Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-11-06
or THE COUNTRY.
Mr.. DuPrc Writes In Defense OF tho
I'armcI--Stands by "Rights."
Editor kcowco Courier:

ELullOI NCO"co SOulle
If you will be kind enough to pub
lish the following | will appreciate
it. will say in the outset that am
a farmer, and what | say Is in the
nature Of speaking a few words in
behalf Of the farmers. do not want
TO offend any one, and will not do so
intentionally, but If the shoe pinches
anybody ! have no apology to make.
| am like everybody else want to
stand up for my rights in the light
of the way | view the situation.
| know Of no class OF people that
are cheated and robbed as are the
farmers of to-day. If you intend to
build house and expect it to stand,
what do you do first? You put a
good foundation to it. If you are
building a ship, or setting up ma
chinery--in fact, if you are doing
anything that you expect to stand and
give satisfaction-you depend on the
foundation. Isn't that 50? Well, if
foundation of all business enter
prscs, for the running Of cotton
mills. merchandising, banking-for
the running Of this great war and the
feeding Of the world-then who Cor
WHAT Is the foundation? The fact
is, everything that Is in existence de-
pends on the farmer to furnish food
and clothing for man and beast. He
is the foundation Of 1t all. Then why
is he kept down, with barely enough
for living for himself and family?
Take the government employees.
1t is figured that man has to have
Il support for himself and his family,
with a profit for his labor. If he
chooses to perform the services re-
quired by the position he holds. Then
take the merchant: He has to have
living, and Il good profit for what
he sells. You ask him If he wont
take a little less than the price at
which he offers you his goods, and he
will tell YOU mighty quick that he
cant sell goods at less than cost and
stay in business. Take the bankers,
the oil mill men, ginners, and the
men OF most every occupation (eN-
cept the farmer and the laborer):
They have good profit for all they
do. But
Take the small farmer: He and
his family have to work the farm
put the produce on the market for
sale, and what is the result? On an
average the product Of the years
there any justice in that? Should he
not have a fair profit, too? Yes
and | hope to see the day when he
will have the manhood to say, as he
puts his produce on the market. at
has cost me so much to make this,
and | must have pay for my time and
labor, or haul the stuff back home"
] know that it would be just as
easy for me to put an elephant under
Il wash tub and hold him down as to
make the farmer do that, but he will
never be any account until he does.
The following is coDied from the
Vro9rCss..c Flrmcr.
ticCrriiy tao pCUaTtmcGt OF la-
hor and the Dep1rtmgu; OF Aer Nn-
lurc collocicd aud assembled ugurea
showing the iUcrGaS" IN nricGS Of
| commodities during the war period,
as compared on July |, 1914, one
month before the war began. These
investigations show that on July / =,
1914, raw cotton was selling for
l2.l cents a pound, and that on July
|, 1918, the price was 2S.6 cents, an
increase Of 1862 cents pound, or
1906 per cent. During the same
four-year period. the report shows,
nineteen Of the common kinds Of cot
ton goods increased in price an aver
age Of 1891 per cent. On simple
average Of these percentages of in
crease in cotton goods and raw cot
ton, our cotton should be bringing
37.0S cents a pound. There are five
other classes Of cotton goods manu-
factured which have Increased 254.4
per cent. On this basis, had the price
Of raw cotton risen proportionally,
4 hn
cents a pound. 1t is cruel injustice
that the Southern farmer, for the
first time in fifty years getting a liv-
ing wage for himself and wife and
children. should be blamed for the
high prices at which cotton goods are
solling
''Thc figures here given, collected
by the government and absolutely
impartial. show into whose pockets
are going most Of the increase in
cotton goods prices. If goods are to
remain at such figures. then we be-
lieve that the farmer has right to
40 cents pound for his cotton. and
he is justified in refusing to sell for
less than fair price"
| ask every Courier reader, direct
ly or indirectly interested in cotton
and in seeing the grower get a square
deal. to write to his Congressman
and Senator in regard to this matter
| would like to add line about
our cotton seed and meal: The gov
ernmcnt fixed the price on our seed
at $50 per ton Since then 81 has
been taken Off The oil mill men re-
fuse to buy our seed now and farm
crs are hauling them back home. The
excuse Of the oil mill men for not
buying seed is that they have no
place to keep them. and a lot that
was already bought is SnOiling. Did