The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-07-27
Senator Smith Tells Of
Fight to Save Cotton

removed from our carry-over Of
cotton helped the price of cotton
for years
Great Britain Changed Front.
On March /, 1915, Great Britain
announced the blockade of German
ports and her purpose to "seize
all goods Of enemy origin or desti-
nation" This order was illegal, SO
far as it applied to neutral coun-
tries. We had the right to ship
non-contraband goods through neu-
trail ports into Germany and Aus
tria. I protested this action by
Great Britain on the floor of the
senate and in the press, paying fire.
quently forAthe publications, my
self.
"On March g., President Wilson,
through the secretary of state, pro-
tested to Great Britain against this
interference with our trade. The
right to make such shipments had
been insisted upon under similar
circumstances by the United States,
urged by Thomas Jefferson, and
conceded by Great Britain for over
a hundred years.
FINALLY, on August 81, 1915,
Great Britain passed an order max
ing cotton contraband. This was
illegal. No country can make con-
traband any article except those
used principally for military pur-
poses. Only once before had
country sought to make cotton con-
traband. Russia did this during
the Russo-Japanese war, at which
time Great Britain protested its
legality, and Russia abandoned it.
Great Britain Lessened the Loss.
"Great Britain knew that her
course was a just cause of offense
to the people Of the United States,
and seeking to lessen the hostility
it caused, British interests bought
large quantities of cotton immedi-
ately following the order making
cotton contraband. Prior to that,
in July had been advised that
British interests would undertake
to make up to the cotton grower
the loss of our German and Aus
TRAN market if I, and certain of my
colleagues, would cease criticizing
Great Britain.
British interests bought nearly
100000 bales of cotton during
the last week in August and in
September, 1915, and these pur-
| chases were made to lessen
criticism directed at Great Britain
because of her illegal treatment Of
our cotton shipments.
"The first of September, 1915,
cotton began to rise in price and
the hope that we would ship it
into Germany caused German in
terests to purchase heavily, with a
view of holding it to ship to Ger
many when the illegal blockade OF
Great Britain was removed. This
together with the 100000 bales
shipped into Germany and Austria,
restored, in the fall Of 1915, the
normal price of cotton, and cotton
sold during that season at figures
higher than it sold for prior to the
beginning Of the war.
II was active in defending the
neutral rights of my cotton-produc-
ing constituents, and / never
stopped demanding for them their
rights until it was evident we
would enter the war with Germany.
""You we'll know I was not inter-
ested in Germany, and that was
not pro-German. I was pro-Ameri-
can, pro-Georgian and projection
owner, and I am proud of the fact
that I helped take the great bur-
den off our people, and helped adj
vance the price Of cotton, relieving
the distress which was on them, and
which would have ruined them in
1915 if the prices of 1914 for cotton
had continued in 1916"