Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-12-10
WAR SHIT.
TIERS KING COT1OKS
THRONE
FLEEcY STAPLE MUST PAY RAN
SOM INTO THE GOLFERS or
WAR.
Nation Rings With Cries Of Stricken
Industry.
BY Peter Rsdford


King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any other az
ricuIturaI product on the American
continent. The shells of the beliiger
snts have bgrsted over his throne,
frightening his subjects and shatter
ing his markets. and. panIc-stricken.
the nation cries ont God save the
kingl"
People from every walk OF life have
contributed their mite toward rescue
york Society has danced before the
king: milady has decreed that the
family wardrobe shall contain only
cotton goods; the press has plead
18th the public to buy a 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
lnaIicnable RIGHTS If His Majesty"
and presenting schemes for preserv-
ing the financial integrity Of the
stricken staple. but the sword of Eu-
rope has proved mightier than the pen
NJ 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
'he American farmer has suffered a
war loss OF 100000. COO. and bale
Of cotton brave enough to enter
European port must pay a ransom OF
falf its value or go to prison until the
waT is over.
Hope Of the Future Lies In co-opera-
ton.
The Farmers Union, through the
Columns OF the press. wants 10 THANH
The American people for tho friend
shin. sympathy ard assistance given
'he cotton farmers In the hour Of dis
operative methods necessary to per
u'anently assist the marketing of al
farm products.
The present emergency presents as
rave a situation rs ever confronted
iha American farmer and from thI
aFN BNAEft VI the tFt'ttEftfs NDutu FP++fFA
70 Justify extraordinary relief meas
lrer. even To the point of bending the
constitution ard straining business
rnles in order to lift a portion of the
burden or the backs OF the farmer.
for unless something IS done to checf
the invasion of the war forces upon
the cotton fields. the pathway OF the
European pestilence on this continent
VIII be strewn with mortgaged homes
and famine and poverty viii stalk over
the southland, filing the highways of
Industry with refugees and the bank
ruptcy court with prisoners.
An calamities teach US lessons and
the present crisis serves to illuminate
the frailties OF our marketing meth
DDS and the weakness of our credit
system. and out of the financial an
guish and travail OF the cotton farmer
viii come a volume of discussion and
mass of suggestions and finally
solution OF this. the biggest problem,
IN the economic life of America, II
indeed. We have not already laid the
foundation for at least temporary re
lief.
More PharSohs Needed In Agriculture
Farm products have no credit ant
perhaps can never have on a perma
nent and satisfactory Dasis unless W,
build warehouses. cold storage plants
elevators, etc. for without storage anC
credit facilities, the south Is com
uaIiod n duYnu tee n~o,, -, A. -.
at harvest time. The Farmers Unions
IN the cotton producing states have
for the past ten years DersistentIy al
vocated the construction of storage
facilities. We have built during this
period 1000 warehouses with a ca
pacity OF approximately 1000. 900 bales
and looking backward the results
would seem encouraging. but looking
forward, we are able to house less
than onethird of the crop and ware
houses without a credit system lose
80 per cent of their usefulness. The
problem is a gigantic one-too great
for the farmer to solve unaided. He
must have the assistance of the bank
er, the merchant and the government.
In production we have reached the
nigh water mark OF perfection in the
worlds history. but our marketing
methods are most primitive. In the
dawn of history we find agriculture
blowing with a forked stick but with
a system of warehouses under govern
mental supervision that made the
Egyptians the marvel of civilization,
for who has not admired the vision of
Joseph and applauded the wisdom of
Pharaoh for storing the surplus until
demanded by the consumer. but In
this age we have too many Josephs
who dream and not enough Pharaohs
who build.