The courier-index. (Marianna, Ark.) 1917-current, 1917-10-26
LITTLE ROCK LETTER
(By Clio Harper)

iDf 1iiO Atai PSI
Little Rock, Oct 22.-The cotton
crop is short this season beyond
precedent in Pulaski county, but the
price is higher than ever before,
and does not seem to have reached
the top yet The high price has
been the salvation Of the farmers,
and has brought them more money
than have many of the larger crops.
An old river bottom darby, w Nj.
Bailey by name, was relating his ex-
perience the other day. and volun-
teered the information that he recon
ed he had been growing cotton about
long enough. He said that he took
a bale to the city the day before and
sold it for $19740, and had the seed
left He also had ten bales more
of the same grade of cotton, so that
he would clean up more than $4,000
on his crop this year.
We'll, Uncle" remarked the inter
viewer. with all of that money the
next thing you do viii be to buy an
automobile"
oh. ghucks. boss" he replied with
the air of a, born aristocrat, we
done got one of them things.
IL is true that the farmers, white
and black, have more money than
they have had In years before. and
they are lifting mortgages and buying
automobiles, and Importing p1re bred
stock, and bnyiag Liberty p. nds and
a.. things.
The government work is also turn
II loose millions Of dollars in the
state, and almost every industry has
felt the influence of this increasing
prosperity. Students of economic
conditions express the belief that it
is permanent. and mat it will con-
tinue even after peace is declared.
This is based upon the fact that il
win require several years for the
European nations to restore even a
sembIance of normality, and in the
meantime. America must feed and
clothe the greater part of the world.
Laborers are getting more for their
work than ever before. the products
of the farm are bringing a far larger
return. there is an urgent demand In
every industry for more labor than
ean be supplied. One OF the effects
that have been felt, is the difficulty
Of coming down from the high wage
that has been set by the government.
Negroes who have been making as
high as So or 80 . day viii find it
difficult to come back to wages any
thing like that which prevailed be-
fore the war. Peace viii bring with
ii many problems of re-adjustment
as great as have been some of those
which have confronted the nation
during the last two years. High
prices cannot be maintained as they
are nowhere must be a change
but it is not at all probable that
this generation viii ever witness an
other period of depression when cot
ton sells for cents a pound. and
common labor was glad to get IS
a day Those were the days when
a billion dollar congress was con-
sidered legislative criminality. and
SO a day wages could be hoped for
only bank presidents. Now the coun-
try speaks lightly of hundreds of
millions and billions, and everybody
and their cooks are buying six
cylinder cars and their fiivvers, and
merchants. and contractors. and
printers and craftsmen of all kinds
are too busy for home life or church
work. and money is being spent with
a profuseness that staggers econ
omists.
Arkansas is doing its share in
everything that has been proposed
for the support % the government,
and the welfare of the men who
have been sent and will be sent to
the front to fight our battles. The
first Liberty Lean issue was over
subscribed. then there came the Red
Cross and the Y. M. G.. A. cam
paigns. the War Library campaign,
and now the state Is in the midst of
another Liberty Loan drive. The
prospects for it's success are very
brilliant. for more and more the
public Is awakening TO a realization
of the seriousness OF the war situa-
ton. Bonds or Bondage" is the
slogan that is bringing people to
realize that every dollar paid. every
man eslisted, every garment knit,
every legal act done for the govern
nent advances the conclusion OF the
war just that mach.
And thsre is no doubt about the
stand that has been taken by the
people of ARKANSAS in this war. IL
would be impossible for any people
TO stand more loyal to the presi-
dent and his policies than have the
citizens OF Arkansas. Soon there viii
be 10000 Arkansas boys in training