The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-10-06
BELIEVES FARMER INTELLIGENT
ENOUGH NOT TO 0vERPRoDuCE
Federal Tax on 1915 Cotton Absurd
and Unconstitutional Too Much
Capitalization In Neutrality-suspicious.
erseney Currency for Crop Holding
and Moving Only.

washington, OcI. o-otronS OppoSl-
tion to compulsory restrictions of cot |
ton acreage for 1915, or even an at
tempt at such legislation, was express
sed by Representative Blackmon, who
believes that "the producers are suf
ficiently intelligent to realize that it
is unwise not to cut down materially
the acreage next year." Also, he AYERS
that tax on cotton would be uncon-
stitutional.
"To my mind it is perfectly absurd
even to consider the passage of a law
to force the planter to reduce his
acreage, and it is also equally absurd
to talk about federal law to levy
tax on cotton produced in either 1915,
1916, or, indeed, any other year.
'I have been endeavoring ever since
came to Congress to aid in getting
back money which the cotton pro-
ducer paid out under the cotton tax
levied and collected Immediately fol-
lowing the civil war. We have been
contending all along that this tax was
unconstitutional l believe that the
acts referred to, levying a tax on cot
ton, were unconstitutional, and l be-
lieve any law we might pass on this
subject would be unconstitutional; but
whether 1t is unconstitutional or not, l
would no more vote to levy tax on
cotton, or prescribe the number of
bales a planter should grow than I
would vote to limit the amount of
sales a merchant should make each
day, or the number of feet Of lumber q
sawmill should saw, or the number of
bushels Of potatoes farmer might
grow. t't as,
T believe our producers are suf-
ficiently intelligent to realize that it
is unwise, under present conditions,
not to cut down materially the acre
age in 1915. I believe our farmers are
fully aware of this fact, and they also
realize that If the war in Europe con-
tinues, the United States will be called
upon to contribute largely to the sup
ply of the feedstuffs of the world.
Realizing this, their intelligence will
dictate to them the wisdom of reduc-
ing their cotton acreage and increas-
ing their production of foodstuffs, so
that they may be able to have a sur
plus and share in the profits that will
come from the feeding of the balance
of the world.
81 know a great many sincere people
believe that Congress should pass a
law requiring the reduction of cotton
acreage and should pass law to place
tax on the cotton produced, but
have been in Congress long enough
to see that there is already toe
rapid Capitalization Of power at Wash
ington. and some of our ardent advo
Gates of the federal statute dealing
with the question would likely change
their mind when the government in
spectors, sent out from Washington
| would be going into the fields of ouI
| farmers to ascertain the amount ol
acreage they have in cotton, to ascer
tain the number Of bales farmer had
grown, and few trials in the fedora
court of some of our good citizens fol
exercising a constitutional and God
given right, would change their mint
on this subject.
"The cotton farmers have been re
ceiving a great deal of advice from
various sources, but what they neet
is money now to aid them in holdin'
their cotton. think every membe
from the cotton-growing states i
anxious to do whatever he can to All
in the present crisis. I cannot ge
my consent, however popular it ma
be- to advocate "a measure that
| krew "a fundamentally wrong and in