Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-03

In an interesting letter to the
readers of The Semi-Weekly Jour
nal, Senator Hoke Smith today sum-
married. events of the past several
years in congress in which farmers
are particularly interested. Briefly
he gives also the history of legis
lation enacted during the years that
he has been in the senate, and
touches upon the happenings in con-
gress during the period of the world
war. In a second letter he will dis
cuss more fully the war record of
congress. The first letter follows:
United States Senate, Washington,
u. c., January IS, 1920. To the Read
ers of The Semi-Weekly Journal: 1
have been kept in Washington so
constantly since have represented
you in the senate that 1 have had an
opportunity to see and talk with few
of you. I am writing to your about
some of my work here. and as most
of you are interested in agriculture
1 will tell you especially what l
have been trying to do to serve YOU.
I appreciate the goodwill of my fell
low-citizens. and do not wish to hold
office unless my work is of real
value to you, and unless you think
it is.
Let me fir st refer to some of the
legislation of 4 general character
which we have passed since l have
been in the senate.
We have created a system of fed
eral reserve banks. Under this sys-
tenn panics have been avoided and
the entire country has been free from
the control of it's money by few
big banks in New York City. The
federal reserve banking system is
Of especial value to our section, be-
cause it makes it possible to obtain
money when our agricultural prod
ucts come upon the market, and 1t
helps the farmers and the merchants
hold these products until consumers
need to buy them. l took an active
part in perfecting and passing the
act which created the federal reserve
banks. I also helped prepare, and
actively supported the act which Gre
ated our farm loan system.
I helped perfect and actively sup
ported in their passage the acts
which created the enlarged parcels
post system and our national aid to
good roads.
The act providing for extension
work from the Colleges of Agriculture
by farm demonstrators; the act Gre
ating the vocational educational
work; and the act providing for the
rehabilitation of wounded soldiers
we're all introduced by me, and L
steered them, through the senate and
contributed also to their passage in
the house.
The act regulating cotton ex-
changes was the work of Senator
Smith, of South Carolina, Congress
man Lever. and myself. The act
creating the market division in the
development of agriculture original
ed with officers of the Farm
union, but l introduced it in the sem
ate and am responsible for it's adop-
ton by congress.
[ wish now to come to matters hap
pening after the war commenced-ln
the summer Of 1914.
You remember that we raised an
immense crop of cotton in 1914, and
you began marketing it just after
the war commenced. A great num-
Der of your European markets were
cut off; our federal reserve banking
system had not begun operating
there was scarcely any foreign mar
ket for cotton, and domestic consum-
ers were not in a position to buy.
Cotton. went down to less than &c
per pound.
I introduced in the senate a bill
authorizing the government to swap
bonds for cotton up to loo per pound
and to store five million bales, TAX
| ing it off the market for two years
But the administration opposed the
bill, and 1 did not receive the sup
port even of all the senator's from
| the southern states.
On the 22d of October, having
learned that your middle and north
ern European markets were entlrel!
cut off by threats printed in Londol
| papers that the British government
was about to seiTe all cotton ship
ped to that section, 1 introduced
| resolution in the senate providing TO
| the appointment Of a committee t
| investigate the subject. The senat
gave me unanimous consent for i'm
mediate passage of the resolution
and the next morning, with my com
mittee, 1 went to the state depart
ment and laid the facts before tn
| dCllllS S0CISLdly VI oI1NO" liz &c"
the British ambassador that after
noon, and on the 26th of October tn
British ambassador filed with the sec
rotary of state a written declare
ton that the British government di
not intend to interfere with cotto
shipments to northern Europe or t
| Germany, and that so far as Grea
Britain was concerned, shipments o
cotton were free from interference
and would remain So"
1 wired this news from Galvesto
to Boston, and in thirty days man
vessels were carrying cotton to
the ports of northern Europe, an
in December, January and FebruaT
following, we sold nearly 100000
bales of cotton into that section
This so far relieved the strain tina
cotton went up, by March /, 1915,
10 cents per pound.
On March /, 1915, Great Britai
issued the celebrated order, annount
ing the purpose to seize and carr
into English ports all goods of enc
my origin and destination" Cotto
at the time was. and always ia
been, what is called ''non-contraband
that is to say. q commodity s
much used for the good of those nc
actually IN military service, that
could not be considered war supple
and, therefore, could not be intel
fered with during a war by eithe
of the countries engaged in the wa
even though it was going to a
enemy country.
No country had ever before sougl
| to make cotton contraband excel
Russia during the Japanese wa
| When Russia sought to do SO. Gree