The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-01-01
EUROPEAN WAR SHAT
TIERS KING COTTONS
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 Union

King Cotton has suffered more from
the European war than any other ag-
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;
bankers have been formulating hold
ing plans. congress and legislative
bodies have elaborated over relief
measures statesmen and writer's
have grown eloquent expounding the
%inalienable rights OF "His 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 bavoneted, values riddled
and markets decimated by the battling
hosts Of the eastern hemisphere until
the American farmer has suffered a
war loss Of sloO.O 600 900, and a bale
Of cotton brave enough to enter a
European port must pay a ransom Of
half its value or 90 to prison until the
war is over.
Hope of the Future lies in co-opera.
ton.
Tho Farmers Union, through the
columns Of the press, wants to thank
the American DeoDle for the friend
ship, sympathy ard assistance given
the cotton farmers in the hour of dis
tress and To direct attention to Co
operative methods necessary to per.
manentlv 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 rp1aeg sc,,afhfpg ig dnrn 20 ob.nl
the invasion Of the war forces upor
: the cotton fields. the pathway of tn,
I. F%uror"ar pestilence on this c%ontinen.
= win be strown with mortgaged homes
and famine and poverty will stalk owe
! the southland filling the highways o
industry with refugees and the bank
p ruptcy court with prisoners.
All calamtios teach us lessons ant
/ the present crisis serves to illuminate
, the f%railties Of our marketing meth
DDS and the weakness Of our credi
system, and ont Of the financial an
euish and travail Of the cotton farme
viii come a volume Of discussion AM
a mass of suggestions and finally
solution OF this. the biggest problem
in the economic life Of America. II
indeed, We have not already laid tn
foundation for at least temporary re
lief.
More Pharaohs Needed in Agriculture
Farm products have no credit ant
perhaps can never have on a perma
nent and satisfactory basis unless vi
, build warehouses. cold storage plants
elevators, etc. for without storage an,
credit facilities, the south is CON
n PEELED to dump its crop on the marke
at harvest time. The Farmers Onion
in the cotton producing states hav
4 for the past ten years persistently aC
II vocated the construction OF storag
facilities. We have built during thi
period 1000 warehouses with a cS
4, pacity Of approximately 100000 bale
4 and looking backward the result
Al would seem encouraging. but lookin
a forward We are able to house les
than one-thiTd OF the crop and war;
houses without a credit system los
n 30 per cent of their usefulness Tn
% problem is a gigantic one-too gres
,I for the farmer to solve unaided II
must have the assistance Of the banl
o. er, the merchant and the government
In production We have reached III
nigh water mark Of perfection IN III
worlds history, but our msrketin
m methods are most primitive. In III
4. dawn Of history We find agricultul
~ blowing with a forked stick but viii
N a system Of warehouses under COVER,
n mental supervision that made n
m Egyptians the marvel Of civilizatio
70 for who has not admired the vision
ID Joseph and applauded the wisdom
Iv Pharaoh for storing the surplus uni
nj demanded by the consumer, but
n this age we have too many Josepl
who dream and not enough Pharaol
who build.