The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1914-11-28
european WAR SHAT.
TE2S KING COTTON'S
THRONE
FLEECY STAPLE MUST PAY FAN.
SOM INTO The GOLFERS OF
WAR.
Nation Rings With Cries of Stricken
Industry.
BY Peter Radford


King Cotton has suffered more from
The European war than any other ag
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-stricken
F the nation cries out God save the
/ hingl"
People from every walk Of life have
contributed their mite toward rescue
work Society has danced before the
king milady has decreed that the
family wardrobe shall contain only
cotton goods; the press has plead
with the public to buy a bale;
bankers have been formulating hold
\ ing plans; congress and legislative
1 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-
rome has proved mightier 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 100000 900, and a bale
Of cotton brave enough to enter a
European port must pay a ransom Of
half its value or go to prison until the
war is over y
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 in 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 as
grave a situation as ever confronted
tie American farmer and from the
Of the producer, would seem
to Justify extraordinary relief meas
ures, even to the point of bending the
and straining 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 cotton fields, the pathway of the
European pestilence on this continent
win 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
tbs frailties of our marketing meth
DDS and the weakness of our credit
system and out of the financial an.
.Cish and travail OF the cotton farmer
win come a volume of discussion and
a mass Of suggestions and finally a
solution Of this, the biggest problem
.n the economic life of America. if,
indeed, we have not already laid the
foundation for at least temporary re-
ief
More Pharaohs Needed In Agriculture.
Farm products have no credit and
perhaps can never have on a perma-
lent and satisfactory basis unless W.
7uild warehouses, cold storage plants.
elevators, ETC. for without storage and |
'redit facilities, the south is com
1c'led 20 dump its crop on the market |
1t harvest time The Farmers Unions |
p the cotton producing states have |
or the past ten years persistently ad- /
-ocated the construction Of storage
acittics. We have built durinc this
'oriod 1000 warehouses with a ca
7city Of approximately 100000 bales
.od looking backward the results
would seem encouraging, but looking
onward We are able to house less
hen one-third of the crop and ware
loHses without a credit system lose
d per cent of their usefulness. The
or the farmer TO solve unaided He
1us, have the assistance of the bank.
r the merchant and the government.
In production we have reached the
Iirl water mark Of perfection in the
worlds history, but our marketing
Methods are most primitive. In the
lawn of history we find agriculture
lowing with a forked stick but with
system Of warehouses under govern
Mental supervision that made the
.rFGtans the marvel of civilization.
1r who has not admired the vision OF
oseph and applauded the wisdom of
'haraoh for storing the surplus until
cuanded by the consumer. but in
l's aeo we have too many Josephs
.ao dream and not enough Pharaohs
to build
1a7H 49,