Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-05-06

trying to find out a remedy.
Now, let US look at our condition
am going to discuss some things that
affect you and your children very ma
terially Let us talk about cotton.
You know people say we mustn't raise
so much cotton Very well. that is all
right But you know we have got to
raise cotton If we don't where are
We going to get our money! A large
area of our land is not fitted for any
thing else besides, cotton commands
the readiest sale for cash. The entire
world depends on this great crop which
we here in the South have a monopoly
on. From the prince on his throne
from the pigtailed Chinaman to the
savage in the Philippine Archipelago
they must all have our cotton. Do YOU
know that In '65 after the blockade was
raised and our first vessel carried a
cargo of cotton to England. and it was
being hauled through the streets to the
factories and warehouses. that men and
women came out and kissed the bales
and cried in their joy to see cotton
brought to their shores again. and they
could go back to work?
why, with this crop of cotton COM
handing a ready sale for cash, the peo-
pie of the South ought to be the rich
est in the world. And vet is is true
that the people who make this cotton
are the poorest paid for their labor of
all the people on the face of the globe
crop that represents millions and
millions of dollars and the maker Of 1t
to receive so little of it. Go to Massa-
chusetts today. where they have many
millionaires to the square mile. or New
York, and you will see some of the
men who profit by your toll Some
body makes thousands of millions out
of this crop. We don't make It, we
don't get it. We have a mighty small
balance left after we have paid for our
guano food and clothing But it rolls
into the pockets of some of the people
of the United States. and one reason
for this is that we have allowed this
crop to become a football between the
gamblers in cotton futures. and they,
by methods peculiar to them, know
how to depress the price before the crop
has been brought into market, and then
after they have bought il. they know
how to bring the price up so as to
make large profits on 1t.
Now, under the old Roman law, il
was not allowed to sell any product of
the farm by future dealings. It had to
be made; It had to be gathered. It had
to be in hand. No kind Of speculation
was allowed on the product of the farm
and tell YOU there is nothing that has
demoralized our Southern farming as
gambling in futures has, and If | had
my way would have law prohibiting
the use of the telegraph and telephone
wires and the mails for this purpose.
But this is not the chief trouble
The chief trouble why we do not get
more out of our cotton is that the prof
its are taken up by the high tariff and
high duties we are compelled to pay for
what we buy. John c. Calhoun Is years
ago said to the farmers of South Caro-
lima Your arms are too short to con
troll the price of cotton in the world. We
have to sell our cotton in England
France, Germany; America doesn't take
up but small part of our crop; We
have to sell it in Europe. Now, if We
can sell cheap, all right provided we
can buy cheap If we have to sell our
cotton according TO the prices made In
the markets Of the world, then for Gods
sake, give us right to buy our sup
plies, if necessary, in the markets of
the world
George McDuf1e was a great South
Carolinan In his day the tariff was
40 per cent Well what does that
mean? He SAYS it means, If I send cot
ton to Europe and order goods for my
own and my familys use in return.
have to pay 40 bales Of cotton to the
United States for tariff. so that makes
me have to pay lao bales to get 100
bales worth of goods That is plain
but mind you, III this day the tariff is
much more than 10 per cent. On wool
en- blankets for instance, you would
have to pay nearly 900 per cent
Here, now, is the tariff we have
been paving Take blankets as an ex-
ample on a pair of wool blankets that
would cost 81 at retail. we would have
to pay 81 A for tariff. We might take
~, OF he things Cl1rroce Won want int ~