The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1917-05-09
Cotton and the War
Continued from Page Two.)

ing and go to acting. All this food
campaign and making speeches goes
in one ear and out the other. "Eph-
rain is Joined to his idols::"' SUM
ter county could not feed itself for
80 days. There is plenty time. yet,
and you had better act, and act
strongly with the low behind you.
When the government takes over the
railroads to move troops and supplies,
with car shortage, now we need a,
smoke house and corn crib nearer
than Chicago.
Prices Are Bound to Go Higher.
Most people do not think, just
look at it. The. average balance Of
trade in favor Of the United States
prior to the war was 500 million dol
lars. 1t is now four Times that; two
billion dollars annually drawn in
here from abroad. This two billion
dollars is good yellow gold. 1t is the
basis upon which seven times that
much currency can be issued under
our banking system. In addition to
this the new federal reserve system
provides for commodity loans on
warehouse receipts for wheat, cot
ton, corn or cattle. Why wouldn't
cotton and everything else advance
in price? In 1914 the country was
paralyzed by the contraction of
credit and scarcity vof money, Now,
| like King Mides,' we seem in danger
of being smothered under an ava
been so centered upon the war and
it's tragic happenings, that few Of us
realize that tremendous financial
revolution has occurred right here in
the United States. 1t is to be hoped
that our being drawn into the war will
not turn the hands of the clock back
wards. The Federal reserve and the
Farm loan act, means that for the
frs time in history, the producer is
in a position to demand the use of
money as medium for the exchange
of his products, NOT AS A FAVOR
BUT AS A RIGHT. 1t means that
the time has come wnen land is to
be recognized as the basis of all
LAND MUST BE ABLE TO BOR-
ROW MONEY AT THE SAME
RATE OF INTEREST AS HE WHO
OWN BONDS. In the future there
must be no discrimination against
producers for non-producers. The
Wilson administration has done a
wonderful service for the farmers
greater service than any since the
formation of the republic. The mil
lions Of producers and creators of
REAL WEALTH needs no longer
cringe and cover before money lend
ers. In the future National banks
will not be permitted to monopolize
the function of issuing money, so
as to control prices by contracting or
expanding at their pleasure the cred
GO WITH HIS HAND UP, NOT AS
A SUPPLIANT BEGGING, for the
use of money for which he is prepar-
ed to give good security. The mon
ey of this country belongs to the peo-
pie of this country. 1t is created by
their agent, the government, without
whose fiat, it would not be money.
Each citizen is unit of the power
which creates the dollar, and through
law he obligates himself and his prop
erty to redeem his proportionate
share of that dollar. This war has
completely exploded the gold fallacy,
1t is products not gold which carry
the country on. Our real wealth is
not gold, it is land, stock, cotton, corn,
wheat, iron, steel and copper, the
things that goto clothe and feed
mankind. Man should not be the
servant of the dollar. He is it's crea-
tor. His labor or his property is
is a mere medium OF exchange. The
value of dollar does not depend up
on banking system or gold reserve,
these are entirely artificial. 1t de-
pends for its value upon the products
drawn from the farm, mine and fac
tory by the sweat of labor.
Ever since 1866 we have had a
money system discriminating against
the producers in favor of -produc-
ers. 1t has made farming the most
uncertain business on earth, when it
should be the most stable and certain,
because it is fundamental. 1t has
driven the brightest and most ambi-
tious boys to the city, leaving the
form more and more the dullard
and incompetent. Labor in the
country is scarce, while the towns are
overcrowded with producers
earning precarious living. The
earth must support. each individual
It's prOductiveness is the beginning
and foundation of ali wealth. 1t
makes no difference where a man
lives, it may be- in the heart of New
York City, he yet bears direct rela-
tion to the definite piece of land from
which is drawn his food and clothes
The test of his usefulness from an
economih point Of view, IS what does
he put back into the worlds common
storehouse in return for what he
takes out of it as consumer The
great cities ha1e a luxurious spend
thrift class, and a business system,
where men prosper not by merit, but