The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-03-16
An Unjust Charge.
rom the Greenwood Is. CD Index.

The New York World is great newspaper
in many respects, but it has of late shown
what appears to be a spirit of pique against
the South which is unbecoming, to say the
least of it, in newspaper of the ideals OF
its real founder Joseph Pulitzer
For some time the World in news stories
has had something to say about the hoard
ing of cotton in the South" and lnsnuatlng
that the banks of the South were in collu-
sion with cotton growers to hold cotton for
speculation, and along with this allowing
the reporter to say some pretty mean things
about the cotton growers in general
Sundays World had big feature story,
as they are called, on the same subject and
in it was statement meant to be very cut
ting In effect it was stated that the North
had helped save the South from bankrupt
cy in the "buy-a-bale movement" of the UNI
happy year, 1915, and that the South was
now showing a greedy, profteering spirit
by making the whole country pay unreason-
able and exorbitant prices for cotton.
Reference to the buy-a-bale movement re-
minds us of the opinion held and expressed
at the time that it was an unfortunate af-
fair. 1t ought never to have been started,
but was though so far as help goes few if
any felt its effect.
After charging that the whole nation
came to the rescue of the cotton growers
of the South and that their help in "buying
bale" marked the turning point in the
fortunes of the planters, an utterly absurd
statement, the World has this to say:
"With these changed conditions the whole
attitude of the South changed, but instead
of being grateful for what had been done
for them in their hour of extreme distress
and feeding the mills with cotton they need
ed to meet the increased demand for finish
ed products holding movement was inaug-
urated in an effort to force prices far be-
yond the level justified by the existing sup
ply-and- demand conditions"
This is followed up by the charge that
southern banks are aiding the business by
making ''vast loans" on spot cotton.
The World insinuates that the depart
examination of the cotton situation. The
price of cotton goods is no index to the
price of raw cotton. Manufacturers would
be willing to pay more for raw cotton than
they are now paying, but so long as they
can get raw cotton at present prices they
are certainly not going to pay more for it.
The men who grew the cotton are not prof.
teers. The men who spin the cotton can
not be truthfully charged as individuals with
profteering. The price of cotton goods has
been bid up by people who want the goods
and want them at any price.
The World insinuates that the Depart
ment of justice is about to make an investi-
cation and all sorts of things are suggested
in the way of 'what may be done" Let
the investigation begin and continue. The
men who grow cotton know that they ought
to get more for their cotton than they have
received or could get in the market today.
The prohibition amendment has made
the World more or less blind with prejudice.
1t refers every now and then to the fact
that the South put this Outrage" on the
country This charge is as unfounded as the
cotton charge. The South voted for pro-
hibition just as did every other section of
the country save the very wet sections in
and around New York City. The World
ought not to let its anger over prohibition
lead it into making unfair charges against
the cotton growers of the South.