Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-07-18
Is GEORGIA STARVING TO DEATH
on THEORY!

| A resolution introduced in the house
of representatives by Hon. Ralph o.
Cochran, of Fulton county, will come
On for hearing before the approprli-
lions committee of the house this af-
ternoon. That resolution provides for
an investigation of the agricultural
conditions of the state of Georgia
With only so much of an explanatiol
of what the resolution seeks to do
one might, naturally, be expected to
wonder what in the world there is in
agricultural conditions to "investi-
gate" Scratch little deeper, though
and it will be found that there is quite
a great deal for investigation, as is
indicated in the following comment by
Mr. Joseph A. McCord, president of tn.
Third National bank, of Atlanta:
Mr.. Cochran's bill. | think, was a
step in the right direction" says M.
McCord THAT Georgia is not doing
by any means all that she could d.
with the agricultural facilities at hand
is an undisputed fact. 1t is of high
est importance not only to the farm
ers of Georgia, but because the farm
ers are the mainstay of the prosperity
of the state, to every man, woman and
child in the state, that the cause and
remedy of this condition should Re
ascertained.
1.-THE charge has been made that
last year Georgia purchased farm pro-
ducts $37,000,0O0 in excess of the ne
proceeds of her own farm products.
If this is a SANDER upon the state,
it should be run to ground; if it is a
deplorable fact, the sooner it is So
established and the remedy found, the
better it will be.
'The farmers are sticking too close
to cotton and depending upon the pro-
ceeds of that product to offset the ex-
pense of foodstuffs. l am firmly con
WINGED that they should diversity their
crops and make themselves self-sup-
porting
In the past half dozen years there
have been more public probes" than
in the run of generation heretofore.
During the same length of time Geor-
gia has been going on the theory that
it was a mighty rich state ,one of the
greatest in the South Maybe both
of these things were right, in Their
place, but here's "a probe" that has
something behind it; that means more
than uncovering lot of dirtiness AMI
furnishing the morbid mind with a
lot of yellow sensation.
An enormous amount of farm dem
onstration" and experiment" work
has been going on in Georgia in the
past ten or twelve years, and, we dare
say, has done quite enough good to
justify the effort and expenditure; but
here's a statement which indicates toe
forcefully to be passed up that il
either has not gone far enough, =,
that the people of the state have not
taken to themselves the benefit from
it they should have. If Georgia is
spending $37,000,OOO annually in e :
cess of her own agricultural income
for farm products raised in othei
states, then we have been sailing along
under a lot of theory and mighty lit
tie practical, common sense The prob
ability is, too, that the figures arf
correct. Anyway, there is an abund.
ance of argument to bear them o!.t
as argument goes, and the statisti -
as they are pretty nearly always cit
ed, show the food crops on the wrong
side of the ledger. That's where the
theory fails to hold good, too; fol-
there has been enough said about the
availability and productveness OF
Georgia lands for food crops to con
vince half the world that-theoretic
ally-here lies the garden spot of oul
country.
Just how it is proposed to conduct
this proposed investigation, and wha