The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-11-27
Weekly Letter of John II. Page.
(The Mississippi Advancc.D

ne MISSISSIPPI AdVancc.)
There has been such a flood of graf
ituitous advice to the farmers from so
many sources lately that the farmers
are doubtless thoroughly disguSted
The great numbers of letters, circu-
lars, posters, dodgers, interviews and
public speech from and by men who
knows less about farming than any
thing else that have deluged the col
umns of the press for the past six
weeks, has been enough to disgust the
farmers with what they term "arm
chair city farmers for all time to
come. Following hard upon the re-
cent Cotton Conference called by the
governor and held in Little Rock
there has been a regular flood of ad-
vice to the farmers to diversity their
crops
| hope the real farmers who farm
with their hands instead of their
mouths, so to speak, vii, have pity on
the city fellows who have been giving
so much advice on diverSiiication.
Doubtless a good many of them who
know nothing about diversification
thought the farmers We're more ig-
norant than they were which to my
own certain knowledge is by no means
the case. AS a matter of fact, | would
like to see a lot of these bankers and
business men stood up in a row and
taught a lot of things by the farmers.
The farmers of Arkansas are just
about as well up on farming as the
bankers and business men are on bus
mess, and can come nearer to teach
ing them, than being taught by them.
In addition to this, it can be said to
the credit of the farmers that they, as
n Ii, 40
people, and better informed about
the functions of government, federal
and state, than the bankers and bust
ness men and this is said with no dis
respect to the latter.
All this campaigning to teach the
farmers how to feed themselves is
GratutiouS, unlimited and uncalled for
advice. The farmers are not such
SimpletonS as not to know how to
raise their own meat, the bread and
corn, oats and hay, to feed themselves
and their stock. They know how and
they know 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 spectators. After
the cotton crop gets out of the hands
of the farmers il will do them no good
Tor the price 10 go up. What the far
mers need is substantial help now in
time of need, and not sluicc of ad-
vice. 1t will be an everlasting dis
grace if the banks of the South let the
cotton get out of the hands of the far
merS for want of financial help. and
then furnish the money to the spepcu-
la tor with which to hold and handle
the crop and get the advantage of the
higher prices that come later. The
high sounding letters of advice to the
farmers instead of substantial help,
while well meant and conScientiously
given, Is not going to meet the full
expectations of the agricultural
classes. They have asked for bread
and been given a stone
a campaign is being organized to
teach the farmers how to diversity
and feed themselves. No campaign
has been organized to furnish tho
money or means to the farmers to
enable them to diversity. 1t is money
and credit the farmers necN now,
much worse than advice.
JOHN II. PAGE.