Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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SAM JONES ON COTTON. The Largest Cotton Crop In the World's History-His Solution. I was, some weeks ago, in Gilaho ma Territory. I saw some parties loading cars with Irish potatoes. I asked one of the gentlemen "What are you getting for potatoes this fall," and he replied. "Twenty-five cents a bushel." "Why," said I., "you got a dollar last fall." "Yes," he replied, "they went like hot cakes at a dollar." "Well," said I, "has the trusts and combines done you all up on p5tatoes?" He said, "No, sir," I said, "What's the reason you, can't get bus twenty-five cents a bushel?" "Too many potatoes this fall," he replied. Now, gentlemen, you can charge up to Wall street, or cotton specula tors, or padded gin reports, the pres ent low price of cotton. You can resolve to hold your cotton, gentle men, and a fellow can hold up a hundred pounds, maybe two or three .hundred pounds, but when he gets under twenty tons to hold it up, the twenty tons wil! mash the giblets out of him. It has been nearly two months since I put friends on no tice, through the columns of the Journal, that there was cotton in Texas, and the southern states gen erally, to burn. I did r.>t get half through the cotton belt of the southern states until I wired back 'Sell my cotton." This is the larg est cotton crop ever produced in the world's history and why the world did not catch on sooner is a mystery to me. When I passed through the cotton belt the first of November, I saw all that came out in yesterday evening's report. I have not said so publicly, but in discussing the cot ton crop with friends I have put the American cotton crop at thirteen mil lion bales for this year and the for eign crop at two and a half millions. Cotton yesterday at six and five eighths for middling, which means from fiVe and a half to six for most of the cotton now on the market. Our cotton raisers or farmers always hold their cotton when they ought tq sell, and always sell when they ought, to hold. Now, let them resolve to hWld their cotton and then remember what I said about'ia fellow holding up twenty tons. The cotton mills and consum'ers only want to know that the cotton is made. They don't *care whether its on board of ships, in seaport towns, in warehouses or lying around the farmer's yards at home. All they want to know is how much cotton is. made, and the amount raised, when it's known, will regulate the price. Consumers can no more hold cotton down below the price fixed by supplay and demand than Sulley and his crowd could hold *it up above the price fixed. The one will get as inevitably mashed as the other. There is but one relief now to the man with cotton on hand and that is to fall back like the old woman did when she said, amid all her trials and troubles and tribu lations that there was one verse of scripture that always comes itd her relief. Some one asked her, "What was that verse!2" She replie&, "That blessed old verse that reads 'grin and bear it.'" The bulls have done their best since the middle of November to hold the price up', and, in spite of all that they have done and all they have lost, cotton has been gravita iing to the .line marked out by sup ply and demand. The consumers were willing to pay eight cents for cotton until they saw by correct es timate of the crop that they could get it at six to seven cents a pound. *I've been going over the cotton pro ducing states for more than twenty years. I have seen more cotton this year in the fields, in the cotton yards, on the depot platforms, piled up around the gins, than I ever saw be fore. I can tell a little apple from a big apple, and I can tell a big cotton crop from a little one about as easy if you will let me see them both. When I saw the cotton crop last year, as it showed up in the fields, in the cotton yards. on the depot platforms, and so on, I saw that it was the smallest crop that had ever been made for years and also said, "I will hold my cotton for fifteen cents, and get it." I did hold it. I did~ get fifteen and a half pents a pound for it. I got between nine 'd I sold it early, because of what Vsaw. There is no use kicking, gentlemen, unless you kick yourselves. The south can get much more money for a ten million bale crop at much less than she can get for a thirteen mil lion bale cr-. Now, the question comes up. "What'll you do about it. Brother Farmer?" I take'the posi tion, and hold my ground, that to play the fool and then cuss somebody else about your. misfortunes is a mighty poor business. I heard many a southern man say last year, "No more six and seven cent cotton in the United States." At least, they said, for many years to come, and here we are mired down, and the south's business interests almost par alyzed by the cala,-ity overtaking us in less than twele months. When you raise too many potatoes you will sell them at 25 cents a bushel. When you raise too few you will get a dol lar a bushel for them. The cold snap yesterday put wheat up, just because they say that the supply may be cut off. Here's one southern farmer that ain't going to raise a bale of cotton next year. Put in corn, peas, sow grain, improve your land, act like men of sense, quit playing the fool and then raising sand with the bal ance of the world because you played the fool. Let the south cut down the cotton crop one'third and I will guar antee you 12 to x5 cents a pound for. your cotton. Put in as much acreage next year as this, and I will guaran you six cents, and no more, so to speak. I know that every fellow is some sort of a fool, my wife's hus band included, but to keep on acting a fool about the same thing will soon get a fellow to be all sorts of a fool, and then they will lock you up. I say these few, short, brief remarks in the interest of and for the benefit of farmers. Don't abuse me, gentle men, but listen to a fellow who wishes you well. The Girl That Laughs. Girls' spend considerable time try ing to find out how to be popular. It is natural that a girl should .seek approval and adriration. Her pop ularity means a good time, boxes of candy, theatres, dances, flowers everybody that the hearts of the voung people delight in. The girl that is popular is the girl who laughs. Not the girl that sim pers and puckers or giggles, but the girl that laughs and means it. The girl that laughs can have candy and flowers and theatres every day in the week. Men flock about her. They adore her. She laughs herself straight in to the hearts of ~beaux and admirers and straight into all the good times that a girl can dream of. She laughs, but she is careful when she laughs. She laughs with her beaux at what they say when they say when they say it, but never after ward. She never laughs at any one's blunders or misfortunes. Women forget to worry when they hear the cheerful girl's laugh. Old men are warmed at the sound of it, young men listen and follow it, pay court to it, marry it. For it is the laugh that keeps the heart young, the laugh that keeps the face bright. The Emancipated Woman. The nanie of "emancipated" has often been absurdly applied to- the woman who has; or is reputed to have, or fancies she has a "higher education"-whatever that may be. But in fact does it rather belong to the woman who, through the pros perity of her husband, has been emancipated by the employment of servants from all the domestic du ties that used to keep her occupied? The notion that women ought not to work originated in the' harem-in the home autocracies qf the Orient. It has no place in any true civiliza tion. It is destructive of .character and degrading. Yet how many wo men of 'our influential classes as girls hold, and as wives and mothers prac tice, the idea that women ought to be supported in a sort of easy-going rose-lined idleness by some man or other. Ida-Weddings should always be on clear days. May-Oh, I don't know. I hope there will be showers on my wedding day. Ida-You do? Church Notts. The finest city and village church es are painted with the Longman S Martinez Paints, and we want ever3 church to accept oir donation when ever they paint. 8 &6 make i.,,.therefore when yot want fourteen kallons of paint, buy only eight of L. & M. and mix sii gallons of pure Linseed Oil with it making actual cost of paint aboui $1.20 per gallon. Don't pay $1.50 a gallon for Lin seed Oil (worth 6o cents) which you do when you buy other paints in a can with a paint label on it. Many housese are well painted with four gallons of L. & M. and three gallons of Linseed Oil mixed therewith. Wears and covers like gold. These celebrated paints are sold by the Newberry Hardware Company. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the stock l olders of the Commercial Bank of Newberry. S. C., will be held at their banking house on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 1905, at 12 o'clock sharp, for the election of directors for the ensuing year and such other business as may come before the meeting. Z. F. Wright, Cashier. ANNUAL MEETING. The stockholders of the People's National Bank of Prosperity, S. C., will hold their annual meeting at their Banking House on Tuesday, January ioth, 1905, at 4 o'clock p. m. for the purpose of electing directors, and any other business that may come -before the meeting. - W. W. WHEELER. Cashier. December 29, 1904. NOW Furnfitffel We have just re turned from the North with the finest line of Kitchen and House hold Furniture in this section of the State. The Best Goods at the L.owest Figures. ON JANUARY 15 we will open in the R. C. Williams Store Room. Cash or' Installment. R. J. WATTS & CO. The Union WAREHOUSE COMPANY OF Columbia, S. C , is Prepared to STORE COTTON IN Standard Ware houses and to arrange Proper Cash Advances if you desire to hold your cotton details will be gladly supplied if you address Columbia, S. C. New Yeor To one and a favored us duri patronage, we gra.-eful ackno We have striver faithfully. Our p been and will t ideals in busin crave no succes be attained by tegrity. We stan merit, and nev( virtues of our We have enjo; since 1875, but means makes and so the hum1 poorest has the. eration as the the wealthy. each customer who are not, su succes:es that Providence is bestow. WMj Be PBLHi Reliable Pha Is our wish, and make 1905 one fo in need of Dry Gc Shoes and Notion to the Right Price ThelI And Chi Of Ever 0. KLET 1Cometol Greetig! ill who have ng 1904 with extend our wiedgement. ito serve you urposes have e for loftier ess life. We s that cannot strictest in d on our own ir decry the competitors. yed success : this by no us haughty, blest and the 3ame consid highest and We wish'ior and those ch joys, and a benign disposed to km & SON, rmacists. (LLTI we will help to r you, if, ,when ods, Millinery, s you will com3 Store. 3est eapest. ything! TENER'S 3ee Us