The Monroe journal., 1920-09-21
BROWN SCORES FARMERS
FOR THEIR INDIFFERENCE
COLUMBUS COUNTY SPEAKER
PLEADS FOR COOPERATION
Cotton Meeting Here Was the Best
OF Its Kind Ever Held-Court-
house Overfilled.

Senator Joe Brown. Columbus
county farmer. merchant and states
man, went for Union county farmers
with gloves of for their indifference
towards the American Cotton ASso-
citation al the cotton meeting here
Yesterday afternoon. He called The
Southern farmers jackasses; he ac-
cused the South of playing the baby
act" on numerous occasions; and he
eternally damned the false economic
system that keeps the women of the
South in bondage worse than slavery.
Mr.. Brown used plain language. but
his words were sincere. When he
told his large audience that he
would be damned If his son was
going 10 pull bell cord on a mule
| for fifty cents day TO raise ten
cents cotton while railroad men were
making anywhere from $3.50 to $500
MONTH" he was cheered.
Union county farmers took the
charge OF being jackasses with good
grace. laughing indulgently when the
fiery speaker. in bursts of elQuence.
told them that they needed the at
tention of not one. but two veterinary
surgeons.
Biggest Gathering Farmers Known.
The court house was literally
packed. The gallery was overtaxed,
the Recorders court was robbed of
its benches to provide seats for the
determined farmers, and both en-
frances to the court room, TO say
nothing OF the space inside the rail-
ing. were filled. The gallery was
about equally filled with whites and
black. No such gathering of farm
ers has ever before been known here:
not even the meetings following the
collapse of the Sully boom, accord
ing to old-timers, compare with il in
size. There were no women present;
every man there, with the exception
of score of Monroe business men.
was farmer. That they meant bus
mess was evidenced by the attention
they paid the speakers, and by the
cheering that greeted every remark
which carried home a telling point.
Broom Calls Meeting to Order.
! The meeting was called, to order
by Mr.. I. j. W. Broom. president OF
the Union county branch of the
American cotton association. ION
December 3. 1904" began Mr..
Broom, "cotton was selling for ten
cents pound in the morning. In
the afternoon. without warning, il
suddenly slumped 10 seven cents a
pound. was at Crow Brothers store
that afternoon, and Ed Grow, who
had watched the career OF Harvey
Jordon, the leader of the farmers in
that day, with interest, asked me.
What's Harvey going to do now?'
The answer to his question was soon
forthcoming Harvey called the farm
ers OF the South to meet in conven-
ton al their county court houses on
a certain day, like you have been
notified TO appear here, and under
his leadership they determined 10
hold their cotton for ten cents a
pound. Those who did so got ten
cents a pound for their staple the
following spring. while the doubling
ones, who questioned the ability OF
organized farmers to wage a success
full fight against Wall Street, sold 10
their loss.
\ "Many farmers are to-day still
Skeptical of cotton associations. They
are rooted to an old idea that they
can't beat the game, and refuse to
lend their cooperation TO the only
, practical plan of securing for the
South a fair price for its cotton. Last
year when cotton dropped eight
cents a pound In two weeks, the
/, American cotton association began its
propaganda to save the South from
a great financial disaster. The cot
ton meeting which was held in Mont
, gomery, set a price of thirty-six cents
, ? pound on cotton, and before De-
, cember of the same year il was bring
ing more than that. This year the
price has been set at forty cents.
and | assure you that the chances OF
getting this price are much better
, than we had of getting SO cents last
/. year.
THE DoubtingThomases of last
year, who spurned TO lend their aid
TO the great movement. but sold their
staple when il had been ginned. did
~ fhf y ARao VI sNNN llNt hbllulN a
bale. This year there are not so
many pi this class What the as
sociatiol has accomplished mas in
spired confidence in II, and IL We will
, all stick together in this great move-
mont we will be saved from the i'm
pending disaster that is certain TO
follow as long as we permit our
selves to remain at the mercy OF
o.. Wall Street.
Co-operatinn Means Prosperity.
Mr.. Broom was followed by Mr.. W.
I S. Blakeney. secretary and treasurer
of the cotton association. and presi-
dent of the Bank of Union. 1.-THE
r danger signals have been flying in
the breezes for several weeks said
Mr.. Blakeney, land wayfaring man,
| even though fool. can It'll that there
, is rough shedding ahead and unless
some immediate solution of the prob
lem is made, we will collapse and fall
into hostile waters. These meetings
/ l.1 n