The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-08-17
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
TwAlye-Cent Cotton.


Editor Constitution: The people Of the
south. and especially the farmers. never
had before them a more important Ques-
ton than, What will we get for the cot
ton In our fields today, that is getting
ready to open for the markets OF the
world?
It is a fact that no we'll Informed man
will attempt to deny that the business
Of producing cotton for a period OF years
has been a starvation business Because
of this fact, the negroes. who constlcute
large percentage of our laoorhs
classes have left the field and gone INTO
the towns and cities in large NUMBERS.
Our young white men go away from
the farms, because they have nope OIL
becoming Independent. filling the demand
for honest, competent help in other call
ings at lucrative pay. This Is condi-
ton brought about by the fact that cot
| ton, our money crop. the crop upon when
we spend most money and labor to pro-
duce has for years been selling for less
| than it cost to make 1t. No business on
| this earth has suffered 10 much rroh.
| this cause as the business or growing
| cotton in the SOUTH nothing else coulo
| have stood the strain like it. We may
ask the question, How has the business
| of producing cotton been kept up on a
| losing basis? Merchants, bankers ana
| others have lost heavily by advancing
to planters, who in turn were unable TO
repay. Again, planters and laborers OH
| the farm as rule have lived very poor
ly, In thousands of instances eating
plain bread and meat bought on a credit
at high price from the town store. and
| wearing Scant clothing
People of the south. this is all wrong.
The man who goes into the field and
| labors himself, superintends others
| who labor in the production OF cotton,
should have price for this cotton, pro-
| duced at such great pains and expense.
that would encourage and sustain the
| business decently. 1t has come to pass
that the business Of making cotton Is
laughed at by intelligent and progressive
men. simply because it don't pay
profit Good men will farm, and gladly
| do so, If they have assurance they VIII
| get profit on the outlay. In view OF
these facts, the man who can wish or
| hope for Notion to go down, the south
ern man who can help to keep the price
at respectable level and refuses to do
50. ought to be ashamed of himself.
| The president of the American Manu-
tacturers Association Is on record as
| saying that 1t makes no difference with
| the mills whether cotton Is or 20 cents
| pound; what the mills want is uni
| form price for the raw cotton, so that
| they can take contracts and feel secure
against an unreasonable advance OF the
| raw material by speculation. l want 10
| emphasize that the price should always
he sufficient to amply remunerate the
producer for his time and investment
| Punctuation In the price of cotton de-
| moraliZes the planter and paralyzes the
| manufacturer. 1t Is not good for either:
| but the manufacturer should not want
the producer to sell cotton at starvation
prices for his particular benefit. This
brings Us to the point Of asking, What
ought the price of this crop Of cotton
be to the farmers? We unhesitatingy
| say that 1t should be not less than IL
cents per pound for the entire crop. we
base this opinion on the ground that
the cost of making the crop has been
unusually heavy. Labor. mules, supplies
and implements have been very high.
and 1t Is an undeniable fact that the
| crop cannot be above 11.O00W0 bales or
American cotton. when the world needs
at least q million more from US. We
need this price. and we want It, Tho
| manufacturer can pay 1t, because he Is
certain to advance his price for goods
! when the time to make new contracts
| comes. 1t may be that many manufac-
turers are winding up old contracts at
| old prices with high prices for the raw
| cotton, but the amount of raw cotton
used by the manufacturers at the high
| prices Is comparatively small, and the
average price OF the last crop VIII not be
much more than cents per pound. lf
| 1t be necessary for the planters to hod
their cotton off the market in September
and October to assure the proper remu-
neration for their product, by all means
do 1t, and to this end every loyal south
| erner should bend every nerve. We ex-
| port nearly two-thrds of our cotton,
and when the price is down below a
| proper level we are simply enriching
other nations. There IS no sense In It,
no patriotism in It, so let the people Of
the south demand u cents for the crop
| of 1903 We have three-fo his of the
worlds supply to furnish; the mills can't
stop; there is nowhere else to get the
cotton, and we Will be a lot of imbeciles
| If fail to get the plum this time.
w. p. EDMONDSON.