The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1920-11-25
I Half Cotton Crop
Suggested For 1921

Extracts from Il circular letter now
Being distributed from the office Of the
Louisiana Division Of the American Cot
ton Association. New Orleans. reads:
4 sIx-AiIIIIoN-RalE CROP.
& I have said that the cotton situation |
demands drastic remedies. To cut the |
next crop III half is a drastic remedy. |
4 would not advocate such Il curtaii- |
nient solely for the sake Of profit to the
producer. But it is. qeustion not of
profit Int Of salvation not
only Of the producer but of THE cotton
producing industry. do NOT believe
that these who talk sibly Of the farm
scr's obligation to hear his share of the
burden Of reconstruction have any ap-
probation of the farmers true situa-
sillal still make such assertions. they
are both grossly inhumane and econOnl-
icalY foolish. The producer has hot
had il square deal In this matter. In
plain fact. he has heell huncoe1. Dur
Ing the plnnting and making period he
was told that bumper crop would he
required to supply the needs of the,
world ;iid lie WAS adjured. ;ts II duty
to humanity. to plant and make as
much as lie could III order that i cotton
famine might be prevented; and to the.
| proposed end he WAS encouraged hy
ample credit. He believed these repre-
tsentations and did his best. After lh.
had made his crop ut the peak Of cost
| and befofe lie lad any opportunity tn
market it, tile price of his product was
| ..defiatesl' to olle-haf and less thai
4 .t,Ile-ll;llf the cost of production. and In
answer to his renlolStrailce he was
calmly told that he had over-producetl.
that he must bear his sHare OF loss
incident to REIMBURSEMENT and TINT
| lie would hc denied credit for holding
his crop because hy 50 doing he was II
\. conspiracy against the consumers.
He has every right to strike hack and
1 viii do SO. He believed what they told
1 him. that he has produced too much md
i must abide without protest the resu Is
Of his own extrivagant prodnctsen
+. !. and let him. BY reducing the next crO.
i to six million bales insure himself
agslinst making the s;inle hiista ke aga In
4 I:ut we will he told that all ;tcre;sgs
Il that this ane Mill coaae t. n;lsl.llt
allswer. and those familiar with tlat
II actual conditions will l,ear HE out. lntl
the famrer is discouraged, disgtrfes
s and desperate over cotton making. ~
lie has never heeIi before. and Wilt vel
unfairly and without concerted action
lrastically cut his cotton acreage ant
I turn his attention to crops that will psly
And. furthermore l say. with grslves
conviction. that if present prices con
, tinue much longer. the f;,rner. regard
less OF his desires and intentions. can
!. not plant more than half 4 crop Q
! cotton. He will not be financially AIN
: to plant anything like a full acreage
q The merchants will be neither able
nor willing to furnish supplies where
with to plant anything like Il fu
acreage. The banks will. of necessity
lie obliged to curtail credits to lin e.
tent which will make anything like
full acreage impossible. Those who a
ruthlessly halnnering prices and thos
! who. like Saul OF Tarsus. stand l,v col
\ senting, seem to have no conceptio
i tOf the retribution which will autona
ically follow the action Of the one m
tile inactim Of the other. unless the
attitudes are reformed.
hut it is both foolish and wicke