The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-05-23
THE COST OF COTTON
TO TH{ SOUTH
Mr.. J. s. WAf,NAMAkER GIVES
SURPRISING FACTS.
STATEMENTS OF liners
South Realizes Its Future Is at
Stake and Must Act
Accordingly.

Mr.. J. Skottowe Wannamaker,
chairman OF the South Carolina Cot
ton Association, upon the request OF
a we'll known magazine that he fur
nish them with statement showing
the cost Of cotton to the South" sent
them the following article:
Cost Of Cotton to the South.
First, as to the cost Of cotton to
the South. have estimated the cost
Of cotton to the South includes the
following:
1. The production of cotton cost the
South slavery.
;. It caused the War Between the
States.
;. The production Of cotton has
brought slave labor. Regardless Of the
f.et that cotton is a handmade prod
uet, a price has been established on
cotton on the basis Of slave-labor,
from which price it has never been
removed.
T.. It caused the South to become
cotton slaves.
5. 1t caused the South to merely e1-
fst; denying to the producers the ne
eessities and comforts Of life.
s. To produce cotton and exist at
the price paid for it by the manipu-
fator necessitated the establishment
Of starvation wages in the South,
which exist even unto today. (
Z. It has caused the illiteracy Of
the South, through tho manipulations
Of the cotton bears.
8. It has caused the impoverishment
and pauperism Of the South.
8. The production Of cotton has
caused the bad roads Of the South,
through the impoverishment OF the
producer by the manipulation.
TO-, It has driven from the rural
communities the white man, who Is
NO longer contented to exc out an e1-
tstence; to deny to himself and his
family the comforts and necessities OF
life; to work without a fair remunera-
-tion-
II. II fs even driving the negro
.xwzy; he has received q new vision;
he is no longer satisfied with his un-
comfortable surroundings; he is insuf-
ficfently clothed.
Has Made Other Sections Prosperous.
Il Il has made other sections oi
the country prosperous; it has tat
toned the bears and manipulators OF
tho North; it has blessed mankind IN
every spot Of the globe where the
sun shines except in the South. whore
II has proved curse.
II. The production Of cotton IN tho
south today has caused the descend
.anfs Of the people who fought to
bruak the chains of physical slavery
from the black msa to fight for the
purpose Of forging the chains OF
slaysry, Of poverty, Of illiteracy on
.ths women and children working IN
,ths cotton folds, both white and
bIeck, stih tighter.
Il 4 has dlled the grave-yares OF
de 1outh with mon, women and lit
.sIe children who existed and passed
away without necessities, comforts
land education.
' fs. Il has created one Of the great
:est gambling hslls on this globe. the
iNsw York Cotton Exchange, extend
ing its damnable and blightins ma
:nfpulatiens and scaemes throughout
Iosr 1atica; fattenins and prosperins
tho Eamblers and manipulators On the
.Iife.blood Of the toilef.
! le. The production Of cotton In the
.South has caused the producer to be-
come q commercial cannibal, this be-
ing sbsoluteay necessary to enable
him to exist. He has destroyed his
forestry, neeced Ills soil OF Its fer
,tility; existed on his natural assets;
denying to himself and his family
reasonable hours Of work and proper
working conditions; a decent home;
the opportunity to play and to learn.
IT. It has caused child labor. in the
South. It has caused the women and
,ch.ldren Of the South, both white and
sb1ack. to perform not only labor, re-
ir.rdress Of hours, but even to per
form the manual labor OF tillins the
:sofl with the plow. (White women
and colored women can be seen plow
ing the cotton fields OF the South
with little barefooted children plod
ding along behind them, scattering
compost, and performing their WORK
from the break Of day to the twilight
:-underfed, impoverished, half-clotn'
ed. worn and weary
IS. It has caused the producer OF
cotton to 60 without the necessary
;cotton clothing-the white man sell
dom having enough to meet the re-
;mfrements Of health and hygiene; the
negro being seldom blessed with more
than four cotton undersuits-one 1or
i7ife use. one when he joins the church'
|one when he marries the hrst time
- and one when he is buried. (Thls De-
ling in excess Of the aXeFages9 :. N Z.
4. 20 the Cost Of Production Of Cotton
In the South.
requested the Hon. d. H. houston
,s.cretary OF Agriculture. to furnish