Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-02-16
FARMERS VOTE
TO REDUCE AND
HOLDTOCOTTON
Continued From Page One.)


bile. We have a natural monopoly in
cotton here, and we ought to be the
richest people in the world, instead of
barely getting a living. There ought
to be some agency through which we
could control the marketing of our
own crop"
NJ. B. Council again took the floor
10 call attention to the danger to the
farmers holding movement in the buy
isg of "call'' cotton by the mills, and
appealed to the farmers not to sell
their cotton in any way except as
spot-and then for not less than the
agreed price of 35 cents.
Secretary Perkins, in brief state
ment, declared that the North, over
flowing with war profits was attempt
ing to create an opportunity to impov-
erish the South, so that it might keep
us in a condition of virtual servitude.
which has been occupied for so long by
the cotton growers, dependent upon
the North, which dictates the price of
his production.
T. G. Hudson, former commissioner
of agriculture, objected to sugges-
ton that the resolutions adopted by
the meeting regarding the acreage re-
duction be modified to set limit of 10
acres per plow. He declared the &C
ton of this meeting should be abso-
lutely uniform with the action OF the
Macon meeting, which was a pattern
for action elsewhere throughout the
cotton states.
Stephen Pace, representative from
Sumter county. stated that bill had
been presented in one of the Carolina
legislatures putting a prohibitive tax
on all cotton acreage over 10 to the
plow. He declared such an act would
probably be introduced in the Georgia
legislature in June and all the other
cotton states this year.
L. G. Council, one of the South
biggest cotton factors. who was an
interested listener to the proceedings,
was called on by Chairman Marshall
for statement of the bankers view
point.
For the sake of the cotton in the
warehouse" he began, 81 hope, gen
tlemen, any resolutions you may adopt
today will read reduce
For the moment we are completely
balled up in the hands of the cotton
gamblers of Wall street, and we will
have to make the best of our situa-
ton I firmly believe, gentlemen, that
if these same gamblers had all of the
cotton that is now in our hands, it
would be selling for As cents a pound.
They have taken a technical advant-
age of the market, and we have been
at their mercy. Acreage reduction is
the only solution see for it-acreage
reduction and free and open markets
of the world If the world markets
were opened for us, cotton would be
bringing 80 cents within a few days.
There is one thing / would like to
tell the farmers, and that is 'elimin-
ate cotton The best thing in the
world for the farmer is to live at
home. Plant food crops and be indie
pendent of the rest of the country"
MIR. Council sounded a warning to
look out for a big cotton crop this
year in Texas and oklahoma. Crop
conditions there so far this year are
ideal, he said, and stressed the idea
that the reduction movement should
be impressed upon the growers of
those states to bring them into line.
put fire and birthstone on 'em and
make EN- do it," he said.
DR.. Peter F. Bahnsen. state veter-
marian. who is also Sumter county
farmer, prepared the cotton growers
pledge which was adopted.
M. B. Council suggested that the
meeting should send two delegates to
New Orleans next week to attend the
convention of cotton growing interests