The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-08-09
THE PEANUT INDUSTRY
AND THE PROTECTIVE TARIFF


question. To be true the insect has
been found here and there, but it has
not yet been determined whether he
will be able to do US much damage,
that is, in this immediate section.
But whether he comes to Abbeville
County or not, the weevil will do
much damage in other parts of the
state. That much is settled.
And because people believe this to
be true, they have been casting about
to find some crop to take the place
of cotton. In South Georgia we have
been told that the peanut was much
more profitable crop than cotton, and
the people in this section have been
looking hopefully to the peanut as
a means of escape if the boil weevil
ATTACKS us in earnest.
In view of these facts the follow
ing from the Manufacturers Record
will be of interest to the readers of
this paper:
The first National Peanut Conven-
tion, held recently in Norfolk, dis
closed the fact that the great peanut
industry, which has been looked to in
whole sections of the South as the
economic weapon with which 70 COM
bat the boll-weevil is in danger of
extinction. Increasing imports from
China, Japan and India, the conven-
ton declared, have demoralized the
American market "because the i'm
ported nuts are being differed at a
price from 8 to S cents per pound
less"
That is from $50 to 500 ton in
favor Of the Eastern coolie. 1t repre-
sents a form Of competition which
no people accustomed to a decent
standard of living can meet. And if
the differential is so large, in spite of
comparatively heavy rates, what will
it be when ocean rates decrease!
Nor will the fall in the price of sill
yer be a factor favorable to Ameri
can peanut growers. 1t will multiply
the advantage the coolie has.
Moreover, it is worth while IT,
point out that interests favoring low
prices for cotton may be expected to
be more than jubilant over this great
peril to the peanut industry. 1t may
be possible, it is reasoned, to drive
the Southern farmer back into cotton
production if the growing of peanuts
is made improbable for him. I
The Norfolk Convention devoted
it's entire session of the first day to
a consideration of a protective tariff,
resolutions favoring the tariff being
adopted.
The convention made plans to or
ganize and educate the farmers in
every peanut-producing section. PAM
phlets descriptive of the situation
and exposing the necessity of tar
iff barrier against Orienta1 peanuts
will be distributed from every pea
nut mill in the South as d center.
Candidates for Congress will be
queried and compelled to state def
nitely whether or not they will vote
for the protection of the industry.
We regard the situation as Of fun
damental economic and political i'm
portance. 1t means that there must
come into existence whole galaxy
cf protection Democrats, or that
whole sections of the South will turn
to the Republican party for relief.
In other words, the march Of events
has made the old fighting ground Of
the two parties untenable., Protection
sentiment is being nationaiized. It
was always, in fact, Amer :can policy
rather than a party policy, and the
time is coming when Democrats will
have tc so recognize it. Otherwise,
they will be repudiated in their own
strongholds.
The right of an American producer
to be protected by his Government
against 8-cents-a-day labor in the
East is real and national right.
1t is not in any respect, or ought not
to be, partisan matter. 1t is a
theory and a principle to which vot-