Mountain advocate., 1914-12-04
EUROPEAN WAR SHAT.
TIERS KING COTTON'S
THRONE
FLEEcN STAPLE MUST PAY RAN.
som INTO THE GOLFERS OF
WAR,
Nation Rings With Cries Of Stricken
Industry.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any other az.
rlcultursl product on the American
continent The shells OF the belliger.
enis have bursted over his throne,
frightening his subjects and shatter.
ing his markets. and. panlc-strlcken,
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 been formulating hold.
ing plans; congress and legislative
bodies have deliberated over relief
measures; statesmen and writer's
have grown eloquent expounding the
inallensble rights of 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
~ America in fixing value upon this
product OF the sunny south. Prices
have been bayoneted, values rddled
and markets decimated by the battling
hosts of the eastern hemisphere until
the American farmer has suffered
war loss OF 100000 900. and bale
OF cotton brave enough to enter a
European port must pay ransom OF
half Its value or so to prison until the
war Is over
Hope OF the Future Lies In co.opers.
tlon.
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 aud TO direct attention to co
operative methods necessary to per.
manently assist the marketing Of all
farm products.
The 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. !
ures, even to the point of bending the |
constitution and strainlng business :
rules In order to lift a portion OF the
burden OF the backs OF the farmer,
for unless something is done to check
the invasion Of the var forces upon
the cotton fields. the pathway of the
European pestilence on this continent
viii be strewn with mortgaged homes
and famine and poverty will stalk over
the southland, filling 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
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 volume of discussion and
q mass OF suggestions ana finally a
solution or this. the biggest problem
In the economic life OF America. e.
indeed we have not already laid the
foundation for at least temporary re-
lief.
More Pharsohs Needed In Agriculture.
Farm products have no credit and
perhaps can never have Oh a perma.
'ent and satisfactory basis unless we
build warehouses. cold storage plants,
elevators, etc, for without storage and
credit facilities, the south Is com.
PEELED to dump its crop on the market
Il harvest time. The Farmers Unions
n the cotton producing states have
or the past ten years persistentiy ad.
'ocatec the construction OF storage
ABILITIES We have built during this
'eElod 1000 warehouses with a ca.
'aeity or approximately 1000, 900 bales
nd looking backward the results
you'd seem encouraging, but looking
onward we are able to house less
nan one-third OF the crop and ware
ouses without a credit system lose
v per cent Of their usefulness. The
roolem Is a gigantic one-too great
Dr. the farmer to solve unaided. He
'ust have the assistance of the bank. !
:. the merchant and the government. G
In production We have reached the {
Ign water mark OF perfection In the !
orids history. but our marketing
'ethods are most primitive. In the 9
avn OF history We find agriculture I.
owing with a forked stick but with
system OF warehouses under govern.
entail supervision that made the =
gyptians the marvel OF civilization, ~
r who has not admired the vision OF
'seph and Gpplauded the wisdom OF
aarsoh for storing the surplus until u
lmanded by the consumer. but In p
10 age we have too many Josephs II
no dream and not enough Pharaohs q