Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-09-01
COTTON PRICE MUST RISE AGAIN
Before Growers Of South Carolina
GroWers VIII Market StNplc.

Columbia, Aug. 3O.--Special: Four
thousand South Carolinians declared
last wednesday that they would not
sell tnelr cotton at prevailing prices,
adopted plans for the formation Of an
export corporation with capital
stock one million bales, pledged
themseHes to retire 25 per cent of
the neWfcrop from the market and
agreed 70 reduce the acreage Of the
l9zU crop by 33 1-3 per cent. A legal
contract was drawn up to be signed
Dy the farmers agreeing to the re-
duction OF acreage.
mere was not an auditorium in
the Guy OF Columbia big enough to
hold tHe crowd which gathered from
every sectlon Of the State Wednesday
Tor the meeting. The first attempt
was mao to hold the meeting in Cra-
ven Hail., whore the association has
heid all It's previous meetings. The
nall was soon crowded to the suffo-
eating point, and the crowds surging
at the doors demanded entrance. A
nasty conference was held on the
platform by officials, and it was de-
ctded to move the meeting to t].r
Columbia Theatre. The crowd in
sited that 1t would not hold all who
were seeking admission. Finally Gov
ernor cooper arose and suggested
that the meeting be held in the omen
air., This action was agreed to, and
with whoop the crowd moved on
the university campus some five
blocks away. There for four hours
they piahned the movement which
they say will free them from the
domination OF the bears of Wall
street.
Speeches were delivered by J. S.
Wannamaker president of the Amer
lean Cotton Association: United
States Senator Nat B. Dial: R. T.,
Lever, member Of the Federal Re-
serve board; Governor Cooper and
others.
They shall not have our cotton
except at fair and reasonable pro-
flt,' was the slogan Of the meeting.
Working to this end, the convention
unanimously adopted the resolution
providing for the formation Of the
export corporation, with capital
stock OF one million bales of cotton.
Hundreds Of farmers wanted to sub
scribe to the corporation to-day and
were impatient because subscription
blanks could not be printed in time
for distribution at the meeting. Tel
egrams poured into the meeting from
all over the South pledging heavy
to stock.
The convention also unanimously
passed resolution providing for the
reduction of acreage Of 33 1-3 per
cent bei,w the 1920 crop. A legal
contract to be signed by the farmers,
providing penalty in the courts for
the violation thereof, was 'enthusias-
tically approved, and it was declared
that the contract would be signed
by every farmer in South Carolina.
white and cOlored. :
The convention with cheer passed
the resolution calling for the retire
meht OF 2G,ncr cent OF the nav crop
from the market
Another res0lut!on adopted BY the
'sArHed Jon nNrid shat the
farmers or tha South wOmi not Ion
ger grow cotton and sell 1t a price
below reasonable profit.
'Povety and illiteracy have been
our heritance because Of the low
price or cotton, and we swear before
the God of Justice that it shall not
De the inheritance OF our Children"
reads O sentence In the resolution.
A telegram was read from Cover
nor Harding, of the Federal Reserve
Board, strongly endorsing the pro-
posed export corporation, and a
strong telegram was also read from
Secretary OF Agriculture Meredith.
There were many visitors present
from other States, and all reported
that the meeting OF the American
Cotton Association at Montgomery
on September /, Q and 8, at which
a minimum price for cotton will be
fixed, would be the most largely at
tended meeting in the history of the
association.