The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1915-01-05
EUROPEAN WAR SHAT.
TIERS KING C0IT0N's
THRONE
FLEECY orAPLg MUST PAY RAN.
COM INTO THE coFFGRo OF
WAN.
Nation Rings With Crles Of Stricken
Industry.
BY Peter Aadford

BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers' Union.
King Cotton has suffered moro from
the European war than any other az
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 plead
with the public to buy a bale";s
bankers have been formulating hold
ing plans; congress and legislative
bodies have deliberated over relief
measures; statesmen and writer's
have grown eloquent expoundinS the
inalienable rights of Ellis Majesty"
and presenting schemes for preserv-
ing the financial integrity OF the
stricken staple. but the sword of Eu-
rope has proved mightier than the pen
of America in fixing value upon this
product of the sunny south. Prices
have been bayoneted, values riddled
and markets decimated by the battling
hosts of the eastern hemisphere until
the American farmer has suffered
war loss OF $500, 900 900. and a bale
of cotton brave enough to enter .
European port must pay ransom Of
half Its value or go to prison until the
war Is over
Hope Of the Future Lies In co-opera-
tIon.
The Farmers Union. through the
columns OF the press. wants to thank
the American people for the friend
ahip, sympathy and assistance given
the cotton farmers in the hour OF dis
| tress and to direct attention to CO.
operative methods necessary to per-
| manently assist the marketing OF all
farm products.
| The present emergency presents As
| grave a situation as ever confronted
the American farmer and from the
viewpoint of the producer. would seem
to justify extraordinary relief meas
ures, even to the point Of bending the
constitution and straining business
! rules in order to lift a portion OF the
! burden of 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
European pestilence on this continent
will be strewn with mortgaged homes
and famine and poverty will stalk over
the southland, filling the highways OF
industry with refugees and the bank
ruptcy court with prisoners.
All calamities teach us lessons and
the present crisis serves to illuminate
the frailties Of our marketing meth.
DDS and the weakness of our credit
system, and out OF the financial an,
guish and travail of the cotton farmer
will come volume OF discussion and
a mass OF suggestions and finally q
solution of this, the biggest problem
IN the economic life OF America, II
indeed, we have not already laid the
foundation for at least temporary 70
lief.
More Pharaohs Needed In Agriculture
Farm products have no credit ant
perhaps can never have on q perma
nent and satisfactory basis unless ",
build warehouses, cold storage plants
elevators. etc.. for without storage anG
credit facilities, the south lie com
PEELED to dump its crop on the marke
at harvest time. The Farmers Union,
in the cotton producing states hav,
for the past ten years persistent1y ad
vocated the construction of storage
facilities. We have built during THU
period 1000 warehouses with 4 ca
pacity of approximately 1900, 900 bale
and looking backward the result
would seem encouraging, but looking
forward, we are able to house les
than one-third Of the crop and ware
houses without a credit system los
80 per cent Of their usefulness. Tn
problem Is a gigantic one-too grea
for the farmer to solve unaided. H
must have the assistance of the banl
er. the merchant and the government
In production we have reached tn