The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-09-23
The State Plan Will Aid the
Cotton Growers.


auc canvass of the school districts in
each county will bring the facts to the
individual farmer, merchant. bank
er and landowner with directness
which cannot be otherwise obtained.
the campaign can be put in opera :
tion In States where the governors re-
fuse to convene the legislatures. 1t
can be put into Operations in time for
the land taken out Of cotton to be
put in oats and other fall sown crops:
1t will bring a powerful pressure to
Dear for legislative action where leg
islatures are convsned; it can be put
into operation more quickly than any
other plan yet suggested. 1t will pro-
mote the success and extension of the
Buy Bale" movement by giving the
purchasers confidence that acreage
will be reduced in 1916 and that they
will not only get their money out of
cotton. but probably obtain a profit
thereon 1t will improve cotton as a
collateral, 1ncause the banks will
know that with fifty per cent acre
age reduction in 1915 that the cotton
pledged as security will certainly en-
hance In value: 1t can be put into ef-
A"ct in time to aid those who must
sell the greater part Of their cotton
this fall. by convincing the cotton
manufacturer that the cotton planter
Is planning Systematically to reduce
the acreage and hold the surplus cot
ton off the market.
The Proper Sphere of United States
Aid.
Various more or less visionary
schemes. such as the n tional govern
ment buying a portion OF the cotton,
valorization of cotton, preventing the
planting Of any cotton in 1915 by q
prohibitive tax. have been proposed,
but a little reasoning will convince
any conservative man that the nation
al government can he expected to
take no such action in this connec-
tion. 1t must be remembered that
only ten of the forty-eight States are
vitality interested in the cotton stu
alton and that the representatives of
the other thirty-eight States cannot
reasonably be expected to take on ac-
ton towards Southern crop which
q Southern representative would not
be willing to take towards a crop pro-
duced in New England or Western
States. Would our farmers, for in
stance. favor q prohibitive tax on
grain IL the western States were
adapted to the raising Of cotton, and
the effect of such tax would be to
put thirty-hve million acres Of wes-
tern lands into cotton which would
compete with the Southern cotton?
The national tax prohibiting cotton
planting would have the effect Of
putting about thirty-six million acres
in the South into corn, oats and 9TH
er grain crops in competition with the
grain of the west. Let us therefore
dismiss all such schemes and unite
our energies on something prac-
ticable.
The national government is doinS
all in its power to provide adequate
currency for our banks to handle the
cotton situation: 1t is doing all in it's
power to provide a merchant marine
for ocean transportation so that our
grain and cotton can be transported to
such European markets as are open
to us; 1T is doing all in it's power to
adjust the matter of international ex-
change, and to promote direct COM
merce between American exporters
and South American and Asiatic
countries. This Is the proper sphere
Of the national governments action,
and the national government is doing
all within its power to do it's part in
the work.
Encouraging Factors I'm the Situation.
There are increasing evidences
that the international exchange diff
flculty Is being overcome. Ocean
transportation is being re-established
and great many vessels are enter
ing American registry and will carry
the grain and cotton. for which there
Is demand to European ports. The
grain producers of our country have
made the biggest crop i'm years, end
grain is bringing a good price. We
can expect the grain producing sec
tions to he i'm good financial shape and
To afford good market for the cot
ton goods of our mills and to con-
tribute materially to the relief of
the stringent money conditions.