The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-02-28
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2S,, 1919.
THE PLEDGE PROGRAM.

Delegates from different sections
of the county will meet in the court
house today to discuss the matter of
a reduction in the acreage to be
planted in cotton during the present
year. We have already indicated
that we cannot advise the people of
Abbeville County to sign the pledge
which has been prepared for them in
advance. We believe that in great
many instances it would be suicidal
financial policy, to do so. But we in
dicated at the same time that we
favored the plan to quit the one
crop idea and thus to reduce the cot
ton acreage.
y We favor ,diversifcation of crops,
and the producing on the farms of
Abbeville County all those things
necessary for the farms. We believe
that the meeting which is to be held
today can be of great benefit to the
people in Abbeville County if it will
adopt a sensible program, and get
down to business along correct prin-
ciples.
Looking to that end, we are able
to advise the farmers Of Abbeville
County that it will be great mis-
take in our judgment for them to
buy the high priced necessities of life
= for the purpose of producing a crop
this year, and then produce nothing
but cotton. Bread and meat are in
greater demand in the world today
than anything else. They will con-
tinue to be in demand, and will be
the last farm products to 60 back to
pre-war prices, because that demand
for sometime to come will be press
ing one. Now, we would not dis
courage any man to hold cotton who
desires to do so. His judgment is
as good as ours, perhaps better; and
his information may be a great deal
fuller than ours, but, nevertheless,
we warn the farmers of Abbeville
County that if they plant cotton this
year for thirty cents per pound, or
twenty-five cents per pound, they
are going to be disappointed. We
should not be surprised to see cotton
sell for twenty cents and even below
twenty cents per pound, if the South
this year produces large crop, or
even il it does not. The people must
remember that before there can be
a trade there must be a seller, and
there must be a buyer, and the
BUYER MUST BE ABLE TO BUY.
The old world is impoverished. In
the years before the war the people
were fairly prosperous, at least they
had enough to enable them to buy
what they wanted; but now that the
war is over, and industry is at a
stand still, and will so remain for
long time; now that the people are
returning to the places where they
formerly dwelt, and are finding that
they must begin all over again and
rebuild their homes, and reestablish
themselves in life, there will not be
money to invest in cotton goods ex-
cept from the most urgent necessity.
Therefore, the demand will not be
what it was before the war, and the
farmers need not expect cotton to
bring big prices in the future. They
need not expect cotton to be in de-
mand as are meat and bread, because
these latter things must be had, while
cotton goods may be to a great ex-
tent dispensed with.
What then is the sensible thing for
every farmer, be he landlord or ten
ant, to do? He must look about him
self and do what is best to be done.
And it is useless to say again, after
It has been said SO many times, that
he should begin to produce some
meat and bread. We believe that ev-
Arv farmer shou1d n1ant Of roouf t,uo