Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-12-09
HOW THE NEGRO CAN HELP.
Colored Leader Gives Advice How
Negro Can Curtail Cotton Crop.


order to help bring about more pros
perity in the South. | have been
surprised to note how well the sug-
gestion has been received and how
many are following it; one minister
in Uniontown, Ala, went SO far as to
organize a pig club in his church.
Now, | want to make one other
suggestion, that, in my opinion, is of
still greater and more practical i'm
portance. For months the great cry
has been all through the South to
stop growing cotton or reduce the
acreage.
Chambers of commerce, business
leagues, State Legislatures, and
other bodies have passed resolutions
without number urging that we in
the South stop growing so much cot
ton. To stop growing cotton is very
easy; in fact, it is always easy to
stop work, but merely to stop grow
ing cotton is mere negative propo-
sition and will not, fear, leave the
South much better off than it is at
present. If we destroy or cripple a
great industry, we should be very
sure to have one, or a number, equal
ly good to put in its place. In this
connection it should be- kept in
mind, as a matter of great import
ance, that if the labor once leaves
10 20 b,-r prr hn
it will be very difficult to get the la
Dor to return to the farm in after
years.
The great cry is to grow food
crops. That is we'll, but one must
keep in mind that the great masses
Of negroes who have actually grown
the most of the cotton in the South
for years, and who live upon the
most valuable land in the South, do
not hear Of the resolutions that are
passed by these various bodies.
These people have been trained to
grow nothing but cotton and do not
know how to grow anything else.
In fact, in many cases, they have not
been permitted and are not now per-
mitted to grow anything else.
We must also bear in mind that
the larger land owners seldom visit
their plantatiOns-SOme not more
than once or twice a year, and hence
can be of little service in teaching
these negro tenants how to change
all at once from 4 cOtton-producing
crop to a food-producing crop.
If permanent results are to be Sc
cured. the negro who actually culti-
Yates the land must be reached and
trained into growing a foOd-produc-
ing crop. How can this be done?
My answer would be, by putting a
negro farm demonstration agent into
every county Of the South where
there is any considerable number Of
negro farmers. This negro demon
stratlOn agent should be man Of
good common sense. He should be
man who knows the characteristics
of the colored people, who knows
how to reach them in and through
their societies, their churches and
their various organizations of one
kind and another. He should be a
man required to travel from one
farm to another throughout the
country training the negro farmer
how to produce food crop. Wher-
ever these demonstration agents
have already been at work in the
South, they have done work which
has been most helpful and COM
mendable.
If this important work is to be
done, no time should be lost in Sc
lecting these demonstration agents.
The cost should not be very large.
Either through county appropria-
tions or from some part Of the State
funds appropriated for agricultural
purposes, portion Of the money for
the salary perhaps could be pro-
Vided. Appropriations are also being
made by the United States govern
ment to encourage and promote vari-
GUS kinds Of agricultural work. Some
part of this money, feel sure, Nigh
be secured from the Smith-Lever
fund or from the United States dem
onstration. fund administered
through DR.. Bradford Knapp. While
! am not in position to suggest Just
where the money may be secured,
: 1t,