Las Vegas optic., 1914-12-04
WAR SHAT.
TIERS KING COTTON'S
THRONE
FLEEcY STAPLE MUST PAY RAN.
som INTO THE GOLFERS OF
WAR.
Nation Rings With Cries Of Stricken
Industry.
Rv Peter Radford
" E~N0T '1e1N'~I
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

Lecturer National Farmers Union.
King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any other ag-
ricultural product on the American
continent. The shells of the belliger-
ents have bursted over his throne,
frightening his subjects and shatter-
ing his markets, and, panic-stricken,
the nation cries out "GOd save the
king!"
People from every walk of life have
contributed their mite toward rescue
work. Society has danced before the
king; miIady has decreed that the
family wardrobe shall contain only
cotton goods; the press has plead
with the public to ''buy bale'';
bankers have been formulating hold
ing plans; congress and legislative
bodies have dsliberated over relief
measures; statesmen and writer's
have grown eloquent expounding the
inalienable rights of ''His Majesty"
and presenting schemes. for preserv-
ing the financial integrity of the
stricken staple, but the sword Of Eu-
rope has proved mightier than the pen
Of America in fixing value upon this
product of the sunny south. Prices
have been bayoneted, values riddled
and markets decimated by the battling
hosts of the eastern hemisphere until
the American farmer has suffered a
war loss of 100000, 900, and bale
of cotton brave enough to enter a
European port must pay ransom OF
half its value or go to prison until the
war is over.
Hope Of the Future Lies in Co-opera-
tlon.
The Farmers Union, through the
columns Of the press, wants to thank
the American people for the friend
ship, sympathy and assistance given
the cotton farmers in the hour Of dis
tress and to direct attention to co
operative methods necessary to per
manently assist the marketing of all
farm products.
| The present emergency presents as
grave a situation as ever confronted
the American farmer and from the
viewpoint of the producer, would seem
to justify extraordinary relief meas
ures, even to the point Of bending the
constitution and straining business
rules In order to lift a portion of the
burden off the backs of the farmer
for unless something is done to check
the invasion of the war forces upon
the cotton fields, the pathway of the
European pestilence on this continent
will be strewn with mortgaged homes
and famine and poverty viii stalk ovel
the southland, filing the highways o.
industry with refugees and the bank
ruptcy court with prisoners.
All calamities teach us lessons ant
the present crisis serves to illuminate
the frailties Of our marketing meth
DDS and the weakness Of our credit
system, and out Of the financial an
guish and travail Of the cotton farmer
will come a volume of discussion ant
mass Of suggestions and finally :
solution Of this, the biggest problem
in the economic life Of America, If
indeed, we have not already laid tht
foundation for at least temporary re
lief.
More Pharaohs Needed In Agriculture
Farm products have no credit ant
perhaps can never have on a perma
nent and satisfactory basis unless W.
build warehouses, cold storage plants
elevators, etc, for without storage anC
credit facilities, the south is com
PEELED to dump its crop on the marke
at harvest time. The Farmers Union
in the cotton producing states hav,
for the past ten years persistently ad
vocated the construction of storag,
facilities. We have built during thi
period 1000 warehouses with ca
pacity Of approximately 100000 bale
and looking backward the results
would seem encouraging, but looking
forward, we are able to house les
than one-third Of the crop and ware
houses without a credit system los,
80 per cent Of their usefulness. Th,
problem is gigantic one-too grea
for the farmer to solve unaided H,
must have the assistance of the bank
er, the merchant and the government
In production we have reached tn,
high water mark Of perfection in tn