Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1914-10-28
market f>r the remaining five

WuOl0s Ii bHol ie euA PioS "
cotton, that is, more cotton pro
duced than the trade will TAX
at a reasonable price, the surplu
must first be disposed of befor
normal conditi ns can be res Ored
The size of the present crop is 10
| responsible fl the existing con.
d,tlcns of the South. If tn
worlds condition was normal th'
price of cotton would be normal
Ol account Of this war, the larges
consumers of raw cotton hav,
practically ceased 80 buy.
If this terrible struggle, mos,
destructive of llfo and property
hs world has ever known, con-
tlnues for six months, their cup
ply of food aud clothing will be
Exhausted, and Europe will be
en,igely bare of cotton and cotton
goods. If the South will only
hold back and not produce a big
crop of Gotten next year, there
ap J. ears to be reasonable hope for
coed price for all cotton that is
now being withheld from the
market. But f the South should
ia so fifteen million oales of cot.
Son in 1915, to which would bs
added the surplus of 1914, it
would result in such au overprc-
duct!on as t. wreck and fnanci
slly parsl,ze the South next year
How smslI and insignificant is
the economlc loss we sustain il
tire price of cur cotton ss com
pared to the lncalcuab!e loss that
would follow the fr!ghtful de-
s5.ucsion II this Nation were to
;ye plunged ln.o the vortex of war !!
Let Us exa nine the admlnis5ea-
t!oo of Woodrow Wilson wit
respect to the price of cotton
He was inaugrated President
Ma ch 4 1918. The South It
celved more money by many mil
lions of dollars for it's cotton crop
during the first year of Mr.. Will.
sons administration than it re-
celyed for any crop previously
mark eted III the entire history of
this ccuutty. Cotton sold last
year for an average of about 1871
cents per pound, and this price
prevailed ell winter, all spring,
and cotton VS. selling for ID ceuts
III the fa,e Of big crop July 29tb
when Europe became afiame with
war. Therefore, the man who
seeks to charge the Democratic
administration as being RESPONSE.
bic for the low price of cotton is
either ignorant or willfully at.
tempting TO mislead and lnsult
the intelligence of the Southern
farmers. The farmers of the
middle west are receiving unusu.
ally high and abnormal prices for
their grains, meats a nd live stock,
and any psrson in the west who
attempted to ccnstrus the favor.
able conditions of that section as
attributable to the Democratic
Party would be considered as
either fool or demagouge, more
likely both. The West knows
thas the high price it receives for
It's products are results of the ab
normal European demands. War.
ring nations must Eat, and they
must buy cur meat and wheat
from necessity. They do not eat
cotton, aud with the surplus cot.
ton goods already on hand, Eu.
rope could live comfortably fol
many mo nths. without operating
a single spindle or loom. If we
had enough cotton mills III
America to utilize our crop Ct
fifteen mi!lion bales, this country
while Europe is at war, would
seize the markets of ;the world
aud the price of raw cotton would
advance beyond doubt; ut with
our present capacity, the mills o1
America can consume, at most
running day and night, over two
tifths Of this years crop Ii ii
perfectly apparent that there il
bnt little hope for ali advance il
the price of cotton until Europe
withdraws tho twenty million
m@n now Oh the firing line ant
reiurps to the peaceful pursuits O
civilization. We know nothinf
of hard tlmes in this county, ape
instead OF criticising Presiden
Wilson, every loyal citizen II
this country ought to be thank.