The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-05


concerned, less than one-third the
s:ze of Texas. carry more bank de
posts than every bank in the cotton
belt < 2reat injustice lis been
done the South oy' the .nsGious
spreading OF false reports OF the
South'< prosperity. T;.ere IS today a
bitter feeling among many Northern
and Western people against the
South because they have been made
% beIieve t!lat we a:e tnordiHatolJ
prosperous They have been led to
attribute our prosperity 20 the fact
chat the government did not fix the
price o. cotton. They say that we
are not patriotic because, our. repre-
5entatives in~congress urged that no
.rice be fixed upon cotton, while they
did not object to having the price
liked on wheat. The sincerity and
purity OF the wheat farmers patriot
ISM will be tested this year. The
government viii see that wheat farm
ers receive s220 per bushel for all
rheat harvested in 1918 in order TO
make good its guarantee. 1t is per-
fectly right that this should be done.
The world is we'll supplied with wheat
.ow, however, and there is no pa
tliotic reason under the sun for
eeding large crop OF spring wheat
n addition to the 40 million acres
of fall sown wheat which already
promises q bumper crop. In view OF
he fact known to everybody that
here will be. no need for any spring
,"teat and that there is likely to be
! need for corn. upon which no price
$ guaranteed, what viii the spring
.arnlers do. Their acreage in spring
yheat will indicate the extent to
which their patriotism is alloyeG
with a, desire for profit.
The question is sometimes asked,
How can the South continue to pro-
:uce cotton unless Il profit is reallz-
d?" The answer is as follows:
First, the cotton producer spends
.ess money for food, clothing, shell
ter and the education of his children
han does any other class of farm
ars in. America IN other words when
we get into the field to produce cot ;
ION we are working for less money
per day than any other class Of farm
ars receive for a days work. II TINS
were not true we would not have been
such load on the rest Of the coun-
try in diseases like pellagra and tu-
oerculosis which are directly promot- !
ed by lack of nourishment and ex-
posure, and we would not have so
much illiteracy. We would not have
50 many Southern farm women go 10
insane asylums because Of the mo-
1otonous grind Of life on unprosper-
Gus cotton farms. Who rides to town
md on Sunday to church in an auto
mobile? Who sends his son and
laughter to college? Who lives in
painted house with a big red barn in
in the back? Who pays cash for
everything. he buys and thereby
saves on an average Of about 20 pr
,ent of the cost He rises early and
works until late and if fortunate
realizes an occasional profit which !
prevents a sheriff 8 sale Thousanos
Of farmers in the South have never
cealiZed any profjt on their farming
operations hur have been able TO con- !
.nue in The business because o. an
occasional! rise ii the price OF lana
following q !ear or so OF comparative
PROSPERITY. such increases have oc- /
.:lrred il? keeping Wit, the general +
.,.enG OF land orices in the tinted |
states and ;hese Increases ha!'e saved
.,le South from absolute bankruptcy.
TIE rapid growth Of farm tenancE
~ me Sauh since 1850 Indicates
ma 1:.,ay .cout:lc-n pcop!e who were I
:-1,.:Y:cr.y in ttie ;a:}doMnins class
W beea unable 20 hold me ow2ar- .
,hio Of .heir Lands; Oh the relnuner;t- .
ton received Cor cotton. Thousands !
.,onn rhouSandS :.al-e beer forced to :
rive un the struggle and seek efl- ;
g:ov,nent IL the cotton mills. Negroes
haze been dr:s-en into pubic WORKS /
l-..i to Industrial labor.
(,nea2 labor. beth white ard black !
and that poorly housed. poorly fed, |!
poorly clothed and poorly educated
has produced the most abundant and
least expensive supply Of clothing
that the world has ever known. III
coutl N people desire to continue
this s,secnl all they need 10 Go is to
lend every effort toward cotton pro-
luction. On the other hand if we
would exact better living from the
world in return for the cotton Droduc-
cd what musc we do? The answer IS /
sirlpIc. sure and HlchanSeahl BE. Hold /
what we have. cut toe acreage. and
live OF home