The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-05-13

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telegraphed from Asheville message
to the South Carolina division of the
American Cotton association, in which
he heartily commends the work which
the organization is doing. Mr.. Ed
monds had been invited to speak be-
fore the division but left Columbia be-
fore the meeting was held. His MES
sage follows:
THE greatest business achievement
| for good of the first half of the 18th
century was the development by the
South of cotton industry which rep
resented more capital invested than
that invested in the entire manufac-
! turing industries of the United States
during the same period and which
largely shaped the politics and the
| finances of Europe and America.
"The greatest business achieve
ment for evil of the second half OF
that century was the complete domi-
nation of the South's cotton producing
interests by the cotton manufacturers
and financial interests of Europe and
New England to the degree that they
enchained the cotton growers of the
South in economic slavery and poverty
to a greater degree of suffering than
the slavery of the black man prior to
1850.
Every man who during the last so
years has sought to beat down the
price of cotton has to the extent Of
his ability been responsible for the
appalling poverty of the cotton grow
ers, white and black, for the litter
acy which has cursed the South, for
the bad roads and other ills fastened
upon this section by the enslavement
of the people who raised the bulk if
the worlds cotton.
'The progress of civilization may
be measured by the consumption OF
cotton goods and the advance of the
world will be helped or hindered by
the extent of the supply of cotton. For
half a century the South has done the
greatest business missionary work in
human history; it has impoverished
it's soil, drained the vitality of its
people and borne great poverty while
it enriched the world with its cotton;
it is safe to say that the South has
thus made to the worlds welfare
contribution of not less than s25, ,OOO,-
100000 or say as much as the cost to
the United States of the world war.
Only through working women and
children in the cotton fields and only
through continued desperate poverty
to produce cotton to sell in competi-
ton with that raised in India where
labor is paid about $40 a year, was it
possible for the South to keep on
growing cotton.
"No cotton crop in 50years prior to
three years ago sold for one-half of
it's intrinsic value. But so great was
the power of the cotton interests of
Europe and for a long time of those
in New England against a fair price
for cotton that prices were kept be-
low the cost of production and the
soil and the cotton growers were
steadily drained of vitality. Every
man engaged in fighting for a fair
price of cotton, and that price has not
yet been reached, may we'll feel that
he is doing a religious work which
means more and better schools, more
and better churches, more and better
home comforts for millions and better
roads and a general advance of the
material and moral education and
religious life of section in which
live one-third of the nations popula-
tion.
''To lift from these people the pail
of poverty, to quicken their lives in
every sense is in itself mighty mis-
sionary work for God and humanity.
"I rejoice therefore in the splendid
work of the American Cotton associa-
ton and in bidding Godspeed to those
who are carrying on this great cam
paign I believe am cooperating in a
work which will reduce the cotton
growers from poverty, which will
stimulate the educational and relig-
ious activities and help to advance
every good cause in the South and in
doing so prove great blessing to the
whole nation, for the development of
the South means the enrichment OF
the nation and the rounding out of
broader spirit of national life and Of
patriotism. The world is desperately