Barnwell sentinel. (Barnwell C.H., S.C.) 185?-1925, April 10, 1919, Image 10
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
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