The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1897-11-24
THE COTTON SITUATION.


sud space would not allow us to give
that thoughtful attention to rs con-
sideration which the gravity OF the
subject demanded. Perhaps 1t IS
W II that we did not say what we IN
tended earlier, as then there would
have been grounds at least for the
charge that our Judgment was has
tily formed from an imperfect under
standing of the scope and purposes
of the convention, and therefore our
conclusions were erroneous. But
now, after having time to calmly and
maturely consider the subject IN all
it's bearings, as it ef4cts the cotton
industry of our Southland, we are
not open to such a charge.
1t is our candid opinion that NO
good has been accomplished and that
is far as effecting a reduction of the
cotton acreage is concerned, it would
have been better had the convention
never been held. All efforts look
ing to a reduction OF the cotton
acreage by sumptuary process, as is
proposed by that convention, is SO
much love- labor lost. The extent
and magnitude of the undertaking
is 80 stupendous as to place the gov
ernment of raising cotton way be.
yond the range of possibility other
than by the eternal decree of God
and the laws of nature. Mans flute
wisdom is simply inadequate to sue
cessfully control the planting of
cotton through the plan proposed by
the convention.
We take it for granted that we are
all Of one mind touching the neces-
sity OF increasing the price of cot
ton, but as to the means to accom-
plish this much to be desired result
there is wide divergence of belief
limited only by the number OF per
sons engaged in its production, sale,
manufacture aud consumption. Ia
admitting that too much acreage IS
given to the cultivation Of cotton to
the neglect OF the actual necessaries
of life we but state fact long since
experienced by It's producers to their
loss. It has been the universal be
lief among the farmers Of the cotton
growing States that this is the only
crop that can be used as Il basis for
credit, and this credit system is the
legacy of past generations handed
down by them from sire to son for time
immemorial. 1t has in a large meas
ure been the bane aud curse OF our
otherwise God favored, fertile and
productive Southland, the garden
spot of the world We have yet to
learn the lesson long since mastered
by our more phlegmatic and ener-
getic neighbors of the North that in
the diversity of crops lies the road TO
wealth. Both reason and experience
teaches US that where the dependence
Of the farmer is solely upon one
crop, the price Of which fuctuates so
rapidly as does that of cotton, the
inevitable result must be in times of
pauics or financial depression, ruin
or poverty that abideth as long as
the single crop system is persevered
in.
The above is not The only cause
of the low price of cotton, but
the farmers themselves are not en-
tirely blameless. As bitter as their
experience is they are but tasting a
dose Of their OVID medicine prescribed
to merchants some years ago. With
the avowed purpose of lowering the
price of other commodities they in
ugurated a system of centralizing
trade out of which they made a howl
ing success, but at the sametime they
succeeded in reducing the price of the
products of the farm, including that
of cotton. They were fully warned
of this result at the time by Mr. ?.
J. Rucker, of Columbia, through
these columns, and it is unnecessary
to say that his warning has proven
as he predicted.
Ii. supply and demand Is TO be
considered then high or protective
tariff on the raw cotton of foreign
growth is the only potent remedy to
apply. This is the only true solu
tion of the problem with which the
farmers have to deal, and is the only
one which gives any assurance CT re-
lief. Most of the cotton raised in
the South is consumed by Southern
mills; but little finds it's way to the
mills in the North and still less is ex-
ported to other countries, and by
these conditions the demand has
steadily decreased and tie supply
increased, leaving Il surplus su-