The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-10-21
DABBS AGAINST ELIMINATION
Farmers Union President Onnoscs
NO Cotton In 1O15"-(iivcs His
RclSOns for Stand.
To the Editor of The State:

am reminded Of the letter DR.. Stack
house published three years ago in
which he charged that the Farmers
union 'underestimated and over
priced the cotton crop. He and his
associates by their scarehead tactics
to force total elimination are doing
more to break prices than any and
all the mistakes the Farmers union
ever made. Henry Grady said, Got
ton Is fool; it always does the oppo-
site Of which people expect" One
year the prophets and sons of
prophets" Of whom we have an un-
limited supply, say, I'VE will never
again see low priced cotton" The
next year these same sky-gazers get
in the dumps and say. I'VE will never
see cotton at 10 cents again." The
world goes merrily on and in less
than six months the prophets and
sons Of prophets are put to shame
by the market going just the opposite
The calamity howlers now forget
that part Of the 100000 bale crop
of 1911 sold Cor 13 cents by July of
the next year on top Of this came
the 100000 bale crop Of 1912 that
sold for about IL cents. On top of
this the 100000 bale crop of 1913
sold as high as IA cents year ago,
and with the prospects Of this crop
fairly good cotton was selling at 13 cts
when the war broke out in Europe. In
the three years Of 1911, 1912 and 1913
the South put on the market about
45,000,000 bales of cotton at an aver
age price Of IL cents per pound. Prac-
tically all the loss on marketing cot
ton in the past three years was due
to hysterical selling in the early part
of the season Of 1911, and to the low
grade of the cotton that remained in
the fields until March. 1912. With the
example SO fresh in our minds of
what was the outcome in 1911-12, and
losses on good cotton plainly the re-
suit Of too rapid marketing. we had
every assurance that we could come
out Of this emergency without great
loss by "a strong pull, long pull and
a pull all together" That there will
need to be curtailment of acreage we
all know. A great many Of us be-
lieve 1t will have to be done by legis-
lation, to bring about uniformity, and
a national system Of diversification.
But that any considerable number of
farmers accept total elimination as the
only and all sovereign remedy is a
myth. The legislators of the South
ern States will not be led to extreme
measures by these scarehead lObbies.
1t is fortunate that some Of the ad-
vocates Of elimination referred to the
leadership Of South Carolina in Seces-
sion. While l yield to none in my
firm belief that the States had the
right to secede from the Union in
1850, and honor the names of the men
who made glorious history for the
South in that great war, the cold, hard
fact is that they made q colossal mis-
take from which we have not yet re-
covered. Total elimination of cotton
will be blunder. The advocates OF
it are doing immense harm and the
sooner a quietus is put upon such wild
statements as they make to bolster up
their plan, the sooner will we get to
a working solution Of our difficulties.
Prof. Conradi. DR.. Long. Mr.. Belser.
Mr.. McMahan and others have indi-
Gated the remedial legislation we
need, and what we may expect from
u national course. l am sure total
elimination does not represent any
considerable number of the members
of the cotton congress. The only
Farmers union expressions that /
know Of are an overwhelming majority
against it in the National Farmers
union and the unanimous suggestion
from the Sumter county union for
cotton acreage to be limited to one
third Of the land actually under cul-
tivation.
The prediction was made in Wash
ington from more than one State that
the advocates of total elimination will
wish they had never suggested it two
years from now.
i wish my readers to understand
that my position on this question does
not bind the members Of the Farmers
union any more than DR.. Stackhousc':,
binds the members of the cotton con-
gress of which l am just as loyal a
member rs he is.
L. w. Dabbs.
President State Farmers Union.