The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-12-12

,'ahiN FARMERS Points
Out IT. Defects and Sa,- NJ, Nj
licc 10 Cotton Farmers j. To Beware
"a ANYTHING That Has ENcn tie
smell of Wall Street ,;on IL.
II" the Editor / nave read With
much interest what Dr. II. q. Alex
ailder has 70 say concerning tho plan
proposed by the New York bankers
and Southern representatives to aid
the SoutherV farmers in holding cot
ton ana wish 10 give what he SAYS
my unqualified endorsement. No
doubt these Southern
mean We'll and would do ali in their
power to help the cotton grower and
we cotton growers would be mighty
IL TO help at this time. for We need
1t and need it badly. But my advice
TO cotton growers at all times is 10
beware Of anything that has even the
smell of Wali street upon it" Their
comHnoditN is money. Ours is cotton.
Therefore our interests are diametri-
ca!lF opposed 10 each other 10y ma
ture. and always Will be, and when
ever YOU see those fellows up there
beginning to shed crocodile tears FOR
the southern cotton grower and offer
help. then beware Their sympathy
is only as the Dutchman's sympathy
Tor the goose he stuffs and fattens for
the day OF execution. Now lets look
at this plan of holding cotton and see
il Or. Alexander has judged il incor-
rectly. First: 1t a loan Of
$500 a bale on the payment of a fee
of S1.00 a bale, without interest, for
a limited time, this limit being Jan
uary, 1918: when the contract must
be c'osed regardless of the price of
cotton. Second: That the cotton is
not to be taken from the channels
of trade. but to be placed to the best
If the first section here
proposed were the entire contract, II
would avail the cotton raiser but lit
tie. as by present methods the price
is carried up or down by the very
men Who give this loan, through ma
chinery of their W construction,
The New York Cotton Exchange
But it provides further, and the sec
ond section would mean the cotton
entire undolng. 1t would
mea the taking Of the only weapon
Of defense (actual cotton) out of his
hands and turning him over bound
hand n foot to his natural enemy,
the money trust. They are doing mis-
chief enough now by selling paper
contracts on the exchange with the
bare hope of delivery but, with the
actual cotton in their hands or putting
it more mildly with cotton in the
channels of trade" they would play
.. / may have lone some foolish
things in my life, but / viii not be
enough to agree TO this prop
l will keep my cotton under
my own shelter as long as / can and
when ] am forced to have help. l Will
to my nearest banker or moneyed
n place my cotton up, but
t will not 90 into the channels Of
until such time as seems best
% ne. II every farmer would do this
and then back this resolution up with
l determination to live at home and
at the same place, our trouble
bout cotton prices would end. There
are two classes of men who are en-
-irely responsible for the cotton farm
ars' .rcsent predicament. First, the
who grows all cotton or practl-
ally so. and those who eat up their
before they make ii. These men
addle with our trouble and eacn
IF these buy their rationS ana the
of it on time. l will guarantee
hat IL every cotton raiser VIII make
10 his mind to grow even sufficicEt
God stufs next year hat the cotton
yfTAOf' VIII IN atSot ~
an extent that a bumper crop
low prices will not be heard OF
more. This resolution If put into
fleet will save the remainder OF this
'rop anu keep us saved. Their Is TO
,ther way known whereby We may
so saved. / have ALWAYS tried 10 prac-
ice this doctrine rs well as predtn
I have never planted an acre in
vet without planting a CORE
handing acre i'm food sfuns. tonse-
by getting plenty OF humls
n M soil it IS growing more ~prodGc-
all the time. and men like my
elf who grow plenty Of food stuTs
would rot now be in sack-cloth and
about their cotton, II il had not
.een for the WORCESTERSHIRE waE O.
hose fellows who grow all cotton. AMI
hose who eat mp their crop before
hey make ii.
Respectfully.