Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-04-02
Tenant FARMERS
and LANDLORDS
Both Glasses Face Awkward.
Situation In South
PERILoUS TIMES PREDICTED


at the Expense Of Other Products
Creates Monopoly For Money Lend !
srs-W. J. Cummings Relates ster1
Of His Trip Through Texas.
Before the end Of 1915 we will see
might riding" in the south that win
make the Kentucky tobacco war look
like church social, is the prediction
Of w. ]. Cummings Of Detroit, Mich.
While on business trip to Texas and
Mexico Mr.. Cummings wrote a letter
to his business partner, +. G. Norris.
which appeared In recent issue OF
the Cleveland CO., Gazette. He thinks
that the south will experience gravel
troubles before the clearing of the
acute situation forced upon the cottol
planters by the war which is nor
going on In Europe. 4
According to Mr.. Cummings, the
sponsibility for the trouble rests
tween the tenant farmer. who does q
know how to grow anything but cd
ton, and the Texas banker, who, It 81
alleged, has built up system of usuryI
to bleed the cotton grower through
loans Of IL to 20 per cent Mr.. Cum
mings makes the following statement
in his letter to Mr.. Norris:
Among the farmers in Texas 81 per
cent are tenant farmers. very largely
OF the nomadic, wandering type. This
forces the landlord to play safe, and
as 1t is hard to steal the cotton crop
he will insist upon cotton being grown:
On 100 acre lease they will have nine
ty acres of cottbn and ten acres OF
'corn-no space for pasture. no garden
patch, NO pigs The renter has no
money, and, not growing any food. ~
buys everything on credit. Money
loans at II to- 20 per cent ana credit
zscpplies 4at 400 per cent very Largo
percentage OF the tenants Efforts ~
to. pay usury. Both landlord and ten.
ant suffer by the system. &sE as
1.-The farmers absolutely refuse to
listen to advice. but blindly continue
to grow cotton. The agricultural de-
partment has been telling farmers for
the last fifteen years to grow other
crops Their talk went unheeded. You
will understand how grave the situa-
ton is when tell you that there are
more dogs than hogs In Texas; that
out Of a butter consumption Of $12.-
100000 in Texas she produces only
about $3.OOO,OOO herself. #5
II was in Athens, Tex, few weeks
ago. This would make an ideal dairy
ing country. This town Is about 1900.
Yet the restaurant keeper could buy
only two pounds Of butter In whole
week. This black belt valley land is
absolutely the most fertile land In the
world, and yet If hog tight fence
were built around this Brazos valley
every person in here would starve TO-
death in sixty days. The Texas legis-
lature has refused to pass any law
forcing the reduction Of cotton acre
age. Other states will follow Texas
lead because this state produces - per
cent Of the United States crop.
Cotton reduction will now become 2
private enterprise and before the end
Of 1915 we will see night riding in the
south that will make the Kentucky TO-
bacco war look like church social
We have many fancy plans proposed.
Some of them are pure fancy. Take
the plan Of Mr.. Henry that the United
States issue $3.50. 100000 Of money OF
something that looks like money to
valorize cotton at 10 cents pound.
Did you ever hear such tommyrot?
1.-THE next agency is the bank. That
term in Texas Is misnomer. The
bulk Of the fraternity are not bankers;
they are pawnbrokers in disguise For
twenty-6v years they have been edli-
eating the Texan to pay 10, Il. 10 and
even 20 per cent for money. Having
built up such a system. do you think
for a moment that they are going to let
| the people down here know that there
is such thing as 5 or 6 per cent mon
ey in the whole world? p, Il
"Of course the bankers down there
are loaning money on cotton. ines
have to do so. They will make loan
Of $40 on a 500 pound bale. charging y
to Is per cent and taking 1t of IN ad.
vance. We are safe In assuming that
no real help will come from the south
ern banker. The war forced the clos
ing of 9O,OOO,OOO cotton spindies, OF
practically two-thirds of the worldss :
entire cotton capacity. Ii 30 per cen'
of the English mills should be able Z
operate that would still leave about
one half Of the worlds spinning capac
ity idle. The present lighting Is IN TN
b very heart OF the French and BelgiaI
spinning districts N II, :-,22@2s @ 5s5 81.
IF we assume that the United States
and Canada will consume during TN
next twelve months 7,0OO,OOO bales
Great Britain 2,OOO. 900 bales and ALLOW
/, l9OO, 900 bales for the balance of n
countries using American cotton -
get an estimated total consumpti0n Q
" O.SOO 600 bales for the season q
y 1314-l5 To this add an estimated d
4 mand for 100000 bales produced \
4 foreign countries. and We have m 80
| mated consumpt Ion OF, n. .S0O,OOO bale
~ axa1nSt IN average normal word
" cSs~~fs kfnn - III .fl0() halea y