Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-27

| started today in Washington to regulate
| food prices. Prospects are about even
| they will endeavor to step in and order
| taking control of cotton prices as we'll
| Suggest that you get busy and wire pro-
tests and follow up with letters to your
senators and representatives fro mGeor-
gia and have memberships over the state
| do likewise"
ct want to say TO YOU" cried Colonel
Brown, that believe II would be wrong
to fix a maximum price for cotton Let
| the law Of supply and demand regulate
1t. We want to produce a surplus sup
ply of food and then all the cotton we
can and we want only the law of supply
and demand to say what we shall get for
this cotton"
Commissioner Browns address was
devoted to a great extent to pleas for
every possible agricultural and indus
trial activity and the abolition Of the
all-cotton basis Of credit.
"If every acre in Georgia were util-
lied" he said. ''the surplus Of food,
canned and properly conserved. would
not be more than enough to last one
year"
Pleading for an awakening to the real
truth, Commissioner Brown asserted
that Georgia, with all her resources,
has failed to maintain her agriculture
on a safe, sound basis.
Realizing the heavy responsibility
resting upon me chairman OF the
food commission" he said, II do not
wish to be misunderstood. I do not
want to be regarded as urging the farm
ers Of Georgia to undertake to grow a
surplus Of food products in competition
with the fertile corn and wheat fields
of the west, but 1 do stand for Georgia
growing enough food and feed products
to make herself absolutely self-sustain-
ing and to hold her cotton as a surplus
money crop"
The commits sioner scored the inter
ests that, in the face of the present
crisis, hold vast tracts Of land for spec
ulative purposes. He then launched
into a plea for action and the effective
cooperation of all classes.
IF the cost of living has to rise"
he said, '1et wages rise to meet 1t. If
sacrifices must be made, let US begin
by sacrificing surplus profits in order
to restore conditions to something like
a level instead Of Weighing down our
masses, who must do the working, the
fighting and the sacrificing and Of those
of whose patriotism there is no ques-
ton. with any form Of domestic wrong.
eff we have foreign foes in unac
countable numbers in our midst, a united
America can meet them, but II we have
any men within our own border, wheth
er they be natives or aliens, who wish
to use the dire extremity of the whole
people as their opportunity for loot, let
the strong arm of the government and
the state declare such conditions trea-
son. Lending aid and comfort to an
enemy Is no worse than adding hard
ships and discomfort to our own rank
and file
In his plea for a new basis Of credit
Commissioner Brown said: at has long
been the custom for the large land owner
to rent to tenants on a cotton basis, so
many pounds to the pillow. Also for the
banker to base his credit on the acreage
planted in cotton, as we'll as the supply
men and the fertilizer dealers,
I'm all candor 1 ask OF you. will you
change the folly of your own way and
adopt safe and sane baeis-that of a
diversified farming to the extent Of MAX
ing Georgia self-sustaining? With all
the earnestness OF my soul, say to
you that unless you change the base
of credit and extend to the farmers a
sufficient credit at a rate of interest
that is reasonable for length of timo
in which to change from the all-cotton
as a credit to a safe farming system,
then our meeting today will be in vain.
when the business man and the
farmer have reached an agreement to
change the system in Georgia, and
/ Wnen the pEOuuCG SuIllClCHI LOOU
and raiment for the rural sections of
Georgia. with surplus for our towns
and cities, give to us a fair and equitable
distribution of these products by hon.
est marketing, and reasonable tranSpor-
tation and l pledge you my word that
Georgia will be what she is called-the
Empire state of the south and the rich
est commonwealth in the union"
Governor Harris spoke on farming and
its relation to government, and cited
striking excerpts from letter from D.
r. Houston, United States secretary of
agriculture in which federal plans for
cooperation with states were outlined.
Mr. HouSton's letter detailed the fed
eral governments proposals to aid the
farmer to get seef and labor and com
bat destructive insects. and promised a
competent man in every state to study
labor conditions.
The governor stressed with great en-
phasis Mr.. Houston's s<atement that
s145, 600, 900 worth of food supplies every
year go to the production of liquors and
prayed for curtailing of the output of
intoxicants.
He also emphasized the pledges that
the federal authorities will cooperate in
maintaining in Georgia free, competi-
tive and unmanipulated market for food
stuffs and mentioned Mr.. Houston's sug
gestion of the not unlikely assumption
by the government of power to purchase
food supplies and fix maximum and
minimum prices.
Governor Harris Introductory remarks
were devoted to the necessity of Ggrt-
cultural production and q brief histori-
cal review to show that whenever q ma
ton has set out to conquer 1t has looked
first to its agricultural pursuits.