The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-02

develops there is usually "n appeal made to Congress to aid the tototn farmer by some sort of legislation. This is usual ly led by some politician, or by some- body who has a job and wants to Justlfy his continuing to hold that job. It is the writer's observation that these appeals do not reflect the attitude of the great body of the farmers. As rule they look upon such developments with indiffer- cree and this is what they are doing to- day. They know that the price of future contracts does not mean similar prlce for their cotton; they know that the price at which cotton that has passed out of their hands may be selling ooes not, at all, mean the price at which the know that the vital matter Is the con- know that the vital matetr is the con- trol of the supply and the price and they are concentrating every ounce of their attention and resources to retain and maintain this control with an iron hand. A supply of cotton. and at a price, ade- quate to keeping the spindles of the world going on full time and on prof itable basis 'is, unquestionably, the soundest policy for the cotton produc- ing interest to pursue. This view has been consistently supported by the writer 1 in many contributions to the literature | of cotton economics during the last 10 years. He has always maintained. how | ever that such a policy would, especial | ly under present world conditions, be
 dangerously unsound if 1t did not mean
 that the production of cotton would be
 kept on profitable basis also, and that the scale of living for the laborer would ,be lifted, especially in the future. well
 above any he ever enjoyed in the past This view is unquestionably the deter
 mining influence In shaping the policy of 1 the cotton producing interest of the
 south today and will continue to be for 1 the future.
 l Every careful student of industria I conditions in the south realizes that \
 was the low living conditions of those
 who performed the manual labor in pro-
 ducing cotton that made pre-war prices
 low Cotton would have brought 25 to g cents long before the war had the laborel l got out of it's production anything like 1 the living every decent citizen of this 1 country is entitled to- It would obvious lly have taken such a price to pay for
 such a scale of living. A return to these
 old conditions of economic slavery is
 definitely threatened by present market developments, hence, the writer feels that
 the cotton growers are fully justified ir 1 resolutely holding on to their cotton anc
 radically cutting down the supply pro duced the coming year and letting the consuming world take care of the con sequences whatever they may be.
 1 There is no doubt about such a method
 being absolutely effective in meeting the present crisis and in securing. definite lily. the absolute control of the liquida- ltion of the cotton crops to those whe perform the labor in their production All signs point to the south winning this fight and forever establishing the pri macy of the southern country in the cottor affairs of the world. Since it has sig. Inificant bearing on the situation. it should lbe stated thst, so far. the amount oi cotton that has passed out of the hands of the producers for less than s cent. lis really negligible.