Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-08-05
ARE COTTON MANUFACTURERS PATRIoTIc7

Many wild and visionary schemes have been agitat-
ed for coton-growng all the world wherever clr
matte conditions would seem indicate the possibility
of raising cotton French manufacturers have told of the
efforts of the French government to increase cotton pro-
duction in colonies. German consumers were once
enthusiastic about the efforts of the German government
to raise cotton in all of the tropical regions of the Ger
man colonies Portugal sometimes joined in the same
line Of thought, of The cotton spinners of
Great Britain have told about what that country was
preparing to do in increasing cotton in Egypt and in
India and in distant parts of the world Few of them
nowadays make any reference to the fact that similar
efforts had been under way for about 100 years. and
that what European governments doing is only what
number of them have been doing since shortly after
the wonderful development of the cotton industry in
this country in the early part of the nineteenth century
The cry of Herr Kuffler, 1--WE want cheap cotton "
has been the cry of century, and yet only and
then has there arisen man of standing in the manu-
facture of cotton who had the courage to take the
ground that the way to get cotton in abundance to
pay good living profit to the grower.
The theory of the majority of cotton manufactur-
ers, especially of Europe and to extent of New
England always has been to bear the price of cotton
and in times of advancing price to insist always to the
public that there foundation for higher prices
of cotton and necessarily the public felt that there
justification for paying higher price for cotton
goods Until the cotton industry of the world com
petey changes its mentality these points and recog
nzes that cotton is necessity for the worlds cloth
ing and that living price must be paid to the grower
the world will be willing pay the manufacturer
uniformly profitable price for his product. The grow
er must first be given good living profit and hence
forth the grower is going get this and to the manu-
facurer the question is what profit the latter will gel
out of the consumer by taking intelligent view
of the Importance of cotton to the world than he has
done in the past.
We do not believe that the cotton manufacturers
of New England in any way less patriotic than othe
leading business men of that section We do not believe
that they are in ally way hostile to the best interest,"
of the South Some of them have been msled by sucl
unfortunate statements that sseud by Mr.. Durfee
secretary of the New England Cotton Buyers Asso
cation few months ago. and by somewhat similar crit
csm in New England papers, The New England cot
ton mill are broadguaged in their natonalism, ant
We oCleNe IdI large VI them
interested in seeing the cotton grower gain fair prof
for his labor but in times past they have been largely
msled by the foolish statements put out to the
of cotton production.
The average tenant farmer in the South raises tiv
six bales of cotton through his own work and tht
labor of his wife and children When cotton sold a
or 10 cents pound or $40 or $50 bale, this meant
gross income of, say, from 5000 to $3.50 year for hi
cror, with small amount to be added for the seed
Onethrd to onehalf of this must be paid to the land
owner and out of the remainder beggarly sum indeed
would have to the of fertilizers and the keep
ing Of his horse mule and the wear and tear Of h
little equipment, and the balance if any, he would
have to exc out scanty existence and always lemaf
in debt
Had the farm laborer or the tenant farmer in the
South ever received wages commensurate with the
wages paid in other parts of the country it would never
have been possible during the last fifty years for the
small farmer owning his land or the tenant farm
to raise cotton at 10 or IL cents pound
Cotton has been sold in the past at the low price
prevailing because nothing allowed for the labor OF
he and his wife and children and nothing was al
owed for the deterioration of soil and the farm nipple
nents It simply struggle to exist from year to
year. But these facts the cotton manufacturers of the
world did not understand and they would not read as