The National Co-operator and Texas Farm Journal. (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 40, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 11, 1909 Page: 4 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The National Co-Operator and Farm Journal and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST: *, wot. ^ THE NATIONAL CO-OPERATOR AND FARM JOURNAL.
President Neill’s Annual Address
The second day’s session of
state union was called to order by
President Neill, who delivered his an-
nual address, which was in the follow-
ing terms:
Galveston, Texas, August 3.
To the Officers and Delegates of the
Seventh Annual Meeting of the
State Farmers' Union of Texas:
My Dear Brethren—We have as-
sembled today in our regular annual
convention for the purpose of at-
tending to the business affairs of our
great organization and to discuss plans
for the future.
As your state president, and as it is
the usual custom, I herewith transmit
to you my annual message, and in so
doing let me admonish you that my
official connection is ended. The
constitution prohibits my re-election.
This message constitutes my last ad-
dress to you, and I would be unfaith-
ful to the trust you have reposed in
me should I fail in this culminating
moment to point out the important
work to be done to carry our plans
to their full accomplishment. The
last year has been a year full of events
and much has been done all along
the line.
the come when it will be made a peniten-
tiary offense for any man to short
sell the farmers’ cotton.
Wider Cotton Consumption.
.This matter was taken up at the be-
ginning of our administration and such
headway has been made that today we
can assure you that satisfactory re-
sults will be had all along the line,
and when the people fully reach the
fullness of the union’s efforts along
this line, a twenty-million-bale crop
will produce no surplus. The whole-
sale grocers, sugar refineries, coffee
companies, all the express companies,
together with the secretary of war,
secretary of the navy and postmaster
general have all agreed to use cot-
ton instead of jute. These people will
use cotton bags instead of jute bags,
cotton twine instead of jute twine.
Jute is a foreign product, raised in
India, and comes in direct competition
with the cotton raised in the South.
Every union man should feel a great
interest in the production and con-
sumption of cotton. Therefore it
should be the pride of the cotton
farmer to wrap every bale of his cot
ton in cotton cloth, and at the same
time aid in the destruction of the jute
trust; and we hope every union man
will adopt cotton bagging instead of
Just as soon as this arrangement
was made the hellhounds of persecu-
tion were turned loose. The enemy
within and the enemy without joined
hands, and everything that could be
said or done was done to destroy the
state officials. The sober senses of the
people prevailed, and we are still on
deck holding aloft the union banner,
while the union is marching on to vic-
tory.
Union Plan of Selling Cotton.
I feel it my duty also to call your
attention to the activity of the foes - , ,, .• P T
of this organization, both within and jute, thus making the victory more
without, for 1 assure you, my breth- comPeter. always, insuring a stable
ren, and many of you are already PiA =.........
aware, that the most subtle and dan-
gerous foe is the enemy within.
The most harassing experiences of
this organization and the greatest im-
pediment to our progress has resulted
directly from foes within. Dangerous
men have crept into our organization
whose occupation is unknown, who
visit the different county unions for
the insidious purpose of destroying
the union. The railroad interests are
trying to get control of our organ-
ization, and unless organization
can in some way pu. itself of this
influence it will
growing menace.
3 want to c i”
another danger
price for your cotton.
Cotton Seed.
Ihe seed trust has been a serious
menace to the interest of the farmers)
The oil mills, by reason of their great
organization, have had the power to
fix the price of every ton of cotton
seed raised in Texas. This trust oft-
times forces the price of cotton seed
so low that it almost amounts to con-
fiscation of the cotton seed. In order
to offset the trust, we have arranged
to handle the Cotton seed of th. state
and to handle the same through umion
headquarters. This firm paying into
tereste live ti
organizagona
iz:
This interest
on and lisel
him to make his contract for the sale
of his goods for two months, four
months or six months, with the assur-
ance that the cotton will cost him no
more. At present, when he sells his
goods he must pledge his contracts
by buying futures in New York. Some-
times his contracts are lost, sometimes
his margins are heavy and do not ben-
efit him as a manufacturer, nor you
as a producer and consumer, but only
benefit a few New York gamblers,
these hedges are very unsatisfactory,
to say the least of them. The weight,
the grade is not given, and no manu-
facturer can tell what the cotton will
cost him. The Farmers’ union plan
removes the necessity of hedging. This
is the most simple, inexpensive and
the most satisfactory way of hand-
ling cotton that has ever been de-
vised among men. It gives stability
to the business of manufacturing, and
the farmer fixing the minimum price—
a price that will give him a profit upon
his labor, will make the farmer pros-
perous and at the same time add sta-
bility to the merchant. If you sta-
bicize the business of farming and
of merchandising, you will give sta-
bility to the banker. The farmer is a
factor in the world’s business. The
merchant is a factor and the banks
are factors. If you stableize the
business of these three great factors
you will stableize every class of busi-
ness that exists in our common coun-
try. This is the original plan as orig-
inated by the union, and if carried to
its legitimate end will relieve the sit-
uation.
In June, 1904, the union officials, to-
gether with the advisory council, were
called to meet in Greenville. The cot-
ton situation was gone over, and the
holding movement grew out of this
meeting. Soon another meeting was
called, and a minimum price of 10
cents a pound was coined out of the
conditions that existed at that time.
the holding movement and the
minimum price, the first great battle
was fought in the season of 1904 and
1905, giving to the farmers of the
Couth about $200,000,000 mare for
their cotton than they would other-
wise have received. The season of
1904 and 1905 was an unusual one,
and the cotton held was damaged
about $25,000,000, and under the lead,
ership of Hon. Eugene Williams of
Waco, a system of warehouses was
built across the South for the protec-
tion of cotton and the forging of an-
other link in the Farmers' union’s
inexpensive, simple plan of handling
cotton. The minimum of 11 cents was
fixed in 1905 and 1906, and carried
and also in 1906-07, giving to the peo-
ple during these two years about $400,-
000,000 more for their cotton than they
would otherwise have received. In
1907-08 the price was fixed at 15 cents
a pound, and one of the greatest bat-
tles in history was on. It was truly
a contest of giants. The financial world
tumbled. Here was organization, right,
grit and determination on one side,
and a greedy organization on the other
side with millions at their command.
What were the conditions when this
season began? The commercial crop
was estimated at 13,500,000 bales, and
moving freely at 14 cents per pound.
The national union met at Little Rock,
Ark., and after due consideration the
price was fixed at 15 cents a pound,
The Co-Operator.
This paper is now under the direc-
tion of the union officials and is doing
great work for the union. It is owned
by Mr. C. D. Reimers, and. he is able
financially to carry it to success. The
enemy has tried to publish through
its columns all manner of slanderous
libels that in many cases had to be
refuted. Many letters were written
bv irresponsible men who were not
worth a cent in a damage suit. The
burden of libel would have fallen
upon the owner of the paper, without •
any recourse whatever. Then, again,
it was not the intention of the mem „
bership to build up a great paper and
then let a few sore headed traitors
turn it upon the organization and de
stroy it. Any man aggrieved has a
remedy in the constitution and by-
laws of our organization.
If the officers have violated their
obligations, the constitution provides
that these charges shall be made be-
fore the executive committee, whose
duty it is to investigate, and they have
the power to remove any state official
from office. The man that has this
remedy and does not take advantage
of it, but goes around over the state,
is not a union man but a disorgan-
izer and deserves to be expelled from
the union.
My Associates in Office.
oisintally be a the state treasury the sum of 50 cents
on every ton of seed sold. This ar
0 r tten ’on to rangement, we think, will bring sharp
• I ueket shop in- competition and force the price of cot-
men inside ours ton seed up to a fair price, and we
cl over hope the state union will adopt meas.
Ni nd € : } ures to carry out the agreement made
• an ng the with this firm with the hope that it .____.
No. di organ may be made a great success and will because they saw in prospect a crop
1 ion in the end in the end totally destroy the seed of 11.500.000. which was all ** -----
greatest enemy trust in Texas.
jenci
and their avowed purpose i to de
stay our great organization They
will corrupt and debauch all whom
they can. This interest tried to de
stroy you, and you must not forget
that these men tried to intimidate your
officials with an injunction suit and
tried to destroy your organization with
a hundred thousand dollar damage;
suit. They will not hesitate to use
any means they can to destroy you
Shall this organization be turned over
to this gang, and shall they be allowed
again to fasten their poisonous fangs
upon the Texas farmer? Then ever be
vigilant, my brethren. Meet this et
"The Galveston Plan.’
Ihe Galveston plan of financing cot-
ton was adopted as an emergency
relief. At the time this plan was put
into operation in Texas cotton was
being sold in the open markets. The
banks had refused to longer loan
money on cotton stored in our ware
hSSand without money our peo I
His could not hold in the local ware
... 11,500,000, which was all that was
made. Ihe made-to-order panic came
on October 28, and the country was
paralyzed. Markets for the time be-
ing were literally destroyed, and noth-
ing but the undaunted courage of
the Farmers’ union saved the country
from bankruptcy. The banks that had
advanced on cotton became insistent
for their money. Merchants were de-
mauding payment and threatening to
bring suit. Through it all the mem-
bers of the banners’ union stood as a
stone wall. Such heroism, such cour-
age -a self denying spirit that won the
I admiration of the world, because the
country was saved.
cm? at the threshold and drive this
dangerous enemy away.
There is another proposition I want
to call your attention to, and that is
the question of lobbying at Austin.
While Brother Townsend, your rep
resentative, was at Austin attending to.
his duties as the sole representative,,
there were other so called union men
j house. We had no power to make
the banks loan money on your cotton.
I had met them in Austin, San An
tonio, Dallas and Fort Worth, and did
all I could to secure loans, but it all
failed. Then what must I do? Stand
still and let the people’s cotton be sac
rificed upon the streets at the gam
hlerstpriceDid 1 do this? No! selling agency that would complete
immediately I called the warehouse •* 1 ’ ' 1
Then it was realized that, in addi-
tion to the holding movement, the
minimum price and our great ware
house system, we needed a central
at Austin sent there by other interest
These men were the wearing the livery
of the union and selling their union
influence to the other interest to the
great hurt of the Farmers’ union |
Tis fi shame! Will you allow this to
longer exist? Will you, put a stop to
it? Make the men that attempt it
so infamous that hereafter they will
be dletested
Cotton Exchanges.
I he whole strength of my admin
istration has been thrown against the
manipulation of cotton exchanges
The matter has been carried to con
grest and turns upon a bill that will
deny exchanges the right to use the
telegraph, telephone or the United
States mails that will destroy them
just as effectually as did a like law
destroy the New Orleans lottery. We
have every urancre th this bill will
become a law The sentiment against
cotton exchange in growing all the
time, and we hope to see the time
men to meet in Galveston, where
loans could be made upon cotton
stored in Galveston. What was the
effect of this arrangement, my breth |
ren? Just as soon as this cheap
money began to flow back Lome, The
home folks became busy at once, ft
would not do for this cheap money
to come to our people, or the power
of usttry would be gone, and the
banks began to loan money on cot
loll This arrangement brought the
home banks in competition with the
Galveston banks, and the arrange
ment was very beneficial to our peo-
ple What else resulted? Just as soon
as the cotton began to be shipped
away the little street broker got busy.
He too, “saw the hand writing on the
wall He must now be brought in
competition with the spot price pic
vailing in Galveston and must meet
this price that gave to the people of
Texasia higher price for our cotton
than prevailed in any other state.
This arrangement was worth its mil
lions to the farmers <4 this state
I his arrangement made, the farmers
were left free to accept it or not. We
had no power to coerce them.
the chain of our system from the farm
to the port, putting in the most com-
plate system of handling cotton that
has ever been devised among men by
taking out the old, crude, expensive
system that has fostered the gambler
, and gambling in cotton for these
My association with Brother Smith,
your state secretary, has been most
pleasant. He has been a most valuable
assistant. He has been my adviser in
the most trying times. His services
have been invaluable to me. Broth
ers J. E. Montgomery, J. C. Albrit-
ton, H. Laas, J. A. Wheeler and J.
L. McConkey, your executive com
mittee, have been faithful men. These
brethren have had a hard task, but
like patriots, they did their duty and
have aided us at all times: Brother
Edmondson, too, your state lecturer,
has done yeoman service. When he
took hold the department was in a
most chaotic state .with no funds to
pay assistants. He has had to un
dertake the work alone His report
will show the good done. Brother
Smith and the executive committee
will tile their financial report, giving
the financial condition of the union,
and you say, "Well done, ye faithful
servants, enter into your reward.”
many years.
What ‘joes the Farmers’ union plan
mean? You take twenty bales of cot-
ton to your warehouse and deposit
the same. There is issued to you a
warehouse receipt, and a duplicate of
this receipt is written twenty bales
of cotton. The cotton is graded, and
the grade is written into the receipt,
together with the warehousing, insur-
ance and the minimum price. This re-
ceipt is sent to our central selling
agent at Galveston, and the cotton is
put upon the market., Now, should
the spinner buy this receipt, he has
bought something that is tangible-
has bought something that is in exist-
ence and can be turned over to him
upon demand. He knows how many
bales he is buying, how many pounds
his bales contain, the grade of the cot
ton, how long it is warehoused, and ________, .......us ore
how long it is insured, together with sufficient for the state to
the minimum price. This will enable county
Duet.
The dues of this state are not suffi-
cient to successfully carry on the
work. If all the members would pay
dues at once there would be ample
for all purposes, but only about one
fifth pay dues at once. The dues
ought to be raised to $2 per year
divided as follows: 80 cents for your
state treasury, 80 cents for your county
treasury, and 40 cents for your local
1 treasury. This would produce a fund
meet every
every sixty days, and at the
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Grant, A. W. The National Co-operator and Texas Farm Journal. (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 40, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 11, 1909, newspaper, August 11, 1909; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1636894/m1/4/?q=denton+history: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .