Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-04-11
Poe TO The FARMERS
Noted Agricultural Editor Discusses
Cooperative Marketing.
LARGE CROWD HEARD 1HIs ADDRESS
Representative Audience Of Farmers
and Business Men Listened to Able
Discussion Of Timely ,Subject--many

| Representative Audience OF Farmers
and Business Men Listened to Able
Discussion Of Timely ,Subjeet-Many
Joined the Association--speaker
| Does Not Regard Plan as Cure all,
But Is Confident Il lis Great Step
/ Forward. .... .,..'
Labor unions in their final analysis
are in reality nothing but cooperative
marketing associations and the same
organization that has been responsible
for increasing the wages of 1aboring
men will do the same for the farmers
in the sale of cotton, IL the principle Is
applied" declared DIR. Clarence Poe,
editor of the Progressive Farmer, ad-
dressing q large audience Of farmers
and business men in the interests OF
the South Carolina Cooperative Mar
keting association in the courthouse In
Yorkville, Friday afternoon. The au-
dience, which was quite representative
of many sections of York county, was
the largest in attendance upon a farm
ers meeting here in many months. 1t
included a number Of women who ap-
peared to be much interested In the
speakers subject. A number Of colored
farmers were also there, as we'll as
many professional men. In fact, every
seat in the court room was taken ana
the seats within the enclosure were
also filled. DR.. Poe spoke for more than
an hour, explaining the principles OF
cooperative marketing in detail. His
address was a matter -of-fact talk, In
terspersed with humorous anecdotes,
and he held the undivided attention Of
his audience throughout. After he had
concluded officials of the York county
branch Of the American Cotton asso-
citation called upon farmers to sub
scribe to the association and there
were quite a number who contracted
to sell their cotton production for the
next five years through the association.
Large Crowd at Rock Hill.
DR.. Poe spoke in the Federal court
room in Rock Hill Friday morning to a
large audience of farmers and business
men of the eastern section and follow
ing his explanation many farmers
there agreed to accept the plan. at a
meeting here Friday afternoon he was
introduced by ]. B. Johnson, president
of the South Carolina division OF the
American Cotton association, who in q
brief talk outlined the work that had
been done in South Carolina so far in
securing pledges toward the quota Of
400, 900 bales of cotton to be marketed
through the proposed association and
outlined the value of the scheme to the
cotton growers.
DR.. Poe, who was received with ap-
plause, expressed his pleasure at the
opportunity Of addressing such a large
and representative body Of York coun-
ty farmers and said he was especially
pleased to talk on such a timely sub
ject. II know what you farmers have
passed through in the past two years" |"
he said, because passed through the
same thing in the late eighties and
early nineties when cotton was selling
around and S cents a pound. I am
bringing your attention to the principle
of cooperative marketing, which Is not
theory but an established fact since
the plan has been tried in Europe for
two generations.
There is no question Of the fact
that there is something wrong with our
agricultural program and 1t Is bound
to be In the marketing end. Govern
ment statistics show that in 1920 two
out of every five farmers were tenants.
while in 1880 only one out OF every four
was tenant farmer. This shows that
many have had to give up a part or all
of their property in order to stay In
business. And while would hold CO.
operative marketing out to you as a
remedy, I'm not going to tell you that
it will prove a cure-all. But 1 do be-
lieve 1t Is the longest step that has yet
been put forward in the interests OF
the farmer.
| - SHdHge III SysteH'
1T was my privilege and pleasure
continued Dr. Poe, ito attend the re-
cent national agricultural conference in
Washington and the outstanding
thought of that conference was the
thought Of getting agriculture on a
business basis. The proposal Of coop
erative marketing is to substitute a
system of merchandising cotton in lieu
of the present policy Of merely dump
ing it on the market. l would have
won remember that fact If you forget
.lse tell you. 20,
Cotton and tobacco are the princi-
pal crops of the Carolinas. Those
same two products are the principal ar
ticles of manufacture in the two Caro-
linas But the manufacturers Of the
commodities you raise are nothing
like as careless in their selling meth
DDS as are the producers Of the raw
products"
Value of Organization.
Referring to organized labor by way
Of illustration the speaker declared
that labor unions in their last analysis
are cooperative marketing associa-
! tionS "The aborer has one commod-