Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-02-26
HOKE SMITH THINKS
EFFORTS WILL FAIL
TOFXCOTTON PRICE

with last years crop has past. 1 believe
we will have a fight over the effort 10
in some way control the price of this
years crop. 1t will probably come in the
shape of endeavoring to license all buy
ers of cotton and thereby control their
conduct. am intensely opposed to any
thing that will interfere with farmers
receiving for their cotton whatever the
demand justifieS, and 1 wish to assure
them that there are those of US in the
senate, and in the house, who will ex-
haust our efforts to serve you. In some
way we will succeed
This is the message I wish to carry
to them. But let me say further that
do not mean by this to encourage them
too much to depend upon a big price.
The world is in q condition where no
one can properly judge of the future.
The money market may be so depressed
by next winter that the demand for cot
ton manufactured products will be very
small, and the supply of resources. may
be so limited that it will affect the
price. The demand for men to manu-
facture implements of war and ships
may be so great that cotton mills will
be forced to run on short time. All
these elements create a state of doubt
about the value Of the crop this next
fall and no man can safely give an
opinion.
Il wish to urge the farmers to econ
omize in every way possible. Do not
waste dollar received from last years
CT Up. Prepare for hard times. Raise
foodstuffs. If they only raise what they
need to eat and have all they and theirs
ne ed to eat then they ought to be we'll
fixed. Their cotton brought enough
last fall to pay their debts, or most of
them. Raise all the foodstuffs that the
people ot the county and of the whole
state can eat and have more to sell.
This is the safe course. In giving them
this advice 1 know I am making no
mistake. Let cotton be a surplus crop
If it brings in the fall a price which
satisfies them, then they can sell it,
Il the price is too low, and they have
raised their own foodstuffs. they can
keep their cotton, or at least part of it,
until the price brings them a profit. II
is to say this, as much anything
else, that L am writing to them.
Now, in conclusion, l wish to say
another thing The war will take sac
rifices. / voted for the war because
Germany had announced her purpose to
sink the vessels of our citizens and
our citizens them selves, if they under
took to sail across ito Europe. Ger
many not only announced this purpose
but actually began sinking them and
drowning our people. Were we to aban-
don the ocean and the markets of the
world in fear of this lawless, heartless
nation? What would have become OF
the farmers of Georgia If they had beec
cut off from all the markets of the
world for the sale of their cotton, their
naval stores and their other products
that must be sold across the ocean?
"A nation that under such circum-
stances would not fight to protect heV
people would be coward, and un-
worthy to accept the loyalty of her sons
Besides the fight had taken shape ir
Europe, where Germany, after crushing
France, would have been menace tC
this county, and 1 believed it was bet
ter to fight at once than to wait to be
forced to fight later on"