The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-29
WILLIAMS WOULD
 FORBID RAISING
 COTTON NEXT YEAR
Would Not Only Save Prices But Would Exterminate the Boil Weevil in
 the South

Washington, September S.-tSpecial) Radical curtailment of next years cotton crop, even to the point of absolute prohi- bition of any planting whatever-was ad- vocated today by Senator John Sharp Williams of Mississippi, who fears that the south may raise a normal crop or at least Il 100000 bales in 1915. Although this would be "a heroic piece of surgery" he believes It ultimately would result in the crop of 1916 repaying the planters for all they may lose this year. and would lose next.
 While the federal government may not lawfully prohibit the growing of cotton, says Senator Williams, the legislatures of individual states may do so. and adds that such legislation was enacted by sew eral cotton states during the civil war.
 'I would be willing said Senator Will Hams, Ito see every cotton state pass a law to prohibit the cultivation of a sin- gle acre of cotton for the year 1915. Not only would be willing, but I think that. while it would be a heroic piece of sur gery, it would result in incalcuable good by not only making the cotton we have worth something, but also in repaying us in the 1916 crop all we had lost by not having any cotton at all in 1915. Beyond this. 1t would result in the extirpation of the boil weevil
 The most practical plan for reducing acreage would be for the legislature of each state In which cotton is grown to pass a law forbidding the planting of over certain amount of cotton, or to re- strict the acreage to 50 per cent of the previous year or forbidding the planting of cotton altogether, if the legislature thinks we'll of that extreme action. The states have the power to do this although the federal government has not Such legislation was enacted by various cotton states during the war, the object at that time being ohave the land put into corn and other food crops for the Confederacy.
 There Is nothing in the world except the fact of reduction of acreage known beforehand, which will save the price of this years and next years crops, the carrying over of 100000 or 6000,000 bales will not do it. Of course, 1t will help some. but the cotton carried over will be part of the worlds visible supply and must have it's effect on the market. If the cotton carried over were to be dumped next year upon a normal crop, or even on crop of 100000 bales, cotton would not sell at over cents pound--it would be merely postponing a day of bad reclx- oning to a day of worse reckoning
 The planting of no crop next year would have another effect, the benefit of which would be incalculable-the extermi- nation of the boil weevil Scientists tell us that the boil weevil cannot exist F months without cotton to feed on.
 But we do not want cotton to get too high. We do not want to maintain per manent situation where the price is so high as to encourage all parts of the world to grow cotton. It is great mis- take to think that the area of land adapted to cotton Is very restricted In- dia. China and goodly part of the tenn perate zone elsewhere can raise cotton, and all the tropics can, in a way, raise duction would come.
 'If the world knew that cotton would sell at 20 cents pound say. or even at 16 cents. for 15 years to come, unless cot ton production outside the United States might wager that the increase in pro- duction would come.
 We must meet this emergency with desperate remedy, and after the emer- gency is over we want things to take their normal course. as they hitherto have been left to do."
 In these remarks. Senator Williams will be found obe looking much further ahead than most men do in discussing the situation.