The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-07-12


plan, and the advocates Of either will
make a mistake if any effort is made
to force or cOcrce those on the op-
posite side to accept their plan. We
believe that cooperative selling is
best for the growers in the long run,
and that it will be wisdom on the part
of the growers to join the organiza-
tion and all work together so as to
obtain the best results, but we have
no quarrel with the independent man
who believes that he can obtain fair
crices for his tobacco by selling it at
auction on the warehouse floor. If
that is his best judgment he has the
right to follow it, and only harm will
result if any attempt is made to
force him into the organization. The
grocers association can succeed only
through the willing and volunteer CO.
operation of al Its members, by the
enthusiasm and intelligent labor of
men who really believe in it, and to
accept as members growers who do
not think the plan can succeed is
to invite sure disaster. To bring the
independent i'm and make of him q
helpful, useful member he must be
convinced by intelligent appeal to his
Judgment and by demonstration of the
soundness of the cooperative selling
plan, and not be threats and intimi-
dation, for if the latter method is
used he will never be a friend to the
organization.
"And the same conditions apply to
the warehousemcn, for they, too, have
a perfect right to continue in business
and accept for sale under the auction
plan any tobacco offered by the indie
pendent grower. No attempt should
be made to force them to close. Time
will settle the question for them, and
settle it according to the Judgment of
the majority Of the growers, for if
the association, through good leader
ship and efficiency, demonstrates that
cooperative selling is best for the
trouble in inducing Independents to
join; they will come in of their own
accord.
"The editor of the Times says that
Mr.. Sapiro, during the recent cam
pagn in North Carolina, sought to
prejudice the growers against the
owners of warehouses who had an
nounced that they would open for
business this year as usual. We
know nothing about this, but if Mr..
Sapiro or any other member of the
organization, made the charge that
the warehousemen have ir the past
been unfair to the growers we wish to
give it as our opinion that such
charge cannot honestly be made
against the warchousemen of this
county, whatever may have been the
case in North Carolina. We have had
considerable business dealing with
warehouse owners here and know
something Of their relations with the
farmers of Bedford, and in our opin-
ion they have done everything pos
sible to insure the grower the best
possible price for his product and have
extended him every aid in their pow
er. The association so far as Bed
ford is concerned has no quarrel with
the warehousemen; their relations
have been cordial and fair; it is only
the auction system to which they OBJ
ject, and genuine regret is felt by
members of the organization that in
the change to cooperative marketing
the warehouse owners may suffer bust
ness loss. The association has leased
one of the local warehouses, and the
other, for the accommodation of the
independent growers, has decided to
open when the selling season starts
this fall, and we strongly adise men,
bers Of the organization to keep their
heads and not attempt in any way to
force it to close. The owners have a
perfect and moral right to continue in
business if conditions justify them in
keeping open. The two systems Of
selling, cooperative and auction, will
be tested out in close proximity to
each other, and each will stand or fall
on its merits or demerits. If CO.
operative selling is the better way,
and we believe it is, it has nothing to
fear from competition, but should
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