The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-09-02
PLAN FOR MARKETING
PRESENT COTTON CROP
Nj. ". H. White Offers Some
Good Suggestions.
COTTON Is A WORLD COMMODITY

While there is speculation and un-
rest as to what the present crop of
cotton will sell for, think it will be
wise to eliminate all sentiment and
look at the cotton situation from a
plain business standpoint. If we
could or would only handle the raw
cotton, or what the manufacturers
call the farmers stock, like the man.
ufacturers handle their product, we
would get not less than ten cents for
our cotton, and | think twelve cents
not dream.
With a crop of not more than
twelve to thirteen million bales this
year, nearly five million bales less
than what we have made in prior
years, and with all the countries on
the face of the earth that manufac-
ture cotton in need Of it, can see
no good reason for low price cotton.
The countries that are at war with
one another can get money enough
to buy millions and billions of dol
lars worth of guns and implements
of war to kill people with, and sure
ly the cotton that we do not need
for consumption in this country can
be sold to the foreign countries
whi.h can get so much to pay for
materials to kill folks with.
| would like very much to see the
farmers get together in this neigh
borhood and arrange some plan
whereby they could hold their cot
ton off of the market without doing
harm to the merchant or banker
they owe 1t is not right for US to
use the merchant or banker and
when we G t the cotton to pay them
with, pile it up for higher prices
while our creditors are actually suf-
| fering for funds to meet their bills
| with.
| l can conceive of plan we'll work
| ed out where we could hold and
| market our cotton as required and
use the money, or the larger part Of
it, to pay the obligations we have
f! made in making it. We are told by
good authority that there is an
abundance of money, and all we
would have to do to get it is to prop
| erly house cur cotton crop through
= some kind of holding organization
so that the banks would be secure
and the money would at once be
q available.
e In regard to the course England is
h pursuing in declaring cotton contra
band, l think this is actually child
= ish | have no idea that our gov
G ernment will sit still and let England
say to us what we shall do with oul
cotton. Our cotton is commodity
hich the world wants, needs and i:
n compelled to have. There is moth
= ing that will take the place of it fol
wearing apparel. If were at the
head Of this American government
IA | would say to the English govern
:, ment, contraband or no contraband
l. the American people must have free
access to the high seas which is pub
= lie property for all mankind. If he,
people wanted to buy our cotton
should sellit to them. If the Rus
Ia sian people want to buy it. the
should have the same privilege. l
At Germany wanted our cotton, the.
should have the chance to buy it
and if England refused to let it b.
delivered | would put an embarg,
:. on every commodity produced il
:, this country and which sh, has t
have. This would bring her to he
- knees, and within sixty days yo1
would have forgotten there wa
such word as contraband cotton.
Ia If this course did not relieve tn
7r situation l would equip and man
% fleet that could deliver every poun
. of cotton that could be sold to an
country on the face of the cart
where the boats could go. Thi
IA way England has of say ing to U
ed what we shall do with a materi;
produced that all the world want!
and especially cotton, which is use
to clothe mankind with, does nc
ia not please me. nor do think tn
80 ot American people like it.
he Going back to the method of sci
les ing the present crop, l think it abs
lutely necessary that we take SON
steps to protect ourselves again
the arbitrary ruling of England
making our cotton contraband, ar
ad | know but one way. We must no
portion Of our cotton off of Il
p. market, and to do this we must p'
ourselves in a position to get son
of the money that will be avalalb
for this purpose. Why not this COZ
-. munity start movement along tt
on line suggested, and protect ourselv
- o.,;nc+ ,.,hot 10 inovit able unless &