Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-01-27
THE SOUTH HOLDS THE wHIP-USE 1T.

THE SOUTH HOLDS THE WHIP-USE 1T.
One of two things true about cotton this year in
the South
Either 1918 crop too large for the consumption
before the crop,
Or the 1918 crop is short of the prospective con-
sumption
Whichever is the situation, cotton today is SELL
ing far below its value and far below what the South
can get for tiff it uses the power its hands get it.
If the crop is short of the years needs, then, of
course temporary concerted holding will bring the de-
price for when the mills of the world get to the
point of shutting unless they have cotton they
going to buy cotton whatever the price
If the crop is long the solution lies in marketing
this year only what will command high price, and car
ryng the surplus into this plant
ing only acreage crop small enough with the
surplus carried over to bring year also the price
it should Go the limit food, tobacco and other
money crops Go lightly on cotton.
1t has been argued heretofore that the farmers
depended upon their acreage because of the
number involved and the impossibity of getting
the bulk of them into agreement that would stick
This however the whole solution lies neatly in the
hands of a comparatively few men-the bankers mer-
chants and cotton factors In planning this years crops
let them demand of the farmer extending credit that
the acreage be cut to what experts determine to be
safe maximum. Then the will reduce his acreage
because he will have being absolutely dependent upon
credit in the growing of the bulk of his crop.
The whole cotton problem and it's solution is anayz-
ed clearly by W. B. Thompson & Co. cotton factors of
New Orleans in the following which is reproduced here
so that no reader of The TimesRecorder may miss it,
THE cotton situation, although complex and to a
certain degree perilous by no means hopeless On
the contrary intelligent grasp of the fundamentals of
the problem determined application of the remed
ial means at hand, WILL without any sort of doubt save
the situation and insure remunerave prices not only
for the stocks presently held but for the coming crop
as we'll
In spite of the fact that four short crops have been
produced in succession spite of the fact that the sur
plus carried over from last years by no means alb
normal but moderate in spite of the fact that the excep
tonaly bad weather conditions which prevailed during
the fall and wnted cononed with field labor shortage
the influenza epidemic the delays and gross neglect
of the transportation agencies have through actual loss
AZ eIu anu udlIdge by exposure still further reduc
ed the amount of cotton available for the wants
OF the world; and in spite the fact that the foreign
mills are practically destitute of supplies and the
American spinners have stocks sufficient for only
short period ahead in spite of all these factors of dan
ger in the supply situation which should logically alarm
the spinning world, find spnners' demand not on
- extraordinarily lax, but in ste of our foreign
brethren We observe the astonishing development that
the English market which practically bare of cotton
has been constant heavy seller in the markets of
America where cotton for time being is plentiful
The explanation of this illogical behavior on the
part OF the spinning interests sadly obvious The in
terests in question realizing that they must have the
cotton which is being held by the farmers and
merchants of the South are bent upon stampeding
these holders parting with their cotton at nrices
greatly below the cost of production and runous to them
in order that they the manufacturing interests NAV in
crease already Internationally swollen profits In this
effort to demoraze the spot holders and produce cot
supported by crowd of bear spectators who care moth
ing for the depreciation of great American product
for the distress of great division of the American
people, long as they can make money thereby These
latter the would-be corpse-robbers in the play
1.-THE first great effort to sandbag the spot holder
made Immediately after signing the armisce
by the nations at war The farmers and merchants