The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-12
NIGHT RIDING
RAIDS SPREAD
Cotton Fields as Well as
Ginneries Are
Posted
NEGRO GROWERS
IN GREAT TERROR

Fear Revival of Ku KIux Khan HOr-
rOrs-PrOperty. Under Guard-Mucil
Indignation Felt-Little Fear of Ar
rest.
ATLANTA, Ca, Oct. 12-Thel
nightriding campaign to force the clos
ing of the cotton ginneries until the
price of the staple advances to 40 cents
a pound has assumed such proportions
that the economic life of this section is
gravely menaced.
In the Atlanta district, which includes
the state of Georgia, Alabama. South
Carolina and Florida, the night-ridersI
have posted notices on scores of gin
neries warning the owners that no cot
ton must be ginned until the price
reaches 40 cents. No verbal threat is
made, but a box of matches is left with
each notice and the gin owner well un
derstands that violation of the warning
means fire.
In some counties the night-riders have
not only posted the ginneries, but have
also posted the cotton fields with no.
tees that no cotton must be picked.
Large mercantile establishments have
also been ordered to close their doors
until the price of cotton advances.
The result of the night-riding tactics
has been to create a sort of terrorism
which is interfering greatly with the or
DERBY process of business and which
threatens, unless speedily checked to
create widespread economic demoraliZa-
ton.
The posting of cotton fields has had
an especially terrifying effect on the Ne
groes, who believe it means a revival
of the Ku Klux Khan of reconstruction
days.
The owners of the ginneries are TAX
ing precautions and are keeping their
property under guard day and night.
The guards have been instructed to
shoot to kill. So far only a few gins and
stores have been burned for defying the
warning of the night-riders.
Governor Dorsey of Georgia and Gov
ernor Kilby of Alabama have issued
proclamatiOns denouncing the night
riders and offering large rewards for
their arrest and conviction, but hardly
anyone expects the proclamation to
bring results
The night riding is indicative of dis
satisfaction that is general throughout
the cotton belt, and too many people
want cotton to go to 40 cents for the
night-riders to be in danger of being
arrested With cotton ranging from so
to 50 cents for several years the cotton
belt people have been on joy ride. The
drop of the staple to - cents a pound
and under brought all this to an end.
and some are willing to adopt almost
any method to restore joy-ride prices.
With no cotton being ginned, and,
consequently none being marketed, few
debts are being paid in the South. Or
dinarily by the middle of October mil
lions of dollars of obligations contracted
in order to make the cotton crop are
partly or wholly liquidated. The sales
manager of one of the largest fertilizer
concerns in Georgia predicted that his
company would not collect more than 30
per cent of notes this season.
The farmers blame the Wilson admin
istration and the federal reserve bank
for the decline in cotton and the cOnse-
quent blow to southern economic life.
Thc statement Of Secretary Houston
and Governor Harding of the reserve
board that the reserve banks would not
extend credits to enable the holding of
cotton until the price advances has Gre
ated a bitter feeling against the admin
iStration among the farmers.
!. 7. PrOwn. commissioner of agricul-
ture of Georgia. has denounced the cot
ton policy of the reserve banks and
has urged an agreement by the cotton
states. through their boards of entomol-
ogy, to put on a police quarantine next
year prohibiting the planting of a single
acre of cotton