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The Barnwell Sentinel, Barnwell, S. C beneficiary of the sacrifice *nd unusual patriotism of hisriel- which - -At the big cotton meeting in • ' / Columbia last week the report of the central committee show- This is no less true than that •‘self-preservation is the first law of mature/* The Sbuth to day if faced by a possibility of economic disaster unless the farmers, AS A BODY^.ag ree 011 the acreage reduction plan and live up to it in every sense of-the word. While fair prices may result from a small reduction thh year, complete success and that prosperity so necessary to the commercial independence of this section can only come lution was should act as a spur oil those who refuse to reduce their acre j As stated in this space last week, only about 50 per cent. of the 1918 cotton acreage, in Barnwell County has been ac counted for, and it is vitally es sential to the success of the acreage reduction movement that pledges be received qn the next few days from those farm ers whose names have -not al- ivaiiv been published in the cd that the acreage reduction in this-Stayte ranged all the way from 60 per cent., in Beaufort County, tb 25 per cent, in Sum ter County, with Barnwell’s re duction 29 per cent., which is not quite up to the average re age with the hope of prosper ing at the expense of others “We condemn in the strongest terms possible as a slacker with all the meaning that the term carries in times of war, and in times of peacfTthat farmer or business man who wilfully re fuses to reduce his acreage and fertilizer, thereby hoping, to prosper and enhance his own ported by the other olina Couuf^pa-.'HMany State county papers. . At the Colum minimum fixed at Hie outset of the present campaign. fellowman wealth at the expense and as a bia meeting the following reso Alabama Congressman Brings Stirring Message To South Carolina Cotton Growers bv reason of a boycott or con supply is.several million bales upon the cotton growing States r e is - a tribune power aT short ofthe world’s demantj for splracy on the part of his cus mev lumbia last week, “rtfey'shaii rot pass,’’ was the vitalizing idea left-by Congressman Thos. Hefiin, of Alabama, who* spoke eloquently of the farmers’ movement to keep cotton off market and thus force the hand lators who forced the work now composed of farmer lateness of the crop, due to al most unprecedented * weathei American cotton. The cotton producer is not unreasonable in his price demands. He is not tomers, or if for any other rea- • * f .* son the demand is restricted he finds hinrmK burdened merchant and banker, standing in front of cotton’s mighty ana speculators ever heard of a cotton producer which in the end his said cus tomers must have, he simply his stock intact and reduces b:r orders tj/the jobber to such an pass.’ On the far flung battle line in France, our boys stood with faces to the foe, our offi cers passed along the line just back of them saving to them, ‘Hold them, boys, and our bo>s answered, ‘We will hold them’; robbing anybody? “It cost more to produce the cotton crop of 1918 than any other crop ever produced in the United State*. The pro ducer is entitled to a price that will cover- the* cost of 'prpdu$# tion plus a reasonable phctfifc umary boll weevil r late planted crop, 1 lieve it possible to pi thing like a full on of specu market down with the signing of the armistice. Mr. Heflin said in part; “Since August 1, 1918, Uni ted States cotton millsJiave con sumed, up to February 128, i$ift 3.3885.000 bales; and we pinners of the Unltetr^ have already contracted bum* speculator amounting Lu_ C,473,000 bales. It will taxe at IciW 3,500,000 bales to supply our mills to August 15, 1919, nnd fi,250,000 bales to supply the neutral and allied countries. '1 h takes from the American its per pound for th per. Unless he can.iuake money rmmufacttirinjr cotton goods he Cannot pay us the price that we are entitled to receive for the raw material. It is necessary for the doctrine of ‘live and let live’ to be recognized and sup ported by both producer and spinneru “The spinners of the United States got more money for the goods manufactured from one- third of the cotton crop pro duced in 1913 than the produc ers received for the whole crop of 1914, of 16,000,000 bales. Made Big Profits. ‘ “In 1912 Great Britain paid $401,000,000 for her cotton supply 6,750,000 bales making a t>»tal of 13,223,- i his is 1,423.000 Irew ahemselws both the old and new supply at a profitable figure. Can Get Better Prices. -*Tf we faithfully practice thU policy there is not-the shadow of a doubt but that we will real ize remunerative prices not onlv for the supply on hand, bat for the next crop as well. x If we de part from thus policy by forcing our cotton upon a laggard de mand, a panic will be precipi tated. many farmers, merchants and bankers will be ruined and disaster will fall upon the cot ton South and hurt upon the na tion. without any possible ben efit to anybody, except to a few speculators and a temporary profit to the spinners, who to gether xv It h the whole cotton goods using world' will pay a very heavy penalty hereafter through the inevitable cotton famine which will in such case prevaiTnexf year and probably tie line and voices fr<yn all over the cotton belt were heard say ing, ‘Hold them.* And for tin* first time in the hJ&Lorv of cot ton production (n the United States determined voices an swered them back, ‘We will hold them.’ To break through our ipie meant suffering and greet financial losses to our peo ple in thi^otton belt. Shells of falling pric4^ fell thick and fast around former, merchant, bankor, and the enemy was ad vancing in the eflifct to break our line. The battle imaged, the situation was grave end sanouh, nnd I heard voices.again /rym over the cotton belt saying, ‘They must not pass’; and then I heard our farmers, merchants anil bankers answer back, ‘They shall not pass/ ” v Thompson Speaks. Declaring that the holding movement is a matter of self- preservation with the cotton farmers, and that it is an.eco nomic necessity, W. B. Thomp son of New Orleans, in address ing the cotton convention on the subject of “The Cotton Re public,’’ said in part: “We well know r the proper OuO bales i.'tl»« cotton more than we pro- Uui.tJ'i*. !°.!9. The cotton de- s red by Germany and Austria, which is 3,000.000 bales, is not included in the figures that I have mentioned. Add this amount to that already given, and we have a consumptive de mand for 4,423,000 bales more 'than the American crop of 1918. If. as some claim, we had 1,00(1,000 bales of old cotton or. hand September 1, 1918, the consumptive demand for Amer ican cotton would still be 3,- 423,000 bales greater than the American supply. . “There is no reason in the world why cotton should not now be selling for from 33 to 40 cents a pound. We are going said policy, not through the sacrifice of present holdings, but by bringing abo.ut anything like a full production, the com ing season, we are in no better situation. Immediately it should become apparent that the cot ton interestfiLhad failed to take intelligent control of the pro duction problem and were like points. Spot markets not ai- fected by the break, and it is prabaJbJe that they more nearly remedy for the present appar ent malady of over supply. We require no advice in the prem ises from authorities on eco refiect thb real situation is a glorious announcement*, gentlemen, and an acknowledg ment that you and real cotton in the spot markets have become the dominating factors in the matter of fixing prices. Several Missions Short. “The world’s supply of cot ton is far short of the world’s American naneial backing to aid'them in so many spineless and idiotic sheep rushing pell-mell into the hands of the shearers, our ad versaries Would grin and say, ‘I told you so,’ and proceed at once to hammer the market into a state of panic. nomics. We need no banking a campaign, to depress coffbn Moses to lead us out ofthe wild erness.- The promptings of homely common sense point the way. Sane common effort will accomplish deliverance. If a merchant becomes over stocked prices. Because they were able to do that they absolutely dic tated the price of cotton for years and years. Strength From Union. “But a new dav has dawned demand, and the No. Acres Planted m 1918 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Don’t be ostracised by yourneighbors as a slacker ! if you e not already signed- the pledge, cut out the one on inis County of... • \ No. Acres Planted in 1919. I hereby promise on my honor and agree to reduce mv cottoq acreage for the year 19f9 as compared with the year 1918, 33 1-3 per cent., and to reduce my commercial fertilizer on cotton for the year 1919. as compared with 1918, 50 per cent Witness Tiffin the blanks gnd send or mail it to J. A. Porter, J. O Patterson, Jr., or B. P. Davies,.at Barnwell Address BARNWELL COUNTY COMMITTEE J. A. Porter, Chairman r : -1 o (gj 1 ?- tv_ . 1 i