The Mena weekly star., 1907-11-21
HAL CONES BACK.

itAL @Ontt~A' 1RSN.
 The Gazette of Nove.Eber II waxes exceeding humorous in an editorial If almost a column in length over .he suggestions of Hal l.. Norwood Ehat the state funds, if to be loaned eo assist in tiding over the financial stringency, be loaned through agents so the farmers, secured by the cot ton crop, instead of giving the funds snto the hands of the banks at 4 or per cent to be reloaned to the Farmers on the same security at 10 per cent. The Gazette writer thinks 1t great joke that anyone, espe- cially candidate for an office subject to the action of the Democratic primary" should suggest that the farmer, caught with his cotton ready for mar ket and no market because of the machinations of a lot of stock gamblers in Wall Street, should be given little relief without paying double interest on the money needed for the privilege of having the states money pass through banks, lat large profit to the latter. Yes, the idea that farmer be given relief by the state or govern ment on the same basis as Eastern bankers, is excruciatingly funny" "a great producer of lightsome levity.
 But Hal comes back, and here's what he said, addressing the Gazette: observe, this morning. your edito- rial comment on my statement that eff the state has money to loan and it is proper to loan the states funds, why not loan the money direct to the farm CTS, instead of the banks ?''
 On November an article appeared in the Gazette, which in substance stated that an extra session of the legislature might be called for th6pur- pose of making provision for loanlng the state funds to the banks in order to relieve the present financial strin- gency.
 This was reproduced in my home paper, The Mena Star, and in comment ing upon this l wrote the article re- ferred to in your editorial in today's Gazette.
 When the article of November appeared in your paper, stating that a special session of the legislature might be called to provide for the depositing of the states funds in the banks throughout the state, why didn't the editor of the Gazette endeavor to be humorous and comment on how the money would be moved from the vaults to the various banks of the state Would it require any more extra "spurs or sandwagons" to take the funds to agents at the respective county seats to be loaned to the farmers than it would to the banks throughout the state? Why did you not get funny" when the suggestion was made to cart the money from the vaults to the banks ?
 The other day the secretary of the -easury loaned money of the govern
 f to Wall Street bankers in order
 Ae bankers should not be com
 dump their securities on
 Nd falling market at a great
 As stated in the article upon
 you commented, do not know
 Tt IS expedient for the government i. the the state to loan money to either corporations or individuals, but l do insist that if it is proper for the govern ment or the state in a spirit of pater- nalism to come to the relief of the bankers in the midst of crisis it is just as proper for the government or state to come to the relief of the farm CTS and assist them to hold their pro- duce for better market.
 Should not the farmer have the same privilege of borrowing little money at low rate of interest, upon which to live and protect him from the necessity of dlsposing of his crops upon weak and falling market, as the bankers have to borrow enormous sums from the government in order to protect them during panic?
 l merely suggested lending the money at this particular time on cotton, be- cause the handling of this great crop is affected more by the present financial stringency than any other products, and little assistance now would en- able the cotton farmers to defeat the efforts of gamblers and speculators in their attempt to force cotton on the market for less than it is worth