The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-11-02

siderably very soon.
THE COTTON MEETING.
There was a cotton meeting at the
state fair one day last week. There
were several speeches and some reso-
lutions adopted. The cotton sitla-
ton is serious and the price is such
that it means many of the cotton
farmers will be left very much in
debt if they have to sell. But il
times like these it is well for every
one to keep his head and not get ex-
cited or go to extremes.
One resolution was to ask the gov
ernor to call an extra session of tn,
legislature and have the time fer
paying taxes extended to next July
or at least half the amount. Cover
nor Cooper has very properly ar
nounced that he will not call the
legislature in. extra session and to
do so would give no relief. The
time is now extended to the first OF
March with a very light penalty.
Many people 90 not pay any way un-
til the first Of March, and pay The
small penalty. And even if the tine
had been extended as requested i;
would have been but very little re-
lief if any to the average cotton
farmer. because while he talks about
high taxes a good deal, as matter
of fact the tax is not much Of bu2-
den. And besides the machinery o.
government must be kept running
and it must have money to make the
wheels go round.
Another resolution was to stop all
gins. Really we do not see where
that would give any relief. Better
gin the cotton and then we can save
it in merchantable shape and can use
it as collateral and it can be han
died much easier.
And then the resolution to make
it misdemeanor not to reduce the
acreage one-third next year was
passed. That could not be enforced
if such law were passed. The SEN
sible farmer is going to reduce the
acreage in cotton without any law to
force him. because he will have suf-
ficient good business judgment not
to keep on growing something which
costs him more to grow than he can
receive for it. The truth is the man
who grows all he needs for the farm
on the farm and makes his cotton his
surplus crop is the only one as a lale
who ever makes any real money in
this country farming, it makes very
little difference what the price OF
cotton may be.
Then there was resolution re-
questing President Wilson to ask the
resignation of Mr.. Houston and to
appoint Mr.. McAdoo. That will not
be done, of course, but it seems to
US that it was about the best resclu-
ton that was adopted at this meet
ing. May be if Mr.. McAdoo was in
the position some arrangement could
be made to open trade relations with
central Europe, and market could
be found for our cotton at profit
able price, and Mr.. Houston seems
to be opposed to any such plan.
The thing to relieve the situation
and get fair price for this cotton
crop is to find a market for it where
the people need it, and it is said that
there are people in central Europe
who have the mills and the labor and
need the cotton, but they need some
help in the financing Of it. There is
not an over production, if we could
get it to the people who want it and
who need it. And who are prepared
to manufacture it. And that leads us
to say that we think the most SEN
sible thing the farmers have done in
this time of stress is to organize this
exports corporation, and it should be
an easy matter to raise the n~- ..sary
money to put it over. The pity is
the organization was not undertaken
sooner so that the small farmer could
have received the advantage which
we are sure will follow this organiza-
ton. We are very anxious to see
this corporation begin functionlng
and we believe that as soon as 1t
does you will see the price of cotton
advance. The world needs our cot
ton and our foodstuffs. And there
should be arrangement made by
which we could sell it to the people
who need it.