Newspapers / The Carolina Union Farmer … / Oct. 5, 1911, edition 1 / Page 1
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-"*5: i,M.»-*'/i 'GOLDEN R.ULE-' Vol. 5. No. 40. GASTONIA, N. C., OCTOBER 5, 1911 One Dollar a Year ^0 Members of the Union and Cotton Pro ducers of the South : Di(f you ever knovv cotton to decline in Pi'ice as rapidly as it has been for the past few days? What is the reason for it? There can but one reason, as a glance over the country 'vill show. It is being rushed from the farm h> the market. There has not in many years been such a mad desire tc^ell and .sell right ^’o\v as has seized the producer this year. This bberal offering tickles the little black bear ’■Host to death. He has predicted and has '^Hked his all on the guess that the producer ''’^uld over-heat his team getting cotton to the niarket, and enough have done this to es- l^blish his reputation as a true prophet. I'his madness to sell, bringing so much cot- into sight causes the speculator to believe dtat there is indeed a bumper crop, and he f^rth with brands the estimates made at Shaw- and Montgomery as fabrications intended to be misleading. Scarcely a man who had - ^^ly thing to do with these estimates but was boiiest enough to want the truth told, ft was •^ot the work of a handful of farmers seeking boost the price by underhand methods as ‘^onie may charge. The committees were thor- oughly well posted, and the members were broad enough to know that a silly guess away ^'nder what conditions warranted would place ^be entire South in a ridiculous attitude before ^be whole world. Common Sense Methods of Marketing. ^.'Ct us lay aside all reference to the es- hniates on the size of the crop. If that is to the only consideration in setting a price you 'Hay get ready to hear rei)eated the old famil- falsehood of “over production, reduce Acreage.” No sane man will .seriously con- sidcr such tommy-rot as that for a moment. 's Well to reduce acreage so as to raise some things for yourself and family to eat, but to ’^^ducedt because .some si)eculator has scared into believing that there is too much cot- is nonsense. The ])oint I want to make IS when are we going to u.se good mothc; in marketing this great crop. many sections of the fruit belt it is the to dump all of the croj) on the market once With many of the hardier fruits ‘'*'0 is scarcely any reason for marketing in ■'^''icrificing way. and there is ah.solutely no for marketing the cotton crop in any ‘ ^’^'h manner. ^'ottou cannot and will not be spun in c 11 the Ibis excu thirty days. But the farmer insists that it be taken out of his hands right away, and as very few of the mills and factories are able to finance their years supply the speculator steps in because the farmer, by his mad desire to sell, makes him a necessary factor. financial Assistance. Many excuse themselves because of obliga tions. I have not a word to say against your paying an obligation when due. If you pro mise to pay John Doe November ist, you will satisfy that indebtedness in some way No vember ist, if it takes the shirt off of your back. But what I am trying to drive home is, we must make the cotton of the South bring enough to the producer that he will not etern ally be indebted to John Doe nor John any body else. The speculator knows that a certain amount of distress cotton will be sold as soon as gathered. Isn’t it clear to you that if the whole crop is put on the market at the price fixed by these fellows, for distress cotton, that your nose will always be to the grind stone. I recognize the fact that you who were in the past years determined to hold have had a hard time in many .sections because money was not to be had. Everybody knows that the South does not move its own crop. The money that came South tb be put in cotton came to move it and not to hold it. Agents were told to buy, but not to loan on cotton. This year is an exception. All interests are aroused at the attempt to gobble up our crop for a mere pittance and it now looks like the banks would assist to their limit and in addition that quan tities of outside litoney would be brought into loan at a reasonable rate. 'I'he campaign for liolding is on in full blast. So pressing has been the work of arranging for this movement that I can scarcely steal a few moments to write this article. When you read this men will be in every coUon produc ing State shouting from the house-top hold and market slowly. 1 want you to help them arouse the folks. Get people out to hear them. You that are able dig up that old .sock leg and Irelp your brethren. Lets risk a little on the outcome and say this is one of the times we will make or ])reak by this stand. Remem ber this that cost of production is more to be considered in setting a price than is the num ber of bales produced. Everybody to the Rescue. EvcrylKxlv in the South is with the Farm ers’ Union in this move. Practically every State has had or will have a meeting of its citizens'to help the cause. Occasionally you may hear of a pee-wee fellow somewhere who will not stand to the trough, but he is an ex ception. It is almost safe to say that he is short of cotton. No one will put a straw in your way, except occasionally, perhaps a fel low who is bent on getting that fifty cents or a dollar a bale commission for buying your cotton. But I am talking about folks who count for something. This is a time that calls for patriotism. Let’s Bring the South Nearer to a Cash Basis. Nowhere in this country does the mortgage and credit system prevail as extensively as in the cotton section. This is proof that ours is the best collateral in the country. Men are willing to furnish supplies for a fellow to make a crop, and he begins to take out goods before a seed is planted. Suppose we change things and make it as easy to get a loan on the crop after it is really in sight as it is to get it before the crop is produced. Most business men would be glad to see cash in circulation throughout the year. There may be a few long credit merchants who would rather stand for the old way because they could not do business under the new competitive system, but 1 am persuaded they are in the minority, flow can we do this? By getting a price for cotton that will make it remunerative to grow the stuff. If you members of the Farmers’ Union, the agency (hat is bringing financial assistance to the cotton producer, happen in your rounds to find a fellow producer who does not belong to (he organization kindly invite him to join. Show him that this is the only farmers’ organ ization, or any other kind of an organization that is seeking to benefit him directly, and if he has the proper sense of justice he will not longer refuse to pay his little pittance to help support it. Men of the South let’s stop the rush to sell untU ive can get our price. Fraternally yours, A. C. DAVIS. Rogers, Ark., Sept. 28, 1911. Attention is called to the advertisement of , the Chicago House Supply Wrecking Co. If . you desire to buy your roofing direct and save money, write for their great Roofing Book P. 1, 1037, which will be mailed to you free.
The Carolina Union Farmer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 5, 1911, edition 1
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