Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-12-19

or about the high prices of foodstuffs. 1t
is O very vital matter and everybody
is thinking and discussing 1t. There
has been some suggestion Of an embargo
on the expectation of foodstuffs from the
United States. From my point of view,
an embargo on foodstuffs or cotton
would be national or highway robbery
Of the farmers.
THE farmers of this country, and I
refer to the entire country, have never
enjoyed a fair share of prosperity AS
compared with the growth of the wealth
of the cities. The farmer must work
anywhere from twelve to fourteen hours
a day, and doesn't know anything about
an eight-hour day. And yet 1T must be n
very successful farmer who can make as
much money as the mechanic or the rail-
road man, who gets So or Sc a day for
eight hours work.
ION the general average running over
long term of years, both in foodstuffs
and in cotton, the consumers have had
the benefit of low prices at the expense
of the producers. and the bare sugges-
ton of an embargo on farm products in
order to beat down prices would be ron
berry of the farmers for the benefit of
the consumers.
Legally and morally the farmer has
a right to get the highest possible price
for his products. Certainly as much
so as the mechanic has a tight to get the
best wages lac can. or as the manufact-
urer has q right to sell his goods at the
highest price obtainable.
CAUSES OF HIGH PRICES.
Three causes have combined to bring
about the present high prices of cotton
and foodstuffs. In the first place, We
have the shortest grain crops for many
years, and the smallest wheat crops, If
remember correctly, in the last nineteen
years. although in that time our popula-
ton has increased by 100000 or more.
1.-THE grain and other food crops such
as potatoes and fruits were less this
year by 1875, 100000 bushels than they
were last year, or an average of thirteen
bushels for every man, woman and child
in the United States. Our wheat crop, for
instance was about 545,O0O,OOO bushels,
against 1,011, 100000 bushels last year.
This alone would have justified the pres
ent high price of wheat. Added to this,
the wheat crops In Canada and the Ar
gentine were also short, and the Rus
sian crop could not get into Europe,
where it has been the chief competitor
of American wheat.
"Coincident with this situation in the
crop shortage is the heavy demand from
Europe for foodstuffs and the enormous
influx of gold which has brought about
a gold initiation. Initiation Of the cur
rency always means high prices for the
commodities.
1--WE will go into next years crop with
the country swept bare of foodstuffs to
an extent this generation has never
known. 1t would take bumper crop
next year to equalize the conditions
and even then we should still have high
prices for fcodstuffs, entirely regardless
of war conditions. If we should unfor-
tunately have short crops next year, this
country would face almost food famine
and present prices for foodstuffs would
| then seem very cheap.
PLANT MORE FOOD CROPS.
For the good OF the nation it is es-
sentially important, therefore, that ev-
| erything that can possibly be done
| should be done by the national govern
ment by the states, by bankers and by
business men generally. to encourage the
production of foodstuffS.
IF an embargo were placed on the eX-
| portation of foodstuffs, though / canno'
! imagine congress making so serious i
blunder. it would result in discouraging
the farmers by robbing them OF tneII
! just desserts, and in lessened farm out
put The inevitable outcome of this
would be smaller crops and much higher
prices than now prevail. Thus an embar-
go on the expectation of foodstuffs would
ultimately prove not only an injury ia
the farmer but a tremendous curse to
the consumer.
Under these conditions it is Of vital
| importance for the south to give increas-