item:
The cotton association presents
formida BILE array Of facts and figures
showing that cotton should be much
higher. A manufacturer is quoted as
saying they could pay 60 to IS GEMS
per pound for cotton. This is all very
interesting, but the association has
not told US to hold for these figures.
It said hold for 35 cents, and some
are doing so while many have sold at
81 to 33 cents.
Three years ago when cotton was
selling for 13 to Is cents Mr.. r. NJ.
Cooper and I began a car paign for
25 cents. The July 18th storm had
devastated Eastern Carolina. Today
we. have almost as bad rains without
the wind. But we have SO much wa
ter on the soil (and ] have seen be-
tween Darlington and my home hun
dreds of acres under water from SIX
to twenty-four inches deep every
acre sobbed-that we can not make
a normal crop. Some will not dry
out in time to be cleansed Of grass
ali win be cut from Ia to IL by the
excessive rains that have fallen for
ten days. You know Mr.. Editor the
bears watch the weather and we
have thousands CT farmers who be-
lieve every ssbear" report. We now
have the kind of weather that runs
the bears to cover, so this: is the
osycoiogicaI time to start a campaign
Tor so cents cotton. Get our people 90
stand for SO cents for all on hand and
that now growing. It is just as rea-
sonable and fair as 25 cents was three
years ago. we are justly entitled 70
SO cents on the money situation
aside from the size of the crop-50c
under present world imitation is no
more thar % cents was in 1861.
The average farmer and business man
has no idea of the relation OF me
volume Of money in circulation TO
prices, so we have to use a storm or
disastrous drought to make him be-
Keve that cotton should go higher. But
once you get him to thinking about
certain price, he will stand for It,
We may continue to say cotton IS
worth SIS to Is cents per pound, but
SO long as our association lets 35 cents
stand as the agreed price 1t Will not
20 higher for there will always be
enough TO sell just below the price we
say we should have to keep market
below our set price. Let US now set
the price at so cents anu there Will
be the same "old guard" to hold Tor
that price, and the same sellers below
that price, but the trend will be up
ward and SO cents will be reached and
that right quickly.
Every time we have named a price
to hold for we have reached 1t. l am
writing the Southern Cotton Assocla-
ton to come out squarely for so cents.
n in their judgment, with much bet
ter opportunities to know all the
conditions of trade they decide 20
name SIS cents or rs cents as the
price to stand for, I am with them
but I think this is the opportune time
10 come out squarely for two po1nds
fer a. Dollar That is my price un-
Ill the cotton association names
higher one. have reached that con-
.clusion by careful review of all toat
has been published on the situation,
and base it not on damage to pres
ent crop, but on relative values meas.
ured in the biggest dollar crop the
werld has ever grown. I am wiling
to concede the mills the difference te
keep them from raising goods to
point where consumption will be cut
down. T.. w. Oaops.