Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-05-09
MIR. COOK ON FOOD SITUATION.
Farmers All Saints, Balance of Peo.
pie Dudes, Spectators, Bigots.


wars and rumors of wars, feed and
foodstuf agitations, high prices and
spectators in divers places. 1t also
seems that everybody has quit work
and all are running around over the
country trying to tell each other what
to do. Every one seems to be afraid
the other fellow will starve. Who
ever heard Of anybody starving in
this Southland? Now, Mr.. Editor,
there is a cause for all this alarm,
and the government will have to ad-
just the cause before they can i'm
prove the condition Of anything. For
the last SO or 60 years there has been
something like three-fourths Of the
whole people Of the United States
living off the hard labor of the one
fourth, who are farmers. This three
fourths are made up Of class of
spectators, city dudes, bigots, etc.
majority OF whom never did a
hard days work in their lives, nor
ever earned an honest dollar. This
class Of people were so well organized
that they had 1t in their power to
squeeze the poor old farmer down in
prices until he couldn't get cost Of
production for his products. The
poor tenant farmers aud their chill
dren did not have square meal, nor
a decent suit Of clothes from one
years end to the other, and the re-
suit was that all the better class Of
tenants were obliged to leave the
farms in self-defense. and go to the
railroads and cotton mills to make a
living for themselves and children.
And now there are only few old,
gray-headed farmers on the farms to
cultivate the farms and about half
the land lying out. Now, it seems
unreasonable to me that President
Wilson and Governor Manning would
think that what few old farmers
there are on the farms can feed the
whole world and whip Germany at
the same time when half dozen
other nations have tried it and made
a failure. Now, if President Wilson
will first appoint Senator John
Sharpe Williams to hang all the spec
ulatOrs to the lamp posts, and then
the government take full control Of
the feed and foodstusfs and place a
reasonable price OH everything that's
made on the farm, and guarantee
that price to stay there, then the
cause of all this present trouble will
adjust itself and all the tenant farm
ers will return to the farms and the
Southland will make plenty Of every
thing.
Only few years ago, when the far
mer's cotton would bring only G cents
per pound, corn SO cents per bushel,
peas 80 cents per bushel and pota-
toes could hardly be given away.
then the President Of the United
States and all the high officials Of the
government seemed to think that was
all right. The poor old farmer never
was recognized as anybody at all un-
til now. But thank God the day of
Pentecost has about come at last.
The farmer is coming into his own.
It's the first time in forty years that
the products Of the farms would
bring something like reasonable
price, and the spectators and city
dudes are frying like meat in a hot
skillet. If the farmer who is having
to buy at the high prices the things
that he could have made on the farm
can hold out four months longer, he
is elected when his crop comes in,
and the high prices have taught him
lesson that he will never forget. 1t
Is said that bought wit is the best,
If 1t don't cost too much"
We are planting corn, peas, velvet
beans, soy beans, potatoes, etc. Please
tell the county treasurer to look out
for me next fall. l am coming with
corn, peas and beans to pay my
taxes. But can't see how President
Wilson Is going to whip Germany
with his soldiers sitting around on
Tugaloo river fishing, and not hos
tile German in two thousand miles
of them. If he needs them, why in
thunder don't he use them where
there Is something for them to do?
He should put them nearer the bat
tlefield. We think Germany needs a
good whipping about the worst of
any nation under the sun, and we are
willing to do our part the best we can
under our circumstances. Every far.
mer has certain circumstances to Ia
Dor under. The trouble with the
farmers in the South Is the lack of
labor to cultivate the land. The farms
are about half lying out-nOt being
cultivated at all. But If the Presi-
dent and United States Congress will
take control Of this matter and put a
reasonable and standard price on all
the farmers products, and guaran-
tee that price during the war, why,
then, the tenant farmers who have
been driven off Of the farms by star
walton prices, caused by unprincipled
spectators, will return to the farms
and we can feed the armies and the
young manhood of the South can
whip Germany and everything will
settle like coffee. This Is the key
note of the whole business.
Yours, ETC., ]. A. Cook.