The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-09-11
The Montgomery
Cotton Meeting
Six Things to Do to Help Get
Better Cotton Prices-"What
Did the Cotton Association
Meeting at Montgomery Do?"
"What Can / Do to Help Get
Better Prices?" ...

Ala, last week, discussed a lot of
things, but we believe the gist of the
hc'e'conference may be given in six
definite things every cotton farmer i'm
the south can do 10 help the fight for
better prices: "a T.,
1. First and foremost, hold your
cotton. We must show the bear gam
blers and their allies that they have
absolutely mistaken the spirit and de-
OF the sohthern people il
they think we will sit idly by and be
robbed of half the fruits OF this years
labor. IT has cost between 80 and 40
cents pound to make this years
crop. The decision of the Montgom-
cry meeting was that 40 cents should
be minimum price for middling.
Not only mus each man resolve to
hold his own csTn, but he must see
his neighbors q insist on thefr hold
ing. As ]. A. Brown says, 1--WE must
shut up the me ricet so tight that no
man can buy or beg "a bale of cotton
at present prices $50 that the only
way to get a bale of new crop cotton
until prices improve will be to steal it,"
Mr.. j. A Todd. the distinguished
English authority, who came to
Montgomery at President Wannamak-
er's request. sized up the present
world situation somewhat as follows:
U) The world will need every bale
OF cotton that Is produced this year.
There Is no real overproduction. (2)
Right now. however, there is prac-
tically no movement of cotton goods,
n. S.y6n al. a. Hall
ness In the, business OF cotton manu-
sacturers. and OF course they are not
'offering normal prices for cotton
Present prices are only fictitious prices
based on temporarily demorali2ed
market
Nevertheless IL one-fourth OF tn
cotton farmers OF the south are suc,l
fools as to accept this fictitious under
valuation for 1920 cotton. prices on
lhe whole crop will be lowered We
must keep anybody and everybody
from selling at present prices. -,
2. Go to your county mass meet
Ing Monday September 20. Ev-
cry county In the south is asked to
hold q snrass meeting OF its cotton
farmers on this date, to make plans
for holding. warehousing. cutting
acreage and cooperative marketing.
Go. and get your reig hbors to go, both
landlord and tenant. black and white.
We must educate everybody and al.
classes to the Importance OF this fight
And see to IL that everybody makes
some contribution for supporting the
cotton association I'm its plans. A
good method will be To have every
grower authorize his ginner to deduct
10 to 20 cents a bale for the organ
izatiDn. Business men should sub
scribe literally, for no one will be
hurt more than they If the south's
spending power and debt-paying pow
er is cut In half. %ty
3. Cut your cotton acreage next
year by sowing a record breaking
grain crop this fall. Don't Just talk
ABOUT cutting down acreage
negative sort OF program. Tell ev-
Ierybody To cut his cotton acreage by
sowing more wheat. oats and rye. and
by sowing more clover to enrich the
land for corn next year. This is the
only sensible way to reduce acreage.
4. Put your cotton In warehouse,
and organize cooperative marketing
association. Remarkably important
was the comprehensive report on CO.
operative marketing adopted at Mont
gomery. the result of months of labor
by Cotton Specialist Murph and 9TH
ers. The report tells just how to start
cooperative selling with official grad
ing or CHASING ip your community.
As for warehouses, II there Is not
sufficient warehouse room in your sec
ton, 1t will pay to hurry up the con-
straction Of buildings or cheaper
sort. In next weeks Progressive
Farmer we expect to present some
plans worked out by Mr., ID. G.. Walty,
vice president and manager of the Ar
kansas Cotton Association, whereby
1000 bales naay be taken care Of i'm
a structure costing only $1,000. We
do not believe, OF course, that every
community should be content with
such cheap and impermanent con-
struction. but this at least indicates
that no community need accept the
ridiculous prices now offered by bear
spec ulators on the ground that 1t can't
uouoS itS CIop.
8. Do all you can to help men who
are In tight place financially from
having to sacrifice their cotton. Make
II point to see the president or
cashier of the bank you do business
with. Tell him large part OF his
business comeo from farmers and that
farmers expect him to go the limit In
helping them now. See your mer-
chant and tell him ne had better suf-
fer some temporary inconvenience,
better whit until he can wait no long
er on his cotton customers. rather
than force the South back into the
poverty and backwardness 1t former
ly suffered. And IL you have tenants
or neighbors who insist on selling any
how, buy their cotton IL possible and
hold II out OF the regular channels
OF trade.