Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-11-20
FROM THE PEOPLE.
More Money; Lees Advice

There has been such a tlood o
gratuitous adv ice to southern
| farmers from so many sources late
| ly that the farmers are doubtleS
thoroughly disgusted. The great
number of letters, circulars. post
crs, lodges, interviews and publ,
speeches from and by men Wh(
know less about farming than any
thing else that have deluged the
columns of the press for the last
six weeks has been enough to dis
gust the farmers with what they
torn "armchair" city farmers foI
all times to come. Following hard
upon the recent cotton conference
held in Little Rock, Ark, there
has been a regular flood of advice
to the farmers to diversity theil
crops.
hope the real farmers who farm
with their hands instead of their
mouths, so to speak, will have
pity on the city fellows who have
been giving so much advice on div
ersifcation. Doubtless a good
many of them who knew nothing
about diversification thought the
farmers were more ignorant than
they were, which, to my own GER
tain knowledge, is by no means
the case. As q matter of fact, |
would like to see a lot of these
bankers and business men stood
up in row and taught a lot of
things by the farmers. The farm
ers of Arkansas are just about as
we'll up on farming as the bankers
and business men are on business,
and can come a little nearer TO
teaching them than being taught
by them. In addition to this, it
can be said to, the credit of the
farmers that they as a class are a
reading and thinking people.
All this campaigning to teach
the farmers how to feed themsel-
YES is gratuitous, unlimited and
uncalled for advice. The farmers
are not such simpletons as to not
know how to raise their own meat
and bread, and CORN oats and hay,
TO feed themselves and their stock.
They &Aoo'4oa and Icy ~ aa
the necessity. What they want
from.the bankers and business men
is help to hold or handle their
present cotton crop and keep it
out of the hands of the specula-
tors. After the cotton crop gets
out of the hands Of the farmers it
will do them no good for the price
to go up. What the farmers need
is substantial help now in time Of
need, and not a siuin2 of advice.
1t will be an everlasting disgrace
if the banks OF the South let the
cotton get out of the hands of the
farmers for want Of financial help,
and then furnish the money to The
Speculator with which to hold and
handle the crop and get the advan-
tagc Of the higher prices that may
come later. The high-sounding
letters Of advice to the farmers in
stead Of substantial help, while
well meant and cOnscientiously
given, are not going to meet the
full expectations Of the agricultu-
raj classes. They have asked for
bread aud been given d stone.
A campaign is being organized
to teach the farmers how to diver
sify and feed themselves. No CAM
paign has been organized to fur
nish the money or means to the
farmers to enable them to diver
sify. 1t is money and credit the
farmers need now much worse than
Editor of the Beacon
The above article, taken from
the Chicago Inter Ocean is about
the best thought, upon the pre-
sent situation, | have seen from
the press, All this stream of advice
given to the farmers by the politi
clan, and newspaper farmers to
quit raising cotton and diversity, |
is in a sense, mere boshA Sure,
the farmer needs to grow these
food crops; but under present con
ditions the farmer has to plant |
some money crop. If he cuts out
cotton he will nave to substitute
it with some other money crop. |
Now, gentlemen, when he, grows |
some other money crop what is to |
binder the speculator and the
money "kings," the men who ''fix
prices on the farmers CROP from |
saying he has made too much of
these crOnS too. HmOre than the |