The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-10-16
WATSON LOOKING
AFTER SMALL MAN
COMMISSIONER c TELLS OF HIS
WORK'IN THE EAST
Has Visited Financial Centres in Be-
half of South Carolina Far.
merS.
News and Courier.

| president of tie Southern Cotton con-
gress and commissioner of agriculture
OF oSuta Carolina, today made brief
but guarded announcement as to the
vigorous effort ne is making in the
East to care for the small farmer in
South Carolisa aginst the meeting of
his fall obligations and the passing of
his crop OF cotton into the hands Of
spectators.
Mr.. Watson let Columbia Saturday
evening, returning to the city this
morning spending every moment of his
time durisg hi saIbsence in the prose-
cution of the effort to accomplish
something speei -. During MS. brief
absence he spent portion of Sunday
in Washington consulting with Con-
gressmen Lever and others, and again
s. ent a portion of Monday at the Ma
t. onal capital.
Upon his return this morning Mr..
Waston said:
"For several weeks have most anx-
iously watched the situation and have
realized that the financial net is being
hourly drawn more closely with no
further aid in sight from the federal
gc. ernment or from tie banks or else
where. All of the effort sleretosore
have ben directed to aiding the banks
in the South but everyone of those e.
forts are along such lines that should
they be successful in the end they
would not come in time to save the
small farmer who is about to be forced
to sell his cotton. ! have no war to
make, nor have l made any, on my
make nor lave I made any, Oh any
CT these very laudable eqorts but
have elt deeply for tie man c2o would
not help himseIf-the man who after
November /, would not be able per-
haps7 even to buy the seed to put in a
grain crop. AS the time to save him
was passing so rapidly and had re-
duced itself to matter of days, l de-
termined to make a last desperate ef-
fort to prc;ide the help that We all
knew is so ,sorely needed at this NOM
ent. | went to Washington first and
talked with our leaders there, but
could not see where any material aid
was going to come in time. | then
went direct to man who is noted for
his altruistic inclinatiCns, and plain
ly Laid the real truth of the situation
before him. The idea appealed to him
Immediately, and he has taken his
coat off to develop that idea. Already
The has the wteels moving in New
York, and ae has already taken up the
motter with some of his strongest
friends in England. Whether We can
accomplish the desired end in time or
at all, do not know. l have reach
ed the point with the cotton fight tat
| am certain of nothing until it is an
accomplished fact. I have every rea-
son to hope for success. The man l
refer to declines at present to permit
me to make his name public, but he
is willing for me to give to the press
a CODY of a letter he has written to
me, which speaks for ITSELF. This let
ter, with it's signature l will rand to
the proper committees of the South
Carolina legislature, inasmuch as the
effort involves TIE passage Of SIM
pie warehouse measure which will be
essential.
81 do not wish to hold out any false
hope, and really hesitate in making
this matter public at all for that rea-
son. 1t is necessary, however, to call
the attention of the general assembly
to the specifications indicated in the
letter and the enactment quickly of
the measure suggested is essential to
anything that can be done.
"Since my arrival in Columbia this
morning I have had encouraging tele-
graphic information from the writer of
the letter III New York in regard to
the matter o. securing the necessary
cash. This morning l am advised that
fertilizer manufacturers and other
are beginning to make their demands
on obligations falling due on the 18th
of October, and if anything is to be
accomplished by this effort, Which is
directed to partially care for the
South Carolina situati I'm it - i'm