The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1918-10-28


You know and all the Administra-
ton knows that it is the common talk
and daily statement in the hotels and
ton Exchange of New York and New
Orleans and with purchasing agents
of foreign countries that if cotton
goes above 35 cents the Government
will take control Of it and fix a price?
Don't you know that the committee
appointed by the Administration to
control, and that is controlling cotton
is made up of cotton mill men, cot
ton seed oil men, and cotton exchange
and commission gamblers?
If you don't know this, get the Of
fetal U. S. Bulletin issued September
oath. You will see this is true. Wash
ington is full of foreign agents, New
England spinners and Wall Street
gamblers, doing all in their power to
make the Administration take charge
of this and the next crop of cotton,
and, incredible as it now seems, there
are some newspapers and paid agen-
ing the same dirty deal: and l want
to tell you in no uncertain terms, that
unless the Southern people assert
themselve in the most vigorous terms
it will be done.
And when this is done we will be
at the mercy of the spinners and for
eign agents, just as we are now at
the mercy of the cotton seed mills.
Cotton seed is congested and depress-
ed now: cotton will be depressed and
congested then. You can raise no
money on seed now; you could raise
no money on cotton then. You have to
wait on seed mills now; you would
have to walt on cotton mills then.
Southern banks cannot advance mon
ey on seed now; they could not ad-
vance money on cotton then.
If you had one hundred tons of
seed today and had to pay one thou
sand dollars debt you would have to
walt until the oil mill could use them
to pay the debt, and the same rrin-
ciple will apply to cotton if the price
and control is fixed. These conditions
would demoraliZe all business, wreck
and ruin the South?
Do you know that we live in free
country and have a right to serve God
according to the dictates of our own
conscience and to vote for what and
for whom we please?
The interference with the rights of
the people by taxing tea and the Bos-
ton disturbance was a mild encroach-
ment of the peoples rights compared
to the present interference with cot
ton.
Just why the spinners and gamblers
should be protected from the effect
of the fourth disastrous crop and the
exporters for foreign countries Sc
cure cotton at the expense of the
Southern planters can not see. Brazil
looks after the planters of coffee. and
not the consumers of coffee in Amer
lea and Europe.
But the Democratic party owns the
South by a prescriptive title, and un-
til the bonds of this peaceable possess
sion are broken and we show some sec
tional independence, we will have no
recognition In national affairs, and
viii be bartered as weaklings for po-
litical preference North, East and
West, regardless of our rights or
faithful service to one party. If it is
so now and We bare our backs to
the lash that is being laid on in this
outrageous cotton situation, how much
worse will 1t be when this world war
Is over and each section must fight
for its respective rights. We will need
business men with CUTS and gall, grit
and grain to stand for the interest of
the South and be in position to de-
mand what is right. II we have a
weakling in the United States Senate
trailing only In the banner o. solid
Democracy. whipped into line by pre-
judicial sentiment and ignorance, we
Will reap the harvest of that same
contempt of barter and sale for politi.
cal preference in mere manly sec
tions. II am elected to the United
States Senate as an independent Re.
publican, / will have the help and sun