The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-01
|Cotton-What to
Do With 1t
Commissioner of Agriculture
Harris States His Wives of
the Situation.

Columbia, Feb. 27-Cotton what
TO do with It? That is the question
tha. is uppoymost in many minds. b
Harris, Commissioner OF Agriculture
mas been giving this question most OF
his attention fc: al of his life, and he
insists that il other countries can fix
the price CT the commodities which
they grow. the South should be able
g fix the-pr.ce OF cotton.
Really, We have no cotton market
aow, and will. have none until W.
have worldwide and unrestricted in
tercourse with all other nations.
says Mr.. Harris. This. OF course. ma.
not come until the treaty Of peace
has been signed. although the allies
nave I,f.ed the blockade in the Med
iterranean. l see by the news re-
ports that ca The 18th instant exports
~ere 81 900 bales against 5000 for
;he same day last year. The reason
why Slcf heavy exports are not stiff
fcn:!;g :hc market is because the
shipments consist OF cotton belonging
tc English, French, Italian and Span
ish cotton mills ard merchants and
nave been carried il the American
ports for the last year or two. AMI
n some instances longer.
No new buying is in evidence. but
It's stock OF cotton Will he exhausted.
soon. and somebody viii have 20 be-
gin to buy. 1t is amusing just 10
think that a few months ago how
enthusiastic the balls were to buy at
3: conts. How can they have ;he
I.nart TO talk bear dope ct % cents
when there is no more cotton now
Tor t;.c worlds consumption than
y 2en they were giving - cents? They.
VIII talk to YOU abc:t the great
abundance OF stocks of dry goods on
hand in me retail stores and the same
t.,ne they Will have TO confess that
the merchants are buying from hand
20 mouth basis. AS soon as the ar
r7istice was signed, every cotton i'aill
and every hcar!sh cotton trader in
world that about five million bales
would be all that the world would
consume. even if it should be able TO
handle that amount.
'''rhe best authorities say now that
there is not enough cotton fer tilc
supp! Of the wrid's needs. but the
s2prly is more than The world VIII
take with conditions as they are.
Conditions will change. and when
they Go there Will DO son,ethirG do
ing in the market that viii be inter-
cS;i:. TO the ..:an VINO has cotton. So
much for the situ;;1ion--herc is the !
remedy
You farmers and bankers have il {,
in yoUr hands. Held the 1918 cro:,
off the market: cut acreage 81 i;
per cent and fertilizer anywhere from
33 i-3 to % per cent. Don't fail to
do these things if you want to win.
You have the best hand in the game
and don't give it away.
Let us see what is to be gained by
following this program:
First you will show the spccula-
tors OF the world that we will not
allow our own God-givcn mcnoply-
wnich IS cotton the great money crop
Of the South and the South raises 20
per cent of it to clothe the world
10 Ec handled by :, bunch OF manint:
Ia:ors 20 enrich themselves and the
peopl;. who gave it. go so poorly clad
hat they have not enough clothes to
keep them warm in winter.
We have been milking this o!'i
:ow long enough and milking and
,lrilinS the milk ever TO the o:hc:'
fellow We arc going TO milk for
sur os2n selves in the future
Let's make :: little calculation u
;ee what We would lose if we were to
!, 20 the remainder OF or 1915
cl,o3p at today's prices, quoted at p
certs From the best authority we
,an get we now have go 600 bales IL
this State If sold at present spot
price it would bring $93.773o, geo. l.
held and sold for 80 cents the re-
mainder Of the crop would bring
S131,250, 900. If sold at present !.