Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-02-26
EUROPEAN WAR SHAT.
TIERS KING COTTORS
THRONE
FLEEcY STAPLE MUST PAY RAN.
SOM INTO THE GOLFERS OF
WAR.
Nation Rings With Cries Of Stricken
Industry
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Unlor

King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any other ag.
ricultural product on tho 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 cut God save the.
king!"
People from every walk Of life have
contributed their lite 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;
bankers have been formulating hold.
ing plans; congress and legislative
bodies have deliberated over relief
measures; statesmen and writer's
have grown eloquent expounding the
inalienable rights of Ills Majesty"
and presenting schemes for preserv.
ing the financial integrity of the
stricken staple, but the sword Of IGu-
rope has proved mightier than the pen
of America In fixing value upon this
product Of the sunny south Prices
have been bayoneted, values riddlpd
and markets declmated by the battling
hosts of the eastern hemisphere until
the American farmer has suffered
war loss of 100000 900, and a bale
OF cotton brave enough to enter
European port must pay a ransom OF
half Its value or go to prison until the
war Is over
Hope Of the Future Lies In Co.opera.
tlon.
The Farmers Union, through the
columns OF the press, wants to thank
the American people for the friend.
ship, 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 stralnlng 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 pestieDGe 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 frailtles OF our marketing meth
DDS and the weakness of our crcdl,
system, and out OF the financial an.
gulsh and travail Of the cotton farmer
will come a volume OF discussion aud
a mass Of suggestions and finally a
solution of this, the biggest problem
In the economic life OF America, #
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 permn
nent and satisfactory basis unless We
build warehouses, cold storage plants,
elevators, etc, Tor without storage and
credit facilities, the south is com
PEELED to dump It's crop on the market
at harvest time, The Farmers Unions
In the cotton producing states have
for the past ten years persistently nd.
yocated the construction OF storage
facilities. We have built during this
period 1000 warehouses with a ca,
pacIty OF approximately 100000 bales
and looking backward the results
would seem encouraging, but looking
forward, we are able to house less
than one.third OF the crop and ware.
houses without q credit system lose
30 per cent Of their usefulness Tho
problem Is gigantic one too great
for the farmer to solve unaided HE
must have the assistance Of the ban't
or the merchant and the government
In production we have reached Au
high water mark Of perfection IN tho
, worlds history, but our marketing
methods are most primitive In the
dawn OF history We find agriculture
b blowing with a forked stick but with
system Of warehouses under govern.
mental supervision that made the
Egyptians the marvel Of civilization
- Tor who has not admired the vision OF
Joseph and apldOuded the wisdom OF
{ Pharaoh FOR storing the surplus until
+, demanded by the consumer, but ia
, this age we have too many Josephs
. who dream and not enough phagaoha
who build,
-