Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1914-12-18
EuR0pA lsIR SHIT
1ERsb GIIa
THIE
FLEEcY STAPLE MUST PAY RAN
SOM INTO THE GOLFERS OF
WAR.
Nation Rings Win Cries Of Stricken
Industry.
BY Peter Radford.
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any other az
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-stricAen.
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; nilady has deereed 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 deliberated 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 rnightier 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
war loss Of s409,0oO.0o0, and bale
of cotton brave enough to enter an
European port must pay ransom Of
hall its value or so to prison Hntil the
war is over.
Hope of the Future Lies in co-opera-
ton.
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 81 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 IS
grave a situation us ever confronted
the American farmer and from TIE
viewpoint Of the producer, would seem
TO justify extraordinary relief mea-
sures, even to the point Of bending the
constitution and staining 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 Gotten fields, the pathway of tbs
European pestnence- on this continent
will be strewn with mortgaged homes
and famine and poverty will stalk over
the southland. filing the highways OF
industry with refugees and the bank
ruptcy court with prisoners.
All calamities teach US lessons and
the present crisis serves to illuminate
the fraiIues Of Cur 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 and
a mass of suggestions and finally
solution Of this, the biggest problem
in the econonie life Of America, il,
indeed, We have not already laid the
foundation for at least temporary re-
lief.
More Pharoahs Needed in Agriculture
Farm products have no credit and
perhapr never have on a perman-
ent anu sAtisfactory basis unless we
build warehouses. cold storage plants,
elevators. etc, for without storage and
credit facilities. the south is COM
PEELED to dump its crop on the market
at harvest time. The Farmers Uniens
in the cotton producing states have
for ths past ten years persistently ad-
vocated the construction of storage
facilities. We have built during this
period 1900 warehouses with a c.
pacity Of approximately 100000 bales
and looking backward the results
would seem eneoura ging. but looking
forward, we are able to house less
than one-third Of the crop and ware
houses without a credit system loss
80 per cent Of their usefulness. The
problem is q gigan lie one-too great
for the farmer TO solve unaiaed. lie
must have the assistance Of the bank
ca t4Ac+@At esAaN tA45 sS-R - IllA5-ll-
In production we have reached the
high water mark Of perfection IN the
worlds history, bat our marketing
methods are most primitive. N The
dawn OF history We find agriculture
blowing with 70 ked stick but with
a system Of warehouses under govern
mental supervision that made the
the marvel Of civilization.
for who has moi admired the vision Of
joseph and apvlaaded the wisdom Of
for storing the surplus until
demanded by the consumer, but in
this age We have too many Jesephs
who dream and not enough Pharoahs
who build
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Sublime Effrcntery.