Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-04-09
OPINION U. s. ATTY. GRNERn !.
Is Sought In Regard to tho Matter ri
Cotton Acreage Reduction.

The following statement was ,s-
sued late last week by J. 8. Wa,Na-
maker, chairman Of the South Caro-
lima Cotton Association, in regard ia
the statement Of Governor Alien. r.
Kansas, relative to tho Cotton
acreage reduction program beiup "a
act Of violation Of law. constitusin Z
action lin restraint Of trade:
st. Matthews, S c.,
April ). 1919.
United States Attorney Genera T..
Mitchell Palmer has beer Appealed
to for Il ruling and action conccyu-
ing the legality Of the Cotton A.
sociations campaign fol- reducti0u
Of cotton acreage. Governor Ali"l
| claims the movement is hagrout
violation Of law and should be OPP
ped unless the association il imn.rut
to prosecution.
The chairman OF the South CIr.
lima Cotton Association receive 4.
telegram from Henry J. Alien, ghy.
ernor of Kansas, concerning ccitou
acreage reduction and tho holdin4 Of
cotton for remunerative prices rt.d.
ing, in part, as follows:
From Governor Alien.
''The whole question at issue
seems to me to rest upon the rig t
of any group Of men to form com.
bnution for the restraint OF pro.
duction. The Federal Trade Com
mission has published list Of QUrS-
tionablc practices when the commia-
sion condemns, and among them are
TWO which seem to forbid what you
are trying to accomplish One TO-
bids the entering into an ngrcemo1t
or understanding or pool BY comprt,-
tors to maintain prices, or allot buEi
ness. and the other forbidS aEyar-
mcni amcng competitors to limit out
put 1t stril,es me that you mus he
rather sure Of your immunity FRO!
prosecution in attempting to O'l0u
so contrary to a declared public poi.
| icy. The South, having gone through
! = period OF extraordinary nrospcr.0y
| durin" the past three year,. hnvlH"
/ objected TO any regulatio0 OF ,hn
price Of its chief product bocaua 4
thought that an unrestricted marhn
would mean more profits, is rur
/ evidently unwilling to lei the ''n.
vailing economic forces take eli .,
| fn off Of
imposed conditions some OF lis l. T.
ers now seek to initiate a delibcr" Q
combination Wni"n gcfuse n 80
tuy regard FOR u l+aI need of thn
tsrccua,iYG losses whirh cane a. a
( r"ss|t 81 an ill-considerc a..
Cotton brought the slaves Fr0Ii the
last to the south at price thal wa.
of civil war"
Governor Allen, by hi actions
seems to forget that we aJH 700 tar
from Webster and Calhoun, 100 far
from Grant and Lee to appreciate
the thundcrs OF sectionali%m Ma
tionalism should be the demand OF
the hour and Of the countr> every
where. Americans should fee! tha'
the cotton crop was theirs AMI should
help the cotton planters Of the
South to get a fair price for cotton.
What tho Figures ShoW.
The United States Depar men, ol
Agricultures figures show ,nat thr
production Of cotton for 10 g. '9t5.
1916 and 1917 amounted 20 less
than the consumption. RcrardlcaS
Of this fact, the price Of cCi3rn dur
ing this period shows an IL cease Of
only SO per cent. as comp Il with
the pre-war period; still, { .nG the
| same period, wheat-and r.Eard!nas
OF the fact that there wa ~ g,,Ch
| shortage In the wheat ,rJ2 thc
| price shows an increase ni 12 yer
cent as compared with the some pre-.
war period 1t is we'll stat"d that
! the cotton bears are respun *tbla ior
Southern illiteracy. Is l. uOS#i bic