The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-05
The Cotton Situation
Address Delivered by Prof. >.
w. Watkins of Clemson Col
lege at Abbeville.

lege at AbbevilLe.
The following is the substance OF an
address by Acting Director of E:-ten-
sion, D. W. Watkins, at Abbevilie, S:
c., on Acreage Reduction Day, Feb
ruary 2S:
The cotton belt has been spoken Of
for many years as solid agriculturally
and commercially. AS a result the
Southern working man, w. and
black, labors longer for less pay than
any class Of labor in the United
States
The first real opportunity for the
South to become commercially and
agriculturally solid is hers now. The
cotton holding and acreage reduction
movement has covered the South anc
has for the first time the support no
only of the farmers, but OF bankers
merchants. the press and OF all lesiti-
mate business interests in the South
In Texas, I am told, there are l.
500 business men and farmers work
ing to get pledges signed and that
they are having an easy time getting
the pledges signed. North Carolina.
Louisiana. Mississippi Alabama, and
Georgia have already adopted simila:
programs and pledges are being
signed hy the hundreds Of Thousands
Between now and planting time every
cotton planter in the cotton belt wiz
be given an opportunity to notify
the world that he intends to reduce
his "a acEeage.
Heretofore such movements, while
they have aimed to attain desirable
end, have failed because the far1ne:
did not receive the support NJ the
banker and the merchant The move
sment now has the support of both
bankers and merchants. There are
banks in South Carolina today. l ali
told. (which are not cashlns custom
er's checks for the reason. that they
rave loaned so much money on cot
ton to enable farmers to hold 1t Tor
fair rice. The bankers of the
South are solid behind the movement.
Merchants also realize that unless
profits are realized in cotton produc-
ton their business cannot proper.
We. of the South, are all in the same
boat and the interests of all Of US de-
mand that cotton shall bring a price
that Will support the kind of clvlll-
zatien which we are now determined
to have. The bankers and mer-
chants are ready to go the limit IN
helping to establish southern COM
nercial and agricultural independ-
ence. What is the farmers part IN
such an effort?
First, every farmer must produce
all the corn, oats, hay, forage, wheat,
syrup, Irish and sweet potatoes. veg
etables, pork, milk, butter, fruit and
other products of the soil needed to
properly nourish every person living
on the farm for $50 days in the Year.
Each farmer should produce small
surplus of some Of these things Tor
the city folks within the cotton belt
This is an old and oft-rereated rem
edy but. there is none other to take
its place.
Second. put children OF school age
in school and keep them there. WhE
work children in competition Win
each other in the cotton fields OF the
South when by taking them out OF
the fields and putting them in sehoo'
where they should be. We rcallZ"
more money from the resulting
smaller crop of cotton. n snail crop
brings more money than a large one
The South has suffered for fifty years
from an overproduction of cotton. f5E
taking the children out Of the co;tos
field and putting them in school we
will not only educate them at no cos,
but will realize a profit on TIE trans
action. At the same time we snail De
wiping out the blot of ilhteracy from
the South. What remedies have we
then FOR our present condition Oh
slavery to cotton? First. educatlon'
second, a sound farming program Tor
every farm.
Some will claim that all farmers
will not unite on this and that un2teo
effort is necessary to bring ABOUT
higher priced cotton. Let us suppose
YOU do put your children in school
eight or nine months in the year, cut
YOUR ,COlION dSI cdES t1ii''
living at home, while the majority
of farmers do not act with YOU. WHAT
! is the situation at the end OF the
wear? 1t is this. You will have some
cheap cotton. and very few neccssttles
| to buy. and Your children are normal
md intelligent The other 12an has lost
of cheap cotton. laany necessities tc
| oe supplied out Of cotton money. ARC
children who have lost the $oid"i:
opportunity that should have bees
theirs. Which 90 you ehoose:
Much propaganda is hei&& c::cu-
! lated at present in the magazines and
| newspapers Of the United States
which purports to show coios:;a
prosperity in the South. As mat
ter of fact the South IS i"sS
| prosperous than any other asrie,lt1ir-
! al section Of the country. y CON-
pari::on Of the bank deposits IN ;h'
diff ,rcnt sections is 4 good. method OF
determining the relative proSi'e"it!
Of each section The hanks q II
diana and Ohio two States wn:rh
taken together, arc so far rs area is