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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.