Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20
SALE BARGAIN DAY
FOR COTTON GOODS
Miss Genevieve Clark, Daugh-
ter Of Speaker, Starts Pa
triotic Movement,
FOR AMERICAN FASHIONS
OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS

Plan to Set Mills Spinning and t.
Bring Out Hoarded Gold.
Women Support Scheme.
Headed by Miss Genevieve Clark,
daughter OF the Speaker, the young
women of the congressional set have
started a nationwide movement to
popularize the use of cotton in dress
goods and for household purposes, thus
aiding in home consumption Of the big
cotton crop now held from the world
markets by the European war.
With Miss Callie Hoke Smith, daugh-
ter of the senator from Georgia, and
Miss Lucy Burleson. daughter of the
Postmaster General, as her first aids in
the movement, Miss Clark proposes a
great cotton bargain week, to be OBJ
served in every city, town and village
in the entire United States. They hope
to achieve the unprecedented spectacle
of ten millions of women crowdine to
the dry goods counters with deluging
demand for cotton goods.
It is distiDctively young woman's
movement, but the elders are backing
1t in every way possible. The young
women took care, before making the
matter public, to get the consent and
hearty approval of their respective
parents.
1t is such a sane subject Of social en-
deavor that all the women of Wash
irgton are now keenly interested.
Word comes from New York. Chicago,
the society women of those places will
assist in every way to make it a sue
cess.
"Buy Bale" Movement.
This nationwide bargain sale of cot
ton goods Is really a part of the "buy
a bale of cotton" movement, so heartily
approved by President Wilson, mem
bers of his cabinet and business men
in general.
In spite of the abnorma1ly low price
OF raw cotton the mills are working
on part time only. They cannot sell
are loaded up owing to the demand
being curtailed by the war. The mills
therefore will not spin because there
is no market for the output. By In
ducing the women to take the goods
now on the shelves of the stores the
deadlock will be broken and the
spinners encouraged to increase their
output, thus consuming more OF the
raw material.
The great basic trouble caused by the
European war will, of course. remain.
The trouble is now aggravated by the
stagnation in the cotton goods trade,
which Miss Clarke's suggestion Is
hoped to remove to large extent
Propaganda of Miss Clark.
Miss Clark said today:
"The war in Europe has brought
about a crisis of horrible proportions
there, and, in a minor sense, here IN
this country. Among the worst suffer-
ers among our fellow countrymen as
the result of this war are the cotton
growers and manufacturers.
Europe ordinarily buys from five
hundred to six hundred million dollars
worth of cotton annually from the
United States This amount, as the re-
suit of the war. Is thrown back on the
hands of the growers. This Is particu-
larly deplorable inasmuch as the cot
ton crop Is unusually good tins year.
The result of this cotton deadlock is
not only obvious, but has been dis
cussed at such length in business CIR
cles and in the press OF the coun-
try that it is unnecessary to go INTO
it here.
Everybody knows of the buy bale
movement, by which 1t is hoped that
the crisis can be averted. In connec-
ton with this, 1t occurs to me that the
American public, and particularly the
American woman. couio help trsmen-
dously to avert such a deadlock, II on
a certain day there would be held in
every store in every town in America
q cotton bargain sale.
Fine for American Patriotism.
"In this European crisis women Of all
cost to themselves whatever they were
doing. and have gone into the Red
Cross, hospital and charitable move
ments Of their various countries, to say
nothing of carrying on whatever Is done
commercially in these warning coun-
tries while their husbands and the other
masculine members of their households
are at war.
TT seems to me that If Pawlova, the
Russian dancer. Adelfne Patti. the
singer. and various other women Of
international repute can return to their
homes and take up these dangerous
and arduous tasks in the cause of their
country. it is as little as American
women can do to wear for one season
cotton clothes made in America in Or
der to avert a great financial dead
lock on which depends mainly the
prosperity of our great south.
at has been said that no person can
live so that his life only affects him
self. So, while this problem is essen
TALLY tile problem Of the south, 1t at
fects the northern section of our coun-
try by eliminating four hundred million
dollars spent annually by southern cot
ton growers in the north
'It has been said by the business men
of the country who understand the finan-
cial situation that there Is no real lack
OF IT on " in IT, Ct'-'
trouble lies in the fact that people. an
ticipatng a stringency, are holding on to
what they have get. Thus. Shou tits
idea of a great nationwide bargain sale
in cotton appeal 70 t-r '>'+t: - ~
each buying q dollars worth of cotton
materials on certain day. 1t wou!'
put into circulation 81" H"' m" -" ~
boarded geld as most boarded money is
in gold and to that extent alleviate the
stringency.
! THE cotton factories of the country
are at this time putting out only about
one-half OF ths Tlatar'ai tH:t' ''r
ecuipped to turn out. The reason for
this is that the merchants will not buy
any more cotton materials unit! they
have sold what they have on hand al
ready. --.
"All the women of Furope. to meet the
or sis which they have had to face have
gone in training for hoSnital and COM
mercial service. If the women of Ameri-
ca by using more cotton: can avert tn
crisis, 1t is certainly their patriotic
duty to do So
Miss Burleson's Views.