The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-11-19

by b. Harms, commissioner OF aSr'-
culture:
Why should we be alarmed?
When we recall 1914 when the world
wide war broke out cotton dropped
six cents pound just in short time.
"A crop of 100000 bales. The
balance of that crop sold for 10
cents PEI. pound. 1 want you to re-
member what condition the banks of
the South were in at that time.
Now with not enough cotton for
the. demands of the world consump-
tion, the trouble has. been in the dis
tribution of it. The export corpora
tion. which is about completed will
in measure remedy that drawback.
:. Our institutions are solid. Our
banks are in splendid condition, bet
ter than they have ever been known,
and they have been made so by the
peoples money, resulting from the
prosperity of the producers during
the last few years. Their interests
are the peoples interests and the
PEOPLES interests are their interest.
We ask for full cooperation and we
\ in the. South can settle this question.
The world wants our cotton, the
like Of which can not be obtained
elsewhere. We must look to our
own selves to settle these problems
and we. can do St fer the South is
one Of the most resourceful countries
in the world. The law of supply and
demand has been set aside for the s
> presentsbut you may rest assured
that 1t Ii the nafafal law and it can
be ignored only for time and it will
reestablish itself. Now, how is this
demand to be brought about by the
farmers? BY holding his cotton off
t the : market until the world needs it
for consumption and then the spin
ners will pay your price as set by the
American Cotton association. We
have whipped the bears five years in
succession. Just remember 1917
when cotton was selling for Is cents,
We named the price s5 cents and
called upon the farmers to hold for
that figure, and all who held got it.
You are now in much better condi-
tion to get the price named-4o cents
than you were in 1917.
We farmers are too ready to for
get the victories we have won.
want to say to the world that every
time for the last ten years the farm
ers have set the price of cotton it
has gone there before another crop
has been marketed-and this year
will be no exception, if we stick.
Just remember that this great drop
in price has been brought about by
a scare which caused the Texas
farmers to. throw 100000 bales on
the market thus helping the very fac
tors that were opposing the prosperi-
ty of the producers.
There is not enough cotton to fill
the demands Of the worlds con-
sumption today and with the export
ing of cotton which is bound to be
more this year than last, and with
the cotton export corporation and al
lied corporations being formed
there is no need to, be alarmed about
the price of cotton. All the farmer
has to do is to sit steady in the boat
and hold his cotton until the demands
of the world, which will be before
another crop can be made and gath
cred.
All that we can ask is the full CO.
operation of the bankers and busl-
ness men of the South to help to
protect this cotton crop and make 1t
sell for over and above the cost of
production. If that IS done, the II
nancial condition of the South will
be better than it has ever been
known, for we have the cotton and
the world must have it before anoth-
er crop-or the manufacturing inter-
ests will have to stop and this they
will NOT do for machinery was made
to run and to turn in dividends,
which it can't do if it is standing
still.
The farmers have got the situation
entirely in their own hands and
believe that they are going to act
more in a businesslike manner and
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