The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-03-03
A Speech on the Subject by Ex.
Senator Mel aa.r::Ga.
IT'S WORTH READING
he Presented His Views in Way
Which Attracted Not Little At.
tention, and lie was Applaud.
ed Frequently by His
Hearers.
Hearers.

We publish below Ex-senator Nc
Laurirs speech before the Cotton
Farmers Convention in. Columbia last
week:
Just few years ago." he said.
''the farmers of Kansas and Nebraska
were burning grain to reduce a sur
plus, as we have heard recently Of
burning cotton In Georgia and Texas.
For the few years past the crops in
the west have been the largest on
record and yet wheat is today selling
at neatly ST. 20. the equivalent OF -
l.2 cent cotton, while oats, corn,
barley, rye and all other foodStuffs are
propor5ionately high. There is a
striking analogy between wheat and
cotton; they are tie two great agri-
cultural export crops Of the United
States; more and more, the civiiizad
world is looking to our country for
food and clothing.
1t IS interesting and instructive in
this crisis to find out why 1t is that
the wheat farmer has been able fer
the past year to hold prices SO high
above the European parity. haven't
made the comparison in some time,
but not long ago l did and while the
European farmers were getting about
80 cents, the American farmer was
receiving about 81 per bushel. Right
across the border In Canada, wheat
was selling for much less than 1t was
In Michigan. The wheat farmers
know that sooner or later Europeon
supplies will be exhausted and they
must draw on the United States.
Making due allowance for war, which
always makes provisions higher would
not answer the question, for that
would mean that European prices
should be higher than in the United
States.
A shortage in the American crop
of Is, 100000 bushels from last year
is not sufficient explanation. The
great competitor Of cotton is wool,
and trade journals speak Of the almost
complete failure of the wool crop OF
Australia, and it seems to me that
under the ordinary law Of supply and
demand this should be factor IL
fixing the intrinsic value OF cotton.
but we fail to see the effect.
ter a great advantage over the wheat
grower. While the suth enjoys an
almost com plete monopoly In the pro-
ducJion Of cotton wheat Is produced
all over the world, from the Arctic to
lower temperate zones.
"Tnero is but one answer to the
problem, the wheat farmer Is organ
lied and has learned the lesson Of how
to manage his affairs On the business
priI ciples that govern the other in
dust ries Of the world.
"a few years ago they were singing
him to sleep with that same old song
'ovt tptoduction, coined by selfish
gret 20 enable the privileged few to
rob the many. He was pointed, as
you are, to the laws OF supply and de-
mard-another law OF God that has
been prostituted andsyw ole to turn tho,
prcs'aeSSs, Of honest labor into the cof.
fers OF those who toll not, neither do
thev spin.
The wheat farmers Of the west re.
piled to these doctrinaires. Away
with your devils gospel OF greed: we
do not believe it. Every grain Of our
whea at Is consumed each year, and yet
we heer OF famine in Ireland, India,
Eng land and Russia; the wall OF the
hungry poor of New York, London
and Paris reaches our ears There are
bread riots else where, while we burn
corn and feed wheat to cattle. Your
economic theory is all lie, for you
tell these millions that they starye
because there Is no bread, while you
tell US that we starve because OF It's
very abundance That is just what
is being told the cotton farmer today.
AS Tom Watson said at New Orleans:
II we make no crop, Il Is ruin: II we
make crop, 1T is ruin, too 1t Is
the devil, fellow citizans, not GCd,
who promulgated the creed, You can
and you can't, you will and you wont
you are damned if you do and you are
damned II you DON'T
What did the wheat farmers do?
They first organ 'zcd. They built
warehouses al over the west. When
the farmers can store their wheat
they get certificate for this, and
they can go TO any bank and draw
their money on it whenever needed
He needn't force his wheat on the
market until the price Is an induce
AcuU. HC VI cUC w bdiS LOIu d
year and half ago that the farmers
had passed the word around that they
wanted and intended to have 3 per
bushel for their wheat, and in spite
Of the combined Efforts Of the specu.
lators more than year ago wheat
went to 81 bushel. For few weeks
they forced the price under 90 cents.
but the farmers simply refused to sci!
and today It's equivalent In cotton
would be y l.2 cents {. pound. Even
In the far Of Argentine they have
taken the cue, and fixed upon SO cents
as the price they demand for wheat,
and at every shipping point there is q
warehouse where wheat is stored until
it brings the price. Fellow citizens,
cotton is the only prod let In the world
where the price is fixed entirely by
the purchaser, and the man who
makes the article has no voice In It,
You haul lead Of cot On into town,
you 60 to buyer; he says Walt TIL
Liverpool comes in. In few min
utes 1t is chalkod up on the black
board, and you are told what you
must take. Gentlemen, this coat |
have on stayed on some merchants
shelf until | paid his price for It, He