Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-09-15


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 bayoneted, values riddled
and markets decimated by the battling
hosts Of the eastern hemisphere until
the American farmer has suffered a
war loss Of $400,0O0,OO0, and a bale
OF cotton brave enough to enter a
European port must pay a ransom Of
half its value or go to prison until the
war Is over.
ton.
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 straining business
rules In order to lift a portion of the
burden )ff the backs Of the farmer,
for unless something is done to check
the Invasion OF the war forces upon
the cot on fields, the pathway Of the
European Destilence on this continent
VIII 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
ods and the weakness of our credit
system, and out Of the financial an
8uish and travail Of the cotton farmer
VIII come volume Of discussion and
a mass OF suggestions and finally
solution OF this. the biggest problem
IN the economic life of America, IL,
indeed, we have not already laid the
foundation for at least temporary re-
lief.
Moro Pharaohs Needed In Agriculture.
Farm products have no credit and
perhaps can never have on a perma-
nent and satisfactory basis unless we
Du1ld warehouses;. cold storage plants.
elevators, etc, for without storage and
credlt facilities, the south Ia COM
peiied to dump It's crop on the market
III harvest time. The Farmers Dniona
IN the cotton producing states have
ror the past ten years persistent,y ad-
Vocated the construction of storaoe
facilities. We have built during thia
period 1,oOO warehouses; with ca
pacity of approximately 1000, 900 bales
and looking backward the results
would seem encouraging, but looking
Forward. we are able to house less
than one-thlrd Of the crop and ware
houses without credit system lose
S0 per cent OF their usefulness. The
problem Is gigantic one-too great
for the farmer to solve unaided. He
must have the assistance OF the bank.
or, the merchant and the government
In production we have reached the
high water mark Of perfection In the
worlds history, but our marketing
methods are most primitive. In the
dawn OF history we find agriculture
ploWing with a forked stick but with
system Of warehouses; under govern
mental supervision that made the
nsyPtians the marvel Of civilization,
for who has not admired the vision of
Joseph and applauded the wisdom of
Pharaoh for storing the surplus until
demanded by the consumer, but In
this age we have too many Josepha
who dream and not enough Pharaohs
who build.