The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-09-15

low 70 REDUCE THE CROP


. EDITOR ARDMOREITE:
/ From present outlook, it seems that
it is about as important 10 cut down
the cotton crop for 1915 a. it is TO
ind a market for next year, thate
find a market for tie present crop.
Unless this is done, We will face the
same difficulty next year that con
fronts us now Now the question is,
how shall We cut down the acreage
30 use in discussing this or that
method, for all recognize that it can
only be done by legislation, and those
who expect 10 aid in the solution had
as well cOnfne their suggestions as
| 10 what form OF legislative remedy
We shall attempt. No one seriously
thinks it can be done by agreement.
That has been tried and It works the
wrong way. The story Of the fat
French woman who was seeking some
means Of reducing her flesh fits the
case exactly. After trying many
remedies, some one suggested that
disappointment would be a sure
remedy, 50 she went TO work hunting
disappointments, but each time when
she found one the prospect Of grow
| ing lean, pleased her so much that
she grew fatter than ever. SO it is
with our cotton raisers, when they
agree to curtail production, the pros
pcct that this will put up prices,
J causes each one to plant more than
ever.
So we had as well abandon all
thought Of reducing by agreement
And it seems that the only way is to
reduce by legislation that can be en-
forced by adequate penalties, About
| the best plan that suggests itself
Is to lay a prohibitive tax on all the
acreage, planted over 80 per cent of
what the farmer planted in 1914, and
make it an offense punishable by fine
and imprisonment not to pay this
tax.
But of course, the old Bourbons of
all parties will at once raise the howl,
! that the state has no right to say
what or how much any citizen shall
plant of anything The only answer to
that is, let him attempt to plant John
son grass, and see If the states does
not have a say-so about it, But, says
the sticker for old forms, you can
not say | can not plant all the cotton
/ want, and you can not do indirect |
ly by law what can not be done direct |
ly. The tax is only a ruse to accom- !
plish something indirectly that can .
not be done directly. Again, this OBJ /
lection can be met by citing an ac-
Complished fact. During the civil war |
when the wise men in congress were
deyising a plan to put the issuance of
all the currency under the control of
the government, it was found neces-
sary to prohibit state banks from is
suing bills But, said the lawyers, con
gress has no right to do this. Then
they got around the difficulty by levy
ing tax on all currency issued by
state banks and they made the tax
so high that not dollar has ever
been issued since then by state
bank. So We see, there are ways
OF doing almost everything that is a
public necessity when we go at it in
earnest \ law that would limit the
acreage for 1915 to one-half what it
is this year would perhaps be rath.
er drastic measure, but it would GER
tainly help us out of the hole now.
Let such laws he passed by the leg
islatures of the cotton states now,
and the price OF this years crop
would at once 90 up, and the whole
situation would clear. We are out
growing this idea that We are ham
pered by precedents and constitution
al limitations from doing whatever
would be a public blessing. We are
not bound to endure conditions ruin
Gus in themselves, because our grand
fathers did not provide a remedy. Our
supreme court said We would not tax
the great incomes of the country, be-
cause our constitution did not provide
for that We said, We will make the
constitution provide for this, and we
did. We endured for years, the dis
grace and corruption of rich men buy
ing seats in the senate from venal
legislatures. because that was the way
fixed by the constitution. But now,