Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1914-12-24
WAR SHAT.
TERS KING COT1ON'S
THRONE
FLEEcY STAPLE MUST PAY RAN
SOM INTO THE GOLFERS OF
WAR.
Nation Rings With Cries Of Stricken
Industry.
BY Peter Radtord
Yecturer Nationa, Farmers Union.

Lecturer National Farmers Union
King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any Other ag-
ricultural product on the American
continent. The shells of the belliger
ents have bursted over his throne,
frightening his subjects and shatter.
ing his markets, and, panic-stricken,
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 Mead
with the public to "buv BALE;
bankers have been formulating hold
ing plans; congress and legislative
bodies have deliherated over relief
measures: statesmen and writer's
have grown eloquent exnonnding the
inaIicnahle RIGHTS of "His Mainetv"
and presenting schemes for preserv-
ing the hnanCia integrity Of the
stricken staDle but the sword Of En-
rope has proved mightinr than the Ua0
of America in fixing value upon this
product Of tho sunny south Pricos
have heen havonptod. values riddled
and markets decimatnd bv the battling
hosts Of tho e2etern her'enhpre until
tire American former has suffered
war lo"s Of 800 coo o00. and a bale
nj cotton brave enough to enter
Flror"9n oor' must ray ransom IF
half Us value or go to prison until the
war is over
Hore OF The Future Lies in Co-opera-
ton
Tho Farmers Union through the
tho American people for the friend
ship, sympathy and assistance given
the cotton farmers in the hour of dis
tross and to direct attention 10 CO.
onerative methods rpcerearv IN po--
mpnoptlv aseist the marketing of all
farm products.
The present emergency prnen-+s ss
grave a situation as ever con frontnd
tho American Farmer and from the
viewneint Of the produror would seem
tn Justify extraordinary relief meas
urns, even to the point NJ bending the
constitution and strairirg business
rules In order to lift norton of the
burden off the backs of the farmer,
for unless something is done to check
the invasion Of the war forces upon
the cotton fields, the pathway of the
FUropean pestilence on this continent
will be strewn with morteaeed homes
and famine and poverty will stalk over
the southland filing the highways of
industry with refugees ard the bank.
ruptcy court with prisoners.
All calamities teach us lessons and
the present crisis serves to illuminate
the frailties OF our marketing meth
ods and the weakness of our credit
system, and out of the financial an.
guish and travail of the cotton farmer
will come a volume Of discussion and
a mass of suggestions and finally a
solution of this, the biggest problem
in the economic life of America, if,
indeed, we have not already laid the
foundation for at least temporary re-
lief.
More Pharaohs Needed In Agriculture.
Farm products have no credit and
perhaps can never have on a perma-
nent 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 .croD on the market
at harvest time The Farmers Unions
in the cotton producing states hnve
for the past ten wears persistentlv ad-
vocated the construction of storage
facilities. We have built during this
period 1000 warehouses with a ca
pacity of approximately 4,0O0,00N bales
and looking backward the results
"ouId seem encouraging but looking
forward we are able to house less
than one third Of the crop and ware
houses without credit system lose
80 per cent Of thoir usefulness The
problem is a gigantic one~-too great
for the farmer to solve unaidad He
must have the aesistance Of the bank
er, the merchant and the government.
In Production We hava roached the
high water mark of perfection in the
worlds history but our marketing
methods are most 5Dr1mltive. In the
dawn Of history we find agricL lture
blowing with 4 torked stick hut with
system OF warehouses; under govern.
mental supervision that MADE the
Egyptians the marvel Of civilization.
for who has not admired the vision of
Joseph and app'auded the wisdom Of
Pharaoh for storing the surOlus until
demanded by the consumer, but in
this age we have too many JoseDhs
who dream and not enough PharsOhs
ul-ka