The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-01-12
j. s. SHOULD
SAVE THE SOUTH
From the Big Loss on Cotton
Says Brisbane
REDUCING OUTPUT OF
COTTON, HE SAYS
Is Like Cutting the Production
of Food Necessities of Life
Augusta Chronicle.

~NNoNTNN thANilAtt.
In letter tn the editor of The
chronicle Mr.. Arthur Brisbane, ed
itor of tho New York American and
the New York Evening journal.
most famous of all active news
paper editors, and who is i'm Augusta
for n flying visit. says In part:
~ seems To me that the only impor-
tant thing I'm the South Just now Is
the loss of n billion dollars i'm tho
cotton crop and the consequent men
ace 10 great section OF the country
ana a great industry. 1t is to me not
comprehensive that the United States
government. which is spending its
MILLIONS. (pcrhaps very wisely to buy
silver produced i'm the United States
at about double the market price.
should not thus far have done any
thing practical TO hold up the price of
cotton and encourage fundamental
crop and n fundamental industry"
(By Pat Dozicr)
Mr.. Arthur Brisbane. most widely
read of present day editorial writers
believes that the government should
save the South from great loss and
sacrifice. and the world from the loss
OF cotton, every pound of which il
needs
In an interview granted q reporter
Tor the Chronicle. Mr.. Brisbane talked
freely OF the situation confronting the
south as result of the decline i'm
the price Of the staple and the result
ant harm % the nation as a whole.
The journalist is i'm Augusta. having
made the trip from New York i'm the
part OF Mr.. Nathan Straus. He arriv-
ed Monday noon and will return to the
metropolis on an early train today.
He loves Augusta and took Advantage
Of the opportunity to again see his
friends in the city and indulge him
self In golf over the Country Club
links.
Mr.. Brisbane spoke of cotton and
the present conditions confronting the
industry because II seemed To him
that at present the question was up-
permoss i'm the minds OF southern peo-
pie ana should receive the attention
and Thought OF the country as
whole.
To him the idea of retrenching the
growth and cutting down the acreage
cfrhe crop that clothes the world
should not BE- entertained seriously
lie agrees with the farmers I'm their
belief that under existing conditions
the only way TO command price COM
measure To- with the cost of raising
Is to cur the acreage and reduce the
total bales sufficiently TO cause the
price 10 be Increased. but ne believes
that this move should not be made
neccs ssary. His idea for the increase
An nrfca ia Ia no.
tract 90 purchase specified amount
OF 'he staple at specified price and
10 release IL through channels that
come under the supervision OF eco
Ionic experts.
According To Mr.. Brisbane. the gov
crnmcnt vs. now purchasing In the
United states. millions OF dollars of
silver yearly and paying therefor prac-
ticaiiy double the market price. In
other words governments goes into the
silver market of the United States
and pays s1.O0 an ounce for the metal
whtn IL can bc obtained i'm foreign
markets Mt the figure OF 80 cents an
ounce
Cotton is as staple as silver or
gold and can be warchoused as easily
as the metals are stored i'm vaults
While the millions are pouring out of
the treasury to stabalizc the price of
silver. additional millions should pour
forth To stabalizc the price of the pro-
duct thar IL so much more necessary
Ia the nation and the world.
with the unemployment problem
becoming more and more serious daily
the thought OF reducing the acreage
OF cotton by 30 per cent is out of the
question. When the acreage is cut i'm
half there will necessarily result a cut
of at least 80 per cent i'm the en-
ployment I'm the south and millions OF
people Will have their livelihood re-
moved as result"
Reducing the output OF cotton lS
on the same plain. I'm the opinion of
the journalist. with reducing by half.
the production OF beef. milk. whca,.
and corn. or the reduction OF the out
put OF clothing, steel and such pro-
Cucts.
He has written in his to-day" col
nmn, carried by papers In all parts
OF the country. for publication today.
the following article treating on the
cotton situation:
Thc south Is planning to cut cot
ton production onc-half There seems
no other way to raise the price of cot
ton to a point that will pay cost of
production. But there ought To be some
better way of solving great prob.
lem. and the government ought To
find ~. What would happen to tho
world " farmers cut down the pro-
SductiOn OF milk. beef wheat and corn
iifty per cent To make living Or
what would happen. IL all factories
<rlothing, rianos. steel everything. cut
kProduction ons-half?
The world needs every pound of
&tton the South can produce. and
te times as much Hundreds OF
pms In Europe are nearly naked