The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1920-07-08
WM. G. McADOO.

Yorkville Enquirer.
Judging the tree by its fruits ana
the man by his record, there Is ao-
soluteIy no question of the fact that
William G.. McAdoo has shown great
Ier friendship for and greater willing
ness and ability to help the south
than any other nationa! executive VINO
has ever been in a position to help
or hurt.
From the close of the Civil war up
to 1914, the south was held In as
+conplete and as CALLING commercial
industrial and financial bondage TO
the northwest and to England as any
other people have ever been held to
any other masters without their be-
ing actually shackled with chains and
guarded with lashes, dogs and guns.
The means by which this bondage
vas enforced of course was control OF
the worlds finances in London and
operating on the cotton growers
through agents and associates in New
Y ork who together managed the stu
pendous enterprise in such way as
to Yield the largest possible return
for themselves and their numerous
assistants and dependents withou. ac-
tually killing the goose that was lay
ing the golden eggs. Several times,
as every one reasonably familiar with
the history of cotton production In
the south since the Civil war is aware
the industry was all but throttled to
death, and literally starved into adopt
ins to a limited extent the only pol
icy that can ever bring complete and
permanent relief from its thralldom-
a policy of raising supplies at home:
But it was in this crisis Of 1914
that Mr., McAdoo figured. The break
ing out of the great war took all the
Immediate attention of the supreme
master, England, elsewhere. and the
cotton slaves of the south were aban-
doned. The price of cotton went down
from what was looked upon as really
good to worse than nothing, and the
condition of the cotton serfs became
not only pitiable but desperate.
Then developed a circumstance
which should be marked with mon
ument that would ever scar the rec
objection Of 1t in the minds OF these
people. Although our country was at
peace with the world and possessed
o: millions of bales of cotton, not one
bale of this cotton could we sell, and
worse than that not producer OF
cotton could borrow dollar on his
unsold crop.
To all present appearances and by
all the precedents of the past fifty
years the situation was absolutely
hopeless and even yet our people did
not seem to realize the trouble except
that in a general way that England
was in war and was not disposed to
take our cotton then because she did
not need 1t especially and would not
let us sell 1t to Germany because she
would want 1t herself later on.
There was nobody caring about the
south just then except the people OF
the south. The north did not care
because whatever suited England suit
ed 1t. and besides 1t realized with
pleasant anticipation how IL southern
cotton had to be sacrificed for song
1t would furnish the song and after
ward reap the tremendous profit that
would be sure to come sooner or later
Then it was that Mr. McAdoo at that
time secretary of the treasury, came
to the rescue of the south by putting
into effect a suggestion that had been
made to him by Hon John L. McLau,
Lin, the father of the South Carolina
state warehouse system.
This suggestion was that the re,
gional reserve bank would discount al