The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-02-09
REDUCE THE ACREAGE.

A Joint committee consisting of mer-
| chants and farmers met in this city
last Monday. They recommended a
/ decrease in the cotton acreage Of not
less than 20 per cent, and that farm
supplies be raised instead.
This is the true remedy for local
| troubles, and we heartily endorse it.
| 1t would be better still if the reduction
be more than 20 per cent. We dc not
believe in the theory of yer produc-
ton. If every farmer was as energetic,
as intelligent, if all the land was as
| fertile as some, if as much was made
t the acre, then the Over-production
theory would be correct. But all these
| things are not true. There is more
| raised some a than others. more
used, but no man living or dead has
! ever seen the time when there was
! more of any farm product than could
be used in n part of the world. To
day we have practical illustrations of
this. In the United States we have
more grain and meat than we can sub
sist on-perhaps not more than can be
used. In Russia the people are starv-
ing-subsisting on so cents per month,
or rather what that money will buy.
If those people had full rations-if they
could buy all they actually need-our
supply would be exhausted before
April.
Some people say the South has raised
too much cotton, This is true. For
our own good we have. We cannot
afford to raise cotton to buy corn, wheat
and meat from the West. Even if
corn could be bought at % cents a
bushel, wheat at 80 cents, meat at 4
cents. All this has been tried and has
! been disastrous 1t will not do with
cotton selling at 10 or IL cents instead
of from 4 to 81. 1t is not farming.
You are simply a planter; you don't
farm when you do that. But still the
South has not raised more cotton than
the world needs. Right here among
the cotton fields there are to day not
less than five million people who have
not a change of clothes. They are
dressed in rags. Thousands of boys,
girls, men and women change
of underclothing. Two hundred thou
sand families in the South have not a
change of bed clothing. IF the people
of our OWn Southland had clothing
sufficient for their comfort there U01sId
be but q small anount of cotton left.
What about the balance of mankind2
How about the two million tramps that
are poorly Glade How about the mil
lions of poor in our towns and great
cities? Eight tenths of the people in
every city need twice as much cotton
goods as they are able to buy. IF the
South raised twelve million bales in.
stead of seven million, it could be used
if wealth was more equally divided.
The millionaire and family don't need
much. But the thousands of paupers
that every millionaire creates could
use a thousand times as much as the
millionaire himself.
But in order to change conditions,
our people must reduce the cotton acre
age and raise something to eat. Facts
and figures will not sustain life. The
powers that be would like to starve the
farmers into submission. IF you raise
plenty to eat, they can't do it. On the
other hand you may get into a position
of independence by so doing. Let
every Alliance paper, every Alliance
speaker, every member, use his infu-
ence in this matter. No matter what
your neighbor does, you need not act
foolish because he does. Try to re-
form him, but don't set him a bad ex-
ample. Some argue that a good many
will plantmore cotton than ever, hoping
to ge5a big price next fall. If they
do, they will be badly disappointed.
Reader, reform yourself, don't be a fool
if your neighbor is one. That will
apply in more things than farming.
THEY HAVE CHANGED BASE.