Newspaper Page Text
PAGE SIX
Os Interest to the Wealth Creators :
SHORT CROP SEEMS SURE.
(Dublin Courier-Dispatch.)
“Every candition and promise justi
fy the assertion that the cotton crop
of 1907 will be a short one,” says the
Atlanta Georgian.
“Every atmospheric condition of the
year has been against the cotton crop.
The warm weather of February and
March began the life of the plant pre
maturely. And that life was nip] ed
in the bud or in the early plant by
the untimely frosts of April and May.
“Since that time the crop has had
a somewhat stunted ' growth. The
abnormal recurrence of rain and cold
weather during the entire spring up
to the present time has been prejudi
cial to a healthful prosperity for the
cotton plant, and by the precedents
of our seasons, the boll will not be so
late in maturing that its full fruition
is likely to be affected by the early
frosts.
“Under these conditions it seems
a logical deduction that the cotton
crop of teh present year will be a
short one.
“Moreover, the country is prepared
more than ever before in its history
to consume an abundant crop. An in
creased and ever-increasing demand
for cotton would make 12,000,000
bales scarcely sufficient for the
world’s requirements during the com
ing year.
“Os course, under the economic law
of supply and demand the inference
is reasonable that we shall have a
better price for cotton than we have
had in previous years, and those plant
ers who are fortunate enough to
have a full crop, or whose skill and
attention can make the best of the
crop which has progressed so far un
der unfavorable conditions, will
doubtless reap a satisfying harvest
of profit from the cotton transactions
of the present year.”
There is every reason to believe
that the crop will be under 12,000,000
bales and a crop of less than that
number of bales is sure to bring from
12 to 14 cents per pound. A Dublin
buyer gave us his opinion the other
day that if the crop be only 11,500,000
bales the price will not be less than
14 cents per pound.
Considerable cotton has been sold
for fall delivery at 10 cents per
pound. This price, would not have
been paid unless there was a reason
able belief that it would be higher
than that price. The buyer must have
some margin on which he operates.
While the cotton stalk has greatly
Improved of late, still it would seem
that a large crop will not be made
this year, and consequently higher
prices will prevail next fall.
COTTON AND IMMIGRATION.
(Augusta Herald.)
In discussing the fact that the South
is still far behind in the manufacture
of cotton goods, the Savannah News
says:
“At present, however, the building
of new mills and the enlarging and
improvement of old ones is prac
tically at a standstill, for the reason
that if these new mills were built
there would be nobody to run them.
The South has no labor for additional
spindles.
“Many Southern spindles are now
still because of the fact that there
are no hands to attend them. Mill
building, therefore, will not be re
sumed on any large scale until there
is In sight a supply of labor to oper
ate the machinery.
“The Southern Immigration move-
ment is designed to bring in this
needed labor in order that Southern
progress may be stimulated. W
movement, therefore, should have the
support of all persons who desire to
see the South go forward to the point
at which she will get 30 to 50 cents
a pound for her cotton instead of ten
cents.”
In view of the truth of these state
ments it is difficult to understand
just what reasons prompt any farm
ers’ organization to reject the idea
of immigration to the South and to
declare against it. More cotton mills
in the South must inevitably mean
in the long run better prices for cot
ton. Although ex-Senator McLaurin’s
prediction of 50-cent cotton is hardly
likely to come true for many years
to come, it is quite certain that any
action likely to retard the building of
more mills in the South will only
serve to make that desirable price
only a promise of the distant future.
Immigration of the proper kind, and
great care, should be exerted in this
regard, cannot possibly injure the
farmer. Neither can it cheapen labor
in a section where labor cannot be
come crowded for years to come.
COTTON INSANITY.
(Birmingham Ledger.)
There is such a thing as cotton
insanity and it is not confined to
any one town, or to any one man.
There are thousands of men in the
South who have year after year gone
willingly and deliberately unto the
cotton speculators, or manipulators,
and put up their good money, never
to see it again. Sometimes they
were allowed to win a little, but that
is not necessary when a man be
comes cotton crazy. He will give up
all he has, all he can borrow and
then use all his credit. He will do
it time after time. He will groan at
his payments on property, will groan
at his church assessment, will groan
at his taxes, but he will never groan
as he gives up his money to the cot
ton sharks.
Men have for forty years played
on this trait of the diseased mind
on cotton gambling. The millions
paid to the South for its cotton has
nearly every dollar been given back
through the cotton maniacs. What
has become of the thousands of dol
lars made at Montgomery and Selma
on the cotton that passed through
them? Are there any rich men in
either of those cities who got rich
buying and selling cotton, who did
not sell goods to the farmers? Not
one.
Money enough passed through the
hands of the dealers to have made
many fortunes. Tt nearly all went
through cotton futures, a game that
has grown steadily worse for the
whole forty years.
Tn recent years the game is to
take all and give the gamblers noth
ing, but an occasional bait. The cot
ton crazed gamblers go right on giv
ing in their money and being told
that thev lost. Tt is absolutely true,
thev lost.
Yes. there’s such a thing as cot
ton insanity.
ORGANIZED FARMERS.
(Birmingham Age-Herald.)
The president advocated at Lansing,
Mich., co-operation among the farmers
for the sake of securing Improvement
in agricultural methods. This would
he well, no doubt, but. the farmers of
the Northwest as well ag of the South
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
are becoming organized for more di
rect and practical purposes. They are
organizing against the middlemen
who have hitherto fleeced them un
mercifully without conscience and
without opposition.
The Northwestern farmers are be
coming organized in order to begin a
dollar-wheat propaganda. The South
ern farmers are doing likewise in or
der to name a remunerative minimum
price for cotton. Neither set of men
propose to do more than to educate
the people up to self-defense through
organization. Both are encouraging
local associations to build warehouses
and establish banks. In the North they
are establishing more banks than
warehouses, and in the South the drift
is towards warehouses. Possibly the
banks will follow.
Both sets of farmers consider the
gambling boards of trade as their nat
ural and known enemy, and they will
attempt to make public the methods
practiced in such institutions and per
haps to drive them out of business
altogether.
Such business-like organization
among the farmers is a sign of advanc
ing education, and it is an indication
that the farmer will vote as h e plans.
He will soon cease to b e a dumb driv
en class in the hands of schemers and
gamblers. He will soon rise above
the entire middlemen’s union, to think,
speak and act for himself. He cannot
for the common good become too well
organized.
CAROLINA COTTON OUTLOOK.
(Charlotte Observer.)
Reports to the New York Journal
of Commerce indicate that the cot
ton crop of the Carolinas is in fair con
dition, notwithstanding a season fully
two weeks late. This lateness is, of
course, universal. Saturday’s Journal
of Commerce contains reports from
its correspondents in the three States
of North Carolina, South Carolina and
Florida. Summarizing these reports,
The Journal of Commerce thus de
scribes the situation in North Caro
lina:
“Recent, warmer and more favorable
weather has considerably improved
conditions and has lifted cotton from
a generally gloomy prospect. Cold, wet.
weather caused general replanting and
made the crop quit© two weeks late.
Stands, as a rule, are poor, but enough
correspondents report good stands
with favorable prospects to lend assur
ance of a full crop with normal weath
er conditions for the remainder of the
season. The plant is small, but per
centage condition is expected to he
fully up to last year, and with an In
creased acreage North Carolina is like
ly to produce a normal crop.”
An almost equally favorable pros
pect is made out. for South Carolina:
“On account of so much cold weath
er and rain considerable cotton died
and replanting was general. The sea
son is unusually late —thirty days in
some localities—but the State aver
ages about two weeks backward. Re
ports of poor stands and a small plant
predominate, but there is a goodly pro
portion of correspondents who look
for a good yield, reporting good stands
and the ground unusually well prepared
Recent favorable weather has im
proved prospects and If continued will
give the crop a good chance to make
un lost time. Some scarcity of labor
Is comnlained of, but nothing rbnor
mal. Percentage condition will prob
ably figure out as good as last year
and a reduction in acreage is improb
able.”
Os course, a very great deal —much
more than usual —depends upon
weather conditions henceforward, but
prospects strongly indicate that crops
will be less short in the Carolinas
than in the main price-determining
States and that the Carolina grower
will consequently be so fortunate as to
receive a good price for a good crop.
COTTON ACREAGE SAME AS LAST
YEAR.
(Birmingham News.)
Average condition growing cotton
crop May 25, was 70.5 per cent, as
compared with 84.6 and 77.2 per cent
in 1906 and 1905, respectively; ten
year average, 83.6. Acreage 32,060,000.
•
The crop reporting board of the bu
reau of statistics of the department
of agriculture, after careful considera
tion of replies to supplementary in
quiries, reports from special investi
gations of the correspondents and
agents of the bureau of statistics and
the report of the bureau of census ci
cotton production in 1906 finds that
the estimate made on June 4, 1906,
of the acreage planted to cotton in
1906 was too low, and in order to bring
the figures as near as possible to tLj
actual facts, the board, after consider
ing all the evidence on the subject,
has made certain adjustments and re
visions in the report of June 4, 1906.
which show that the area planted in
1906 was about 32,049,000 acres.
FOREIGN IMMIGRATION.
(The Jasper News.)
Some persons and papers have heid
up their hands in holy horror at the
idea of the Farmers’ Union being op
posed to foreign immigration. Their
pretended astonishment could not
have been greater had the opposition
been directed against schools and
churches.
Some of those who have criticized
the position of the Farmers’ Union in
this matter know better; they know
the real purpose of foreign immigra
tion; they well know the injury it
will work to the masses of the people,
but not being in sympathy with the
masses they endeavor to force foreign
immigration upon them by ascribing
to it every commendable virtue and
holding mat opposition thereto is the
result of ignorance, or prejudice, or
both.
There are others who criticize the
Farmers’ Union for lack of knowledge.
Not taking the pains to study the
question for themselves, they blindly
follow in the lead of those whom they
suppose to be informed.
We publish on the first page of this
paper one good reason why the Far
mers’ Union opposes foreign immigra
tion. There will be found an account
of a recent session of the Manufactur
ers’ Association setting apart one and
a half million dollars with which to
fight the labor organizations of this
country, by inducing foreigners to
come over to this country and take the
places of American citizens in the va
rious industrial departments of the
country.
The Farmers’ Union is primarily a
patriotic organization. It fully be
lieves “in God and home and native
land.” It is for its own people first,
and last, and all the time. It believes
in the dignity of American labor,
American citizenship and American
manhood, and it espouses their cause
against whomsoever.