The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1914-12-24
EUROPEAN WAR SHAT.
TIERS KING COTT0N'S
THRONE
FLEECY STAPLE MUST PAY RAN.
SOM INTO THE GOLFERS OF
WAR.
Nation Rings With Cries of Stricken
Industry.
BY Peter Radford

BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union
King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any other ag-
riculturaI product on the American
continent The shells of the Delliger-
ents have bursted over his throne,
frightening his subjects and shatter
ing his markets. and panic-stricken,
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; 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 Deen 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 Gu
rope has proved mightier than the pen
of America in fixing value upon this
product of the sunny south. Prices
have been bayoneted, values ridd1ed
and markets dec1mated by the battling
hosts of the eastern hemisphere until
the American farmer has suffered
war loss of s4O0,OO0OOO and a bale
of cotton brave enough to enter
European port must pay ransom of
half it's value or go to prison until 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 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.
TIE present emergency presents as
grave situation as ever confronted
the American farmer and from the
viewpoint of the producer, would seem
to Justify extraordinary relief meas
uTes, even to the point OF bending the
constitution and straining business
Jules 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 DeStilence on this continent
will be strewn with mortgaged homes
and famine and poverty will stalk over
me southland, filling the highways of
industry with refugees and the bank
ruptcy court with prisoners.
Ali calamlties teach us lessons and
me present crisis serves to illuminate
me rrallt1es of our marketing meth
ocs and the weakness of our credit
system. and out of the financial an.
Salsh and travail of the cotton farmer
VIII come volnme of discussion and
mass OF suggestions and finally a
"'ufloD OF this he biggest problem
III ne economic ife Of America, if,
noeed. we nave rot already laid the
foundation for at east TEMPORARY re.
'iet
wore 9haraehs Needed i'm Agriculture.
farm products have no credit and
pefnaps can never have on a perma-
uent and satisfactory oasis unless we
'uliu warehouses, cold storage plants,
"e'ators, etc., for without storage and
Nealt facilities, the south is com
Yelled to dump it's crop on the market
~ harvest time. The Farmers Unions
the cotton producing states have
vi the past ten years persistently ad~
'ocated the construction OF storage
aclntles. We have built during this
'''iod 1000 warehouses with a ca
''clty of approximately 100000 bales
Do looking backward the results |
sUuld seem encouraging, but looking !
~ '"ard, we are able to house Tess
D'n one-third of the crop and ware
~ muses. without credit system lose
yer cent of their usefulness The
fOolem is gigantic one-too great i
w. me farmer to solve unaided He |
,'Ust have the assistance of the bank
'ne merchant and the government.
Da u production we have reached the |
eu water mark of perfection in the
mo., ,u history, but our marketing
~ s'nous are most primitive. In the
rn OF history we find agriculture !
wing with forked stick but with i
na %S'em OF warehouses under govern
su'al supervision that made the
ns Spuans the marvel of civilization,
"ho has not admired the vision OF
ph and applauded the wisdom of
hn oon Tor storing the surplus until !,
5a ""oeu hy The consumer but i'll
~ age we nave too many Josephs
urea NJ