The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-08-24
OPEN LETTER TO
TOBACCO GROWERS
FROM NJ. O. WILSON. SECRETARY
OF THE COOPERATIVE
ASSOCIATION
Raleigh, N. c., Aug. %, 1922

lied, $4,000 tobacco growing members
chose and elected your directors and
charged them with the huge task of
building an organization which would
bring profitable prices for your to-
bacco, which would bring orderly mar
keting of your crop, fair grading of
your product, and prevent for all time
such losses from low prices as all of
us suffered last year and in the past.
No heavier task than this has ever
been laid upon the shoulders of any
man, and no men have performed so
great task more ably or devoutedly
than your directors. They have in
creased your membership from $1,000
to over $4,000 tobacco farmers. they
have secured two hundred and ten
warehouses for the handling of your
product in South Carolina, North Car
olina and Virginia. They have OBJ
tanned storage and redrying facilities
to care for the. entire crop Of three
states. They have secured loans OF
many millions Of dollars to finance
your marketing. They have employed
the ablest leaf department and graders
in the tobacco trade, and have substi-
tuted an orderly system Of marketing
and fair system Of grading for the
auction sales through which you have
dumped your tobacco for an average
of eleven cents.
Your chosen leaders have accom-
plished the task which you set them,
for today in South Carolina is selling
higher, and in our office we have af-
fidavits from members who have re-
ceived more from their advances by
the association, than for their entire
crop last year.
The tobacco growers whom you
chose and elected to lead you, have
done this thing. They have labored
Loyalty, faithfully and continuously for
you and have changed losses to profits
for the tobacco farmers of South Car
olina in less than year.
: One task remains, and that is the
maintenance of our contract, a con-
tract iron-clad and legally enforceable,
made so, not for the thousands of loyal
| South Carolinians who have supported
their leaders in their accomplishment,
not for those thousands whose word is
as good as their bond, but for those
weaklings whose disloyalty or dis
honesty may threaten the welfare OF
our association, and for its enemies
who plan its destruction.
| Remember 1921, and the years of
losses and debt you have suffered
under the system which keeps 80 per
cent. of our tobacco growers in debt,
in land of plenty. Remember that
failure or disloyalty now, will mean
another long term Of years of debt and
poverty as we have known before.
In single year by your organiza-
ton, you have seen the prices Of to-
bacco more than doubled. In single
year you have substituted orderly
marketing for hopeless dumping, and
have gained fair grading and profit
able prices in place of ruinous losses.
! With your support, your leaders can
maintain and increase the benefits
which your organization is bringing
to you and all the growers of your
State. Without your loyalty, your
work and theirs will be in vain. They
have done their duty. Do yours, and
support the contract and your asso-
citation to the limit.
We count upon you to stand by your
contract and to uphold your directors
in their duty of prosecuting, Furnishing
and bringing to justice those whose
dishonesty and disloyalty might
threaten the success of the association.
You have charged your leaders with
upholding our contract, but in this
matter they must have the loyal sup
port of every member.
Those who break their contracts for
the welfare of $4,000 homes, will pay
the penalty as provided in the grow
ers' contract.
South Carolinians, through your to-
bacco growers Cooperative Associa-
ton, you will render your state a
greater service than any men or group
of men, for you will change yourselves
from economic bondsmen to economic
freemen.
Your duty to yourselves and to your
fellow growers is to support Loyalty
your ascosiation, for its success is
your success, its failure your failure.
Those who are making an effort to
destroy it are doing so in order that
your profits may be less and their
profits greater.
Jc ~ ,-o&,on colo eycfa,,, ic en-