The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-05-01
Cotton and Cotton Prices in
Relation to World Affairs

should have known that every effort
to really modernize cotton handling
has almost died a-borning because of
the power of the vested interests in
railroads and cotton congresses
dominated in the city of New York
The same circular says:
"All true friends of the South, and
we claim a place among them, will
question the wisdom of the move
ment to bring about a reduction in
acreage for the purpose of causing or
maintaining high prices for cotton. y
We take it for granted that the
millions of people in the South who
were born in this section, of parents
who were born here, and who have
been the backbone of Southern life
during all the past, would ordinarily
be counted as true friends of the
South But, according to this oracle
none of these people are 'true
friends Of the South if they seek to
bring about reduction in cotton
acreage for the purpose of maintain
ing higher prices for cotton. Re-
ferring to this work, the circular
letter says:
! "It is short-sighted policy, and if
continued will threaten the suprem-
acy of this country as the great
source of cotton supply. We are en-
tering upon a new era in world de-
:velopment, and the South is going
! to have competition which it never
before had to face if prices are kept
at a level that offers inducements for
the opening up of new fields
This arugment is just about one
! hundred years old, and with age has
grown steadily weaker. 1t is hoary
and gray-keaded. 1t did service in
the British Parliament hundred
years ago and has BEEN doing service
ever since. But there are a few points
which should be considered.
! There is no divine command rest.
ing upon the South to raise cotton,
either for the purpose Of maintaining
the supremacy of this country in cot.
ton trade or for clothing the world
There is no divine command which
says that the Western farmer who
can make more money in raising corn
shall be compelled to raise wheat for
the purpose of feeding the world.
No moral responsibility whatsoever
rests upon the farmer to raise any
crop except that which pays him best
II the South can raise corn and other
crops to greater profit than it can
raise cotton, he would be fool in.
deed who would insist that the South
owed it to the world to raise cotton.
here may be some people III the
world whose minds are thus f1abby,
hut no intelllgent man could for 4
moment take that ground.
There is no obligation upon the
South to raise cotton merely to main.
tain the supremacy Of this country in
the cotton trade of the world. If
other countries can raise cotton, by
means of the cheap labor in China
and India or Egypt, at lower cost
than the South can raise it, there is
no earthly reason which compelS the
South to sacrifice its people in order
to produce cotton at the starvation
wages which are paid to the cotton
growers of India and Egypt and
China. So long as the South can
raise cotton profitably to itself, aft
er having paid a good living rate OF
wages to every cotton laborer, and aft.
er having banished from the cotton
fi:ld every woman who should be ut
home and every child who should he
at school, whether they be white or
black, then it can profitably and wise.
ly keep on growing cotton. But il
the people of the South can find more
profitable employment in doing some
thing else than in raising cotton,
then it is their bounded duty to do
the work which pays the largest
profit and gives them the best living
conditions.
If the world cannot get it's cotton
except from the South, then it is alb
solutely necessary for the world to
pay a price which will bring prosper
ity to the cotton grower and lift the
rate of wages in the South in the cot
ton fields and from that on to the
factory and into every avenue of
work to a parity Of wages in other
sections.
The statements quoted from this
banking circular are indicative of the
density of ignorance which prevails
in other sections about cotton grow
ing in the South. For one hundred
years the South has been misrepre-
sented by the cotton spectators and