Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-09-16

the unforeseen combinations
brought about by the European war,
the farmer would have obtained his
usual fair price and the country
would have prospeTed.
The tobacco farmer is no better
condition than the cotton farmer.
Indeed, some say that his situation
is worse, If that be possible. This
brings us to the one practical rem
edy: The strength and credit of the
peoples government must be utilized
for the protection Of one-third Of
the c.ople who are facing the de-
struction of their material interests.
In such an emergency, if the Con-
gress of our country is not willing to
use the governmental power for the
salvation of the people, there is
something radically wrong with the
Congress.
Bear in mind that this cotton crop
is intrinsically worth at least 121s
cents per pound, which it has aver
aged for the last few years, for it
has no substitute on earth. All the
linen, all the wool, all the silk goods
on earth would not clothe one-half
OF the people. Cotton is the main
stay OF the world when it comes to
clothing. For all food products one
could find a substitute. For cotton
there is no substitute.
Government help, therefore, would
not mean that government was Civ
ing anything to anybody, but merely
that the government was tiding over
these people in an emergency and
would get it's money back with inter
est. The government has helped a
great many other interests without
getting its money back. 1t has
helped the manufacturers with pro-
tective tariff for many years. 1t has
helped the railroads by giving them
untold millions of acres of land.
When this war broke out, and there
were two or three hundred thousand
a .
mnats delay it found shlps and sod
to Sem 10 Fyrope and Drim. them
back. without any regard as 10 whr-
,AGI tAo money "uo paI4 y. mol. IL
has spent $400.0OO,OOO to build the
Panama Canal for the benefit of the
worlds commerce. 1t is about to
spend $35, 100000 to build a rail-
road in Alaska, which has a total
population of $4,000, for the devel-
opment OF Alaska. 1t spends yearly
$40, 100000 or $50,OOO,OO0 on a So
called river and harbOr bill, known
as the pork BARREL" which smells
to heaven with its rottcnness. When
good many thousand Mexican SOL
diers, with their women. refugeed
across the Rio Grande, the govern
ment interned them for many months
in this country and spent very
large sum OF money to keep them in
comfort, which money has not the
remoteSt prospect of ever returning.
1t has found money, apparently, for
everything and everybody except the
producers Of the country, and the
producers have heretofore asked
nothing. Now they ask that their
in every other direction, come to
their relief, WITHOUT RISK OF
LOSS, for the first bale Of cotton that
our government buys at a fair price
would fix the price of the whole crop
and insure our farmers safety.
In the present situation and
those who agree with me do not ap-
p:0aCh the government as mendi-
cants; but as men who have been Of
enormous value to all the people;
and feel that we are but asking ele-
mcntary justice when we ask the
government to stand by us in a crisis
which is not Of our making, and
when we know that the government
does not risk the loss of single
penny in so doing.
The demand is so urgent that we
feel entitled to as prompt action on
the part OF Congress as the Congress
gave when it was appropriating
money and ordering out ships to
bring American refugees from Eli
rope, and these refugees, who were
primarily pleasure-seekers, would
never have been able to take their
pleasures in Europe but FOR the labor
OF the men who are now confronted
with such tremendous loss.
Representative Bob Henry. Of