The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-10-29
PLAN TO POSTPONE
PAYMENT OF TAXES
Farmers to Ask for Special Session
Session of Legislature-Want
Proclamation on Closing
Of the Gina.

necessitatc the selling of cotton at
cne-half the cost of production, ].
/ Skottowe Wannamaker, president of
the American Cotton association, at a
mass meeting of farmers held yester-
day at the state fair grounds, offered
q resolution asking the governor of
the state to call special meeting
of the legislature to enact measures
which will provide that a part of the
taxes be paid in January and the
balance in July, 1921.
The resolution, which was adopted
by the meeting, also provides that at
this proposed special meeting of the
legislature laws be enacted which
will impose heavy penalties upon
planters who fail to reduce their cot
ton acreage for III one-third.
Another resolution. offered by R.
M. Mixson, was to the effect that Gov
ernor Cooper be urged to issue a
proclamation calling upon the cotton
gins in South Carolina to discontinue
operations until conditions improve.
This resolution was a.so adopted,
though many voted against it.
Still another resolution, offered by
John ]. McMahan, called upon Presi-
dent Wilson to put Mr.. McAdoo III
charge of the treasury. Another fea-
ture of the meeting was the an
nouncement made by Mr.. Wannama-
ker that he would sever his connec--
ton with the cotton association at
the meeting to be held in Galveston
IN February.
- Hear Rousing Speeches.
The meeting was held on the
g-andstand at the footabll field and
was attended by many farmers, many
counties being represented. R. C.
Hamer, president of the South Caro-
lima division cf the cotton associa-
ton, presided and after briefly stat
:.ng the object of the meeting, in
troduced Mr.. Wannamaker.
Mr.. Wannamaker devoted a large
part of his address to detailed ac-
count of the conference of represent
atives of the agricultural interests
of the United States, which confer
ence was held in Washington Octo-
Der 1918. He told of the newspaper
accounts cf the meeting, quoting
somewhat extensively from a Phila-
delphia journal.
Thirty associations of agricultur-
Il sections of the United States were
represented at that conference said
Mr.. Wannamaker, "and these associa-
tions represented large part of the
population of this country" He told
of efforts made to have the war
:inance board reestablished so that
exports could be made to Central Eu-
rope and of the attitude of the secre-
sary of the treasury On the propo-
sition. He told of the Endorsement
of the position taken by producers
by numerous writer's and students of
finance, saying that some Of them
said: "The call of the producers must
be answered. The South and the West
have shaken hands and their cooper
alton means great, change in the
manner CT conducting business
In discussing falling prices, Mr..
Wannamaker said many lines were
getting the same prices as when the
war closed-the consumer, he said
finds little reduction in many lines,
yet the selling price of agricultural
products has fallen. Some one other
than the consumer is getting the
benefit of the low prices being paid
fer agricultural products, he argued.
Work Out Salvation.
After saying that he believed the
Washington conference would be of
great benefit to producers every
where, Mr.. Wannamaker said: "We
are in a serious predicament, and l
beg the South to work out its own
salvation. We were urged to grow
big crops and were told that it would
be years before cotton went down to
a low figure in price. When : other
lines; cf business; saw the breaE-tom-
ing, they proceeded to unload
farmer could not unload, as his crop