Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-07-11
Large Crops Cause Disaster.

In India, China and other countries
the people starve because of their failure
to make good crops. In our cotton.
growing States we have panics and
starvation when we make our largest
crops of cotton-our great staple crop.
Eryou know of any other agricultural
county on earth that starve on account
of it's abundant harvest? Do you know
of any of our manufacturing Industries
of to. day that starve out on account of
over. productions? No! They know more
about their business than to allow their
successful production to be the means of
their downfall!
their affairs like the manufacturers do
theirs? Because the farmer has refused
to organize and take their own business
under their own control! That is all
there is of this affair!
What is the remedy for disastrous
over production? In either case of over.
production of crops or manufactured
products there is but one remedy-pro-
ducers must take care of their own sur
plus products as other men of more busi-
ness thought and foresight will do this
for their own benefit, which will always
work out the inevitable ruin of the pro-
ducers and fattening profits to the non
producers who apply the business tact
that the producers have failed to do for
their own interest.
What do sensible manufacturers do
when the trend of the markets for their
products indicate over-production? Do
producers do in their rush to the farmer,
the consumer of their goods, and ask
the farmer what he will give him for his
sUrplus, and finally tell the farmer in so
many words: See here, now, we men did
not make our goods to eat or wear; we
made these things for you farmers, and
if you don't need them you must take
this stuff off our hands at your own
price?"
No! organized manufacturers do not
act fool like that! But cotton farmers
have been doing that kind of foolish
business for forty years. When our
production threatens disaster to manu-
facturers they simply call meeting
through their organizations of their par
ticular interest, take an inventory of all
their surplus products on hand and re-
duce their production pro rata among
themselves until the demand catches up
with their surplus stock and output.
If the manufacturer has too much of
his working capital locked up in surplus
products in we'll insured warehouses he
can put up his surplus products as col
lateral for money to carry on his busi-
ness with instead of dumping his pro-
ducts upon the market at ruinous prices
in order to repeat the suicidal perform
ance again in producing more surplus,
the weight of which is sure to crush the
life out of his business.
That suicidal process is the very es-
sence of the cause Of the disastrous re-
suits of an over. production of our great
money crop, cotton, in the South! For
the lack of a systematic business organ
ization like the Farmers Union to con-
troll the production and the marketing of
our cotton, we have heretofore undertook
to protect our interest singlehanded
against well organized body OF busi-
ness men. Every cotton producer has
been fighting his own interest by trying
to take care of himself and let the devil
catch the hindmost man, and the result
has been that the devil usually gets the
whole crowd of foolish, unorganized cot
ton growers.