The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-04-27
WARNED BY BARRETT
p-aridap+ If Farmers Union Says One
Barrier Against Hard Times
Moderate Cotton Crop.

To The officers and Members OF lhe
Farmers Union:-
JTpon whether the farmer harnesses
cotton or cotton harnesses the farmer
will largely depend the prosperity %
the southern states for 1912, ana PROV.
ably several years to come.
The battle between the two must
be fought out within the next lew
weeks. Planting plans may as wen
be arranged with cold-blooded facts III
view. 1t may be more convenient ah"
easy to put in your usual cotton acre
age, relying upon the other felio" "
do the reducing. But as surely DIS .no
| farmer falls before such temptatroh'
| Just so surely will the penalty pe eA-
acted not only of him but OF MS lei
| low-farmers, big and little, OF his VIE
and his children and in a way Oh eV'
| ery commercial interest in the SOUTH
ern states.
It ought not to require long to oe-
| eide between bank accounts and panh-
| ruptcy. between freedom from lnueoc-
edness and the tyranny OF the mort
| gage. between a full dinner table anu
short rations, between more educat1on
and better clothes for the family anu
| a. hard deal for the wife and the lttle
ones.
The crisis the southern farmer con-
fronts is a grave one, but its solution
is as simple as c. IN norman
times. even. the world will consume
only so much cotton at fair price IL
we produce a larger volume than de-
mand will naturally absorb, prices are
going tumbling. This condition is IN
tensified at present, for the reason
that times are not normal. Inc sup
ply of the staple brought forth last
wear has not been taken up and al
gested by the regular agencies OF CON
sumption. Some of it is going over
into the new season. Even now
some of the American and European
mills are contracting for deliveries o.
cotton next fall at low price
:, In the face of such situation there
ia inst one course for the farmer, ane
that is to protect his own interests
by holding down the acreage. IN
not be fooled by the present upWar<
furry into planting for big ylelt
next fall Prices are higher than the,
u were month ago and may go We
higher. But the coming of the neV
crop on the market will tell the story
and if it is a record-breaklng crop IN
& producer will get the hot end OF tn
- deal as sure as shooting.
ANY business man would be place
s. In the lunatic asylum by his friend
., for pursuing the methods favored
81 the average farmer. For by rals1n
/ a moderate crop, at less expense an
labor, we get a larger price than Q
n raising large crop at higher cost an
- with more labor. Yet | could nam
three or four years during which II
= farmer has ignored this simple prl
. ciple and invited disaster by putin
in more cotton than he could evenAcu
- tivate.
= a reduction Of the cotton acreas
e. without using the land thus reduce
to produce feed-stuffs WILL hoWeve
40 be suicidal folly The southern stat
70 can produce practically every lite
W needed for the support of man al
20 beast Yet year after year the m
~ jority Of farmers have continued 81
- gle-shooting on cotton and paying OF
NY er section, for meat and bread out
80 the profits on the white staple. II
81 procedure means starting out ca
10y wear by giving needless promlsso
- note against the revenues from t
:, south's greatest producer of incon
~" We have had hard times in tt
ttne country and section before, and the
oes is no guarantee against their retu1
-, The south can absolutely erect q D
~ rier against the effects of panlcs
7s9 restricting the cotton acreage SO tt
~. it will produce only what can be 81
~ profitably, and then producing on
nus own farms all the food needed
ny southern tables and in southern S
~ bles.
her d concealed la,
- part Of the Indebtedness that OF
ese strangled the development Of the fal
uis" err Cotton reduction and diversifi
nel ton in 1912 will continue that be
ICY fetal process. Bumper cotton vie
. and buying food of other sections Y
a. y paralyze the very sources of prosl
a. ity, and leave our people wholly
'en' protected from the ravages Of :
eoi- financial storm that may sweep
that mi. e,. ,r,,c+ doo,da bis +
ggs, eotir +hta connection and If bis
'ped la 80 - .,,ort siab+od or fa,,,tv :
ents .:11 - CON-, t7e,,ra h1ar
- Providence for suffering essenti
selfinaicted.
oli CHARLES S. BARRET7
~, Union City, Ga
this