The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-01-22
IMMORAL AND
DISHONEST
A Vicious and Ignorant Attack
on the Emergency Tariff
Bill
(Manufacturers Record)

(Manufacturers Record). ~.
!. The New York Herald is not usu-
ALLY srotesquely uninfcrmed on the
subjects II undertakes to discuss. II
does not always reason WELL but in
general 1t takes the trouble to find
out something about the facts in any
situation. Unfortunately. 1t has re-
Gently insisted on discussing the omer-
sency tariff measure In a puerile and
Childish way, as II the fonts OF
knowledge had run dry or their in
spiration had never been invited.
| Tho Herald declares that 1t is in
favor of reasonable tariff help for
the American farmer. Maybe so, but
when II comes to a specific case. II
reasons thus: "As for duty OF Z
scents a pound on cotton when cotton
was king for decades at q minimum
selling price OF cents and when. at
the outbreak Of the European war,
10 cont cotton seemed an unattain-
able goal until peace should come.
such tariff schedule must look more
like Grass political bunoonery than
Berious legislative workmanship"
The Forney emergency tariff bill
does not propose duty Of cents q
pound on cotton. It provides for the
duty on a special kind Of cotton, the
long staple cot.ons the highest grade
cotton. The Herald will search it's
records many, many years and never
find that such cotton ever sold for Z
cents pound. That has not happen
ed since the Herald was published
IT never has happened Indeed. while
the Herald was struggling babe,
South Carolina seq island cotton was
selling regularly at more than 81 a
pound. AID often for double that
amount.
The Anltrican long staple market
was broken a few months after the
armistice when this government per-
mitted Egyptian cotton to be import
ed by the hundreds Of thousands Of
SaFes- A great experiment In the
production of long staple cotton was
and " under way In Arizona. They
are producing there under irrigation
az fine cotton as 10 grown anywhere
In the world. Much OF it In being pro-
duced under the best possible scion
unc direction, by a great tire cor
poration. which plants $4,000 acres
and does II with cheap Mexican labor.
The Herald will be amazed to learn,
We suppose, that the actual cost Of
production Of this cotton In Arizona
this year has been more than 10
cents pound. Impossible? wcll
the records happen to be available
and they are correct In every detail
Indeed. we know Of long staple cot
ton that has been produced under gov
year at a cost OF considerably more
than u q pound. We doubt IL It has
been produced in Egypt for less than
so or 40 cents a pound.
To promote the production Of high
grade cotton Is surely wise. The time
Will come, We hope. when scarcely any
| ordinary cotton will be produced in
America. To put n premium on the
production Of long staple cotton Is 50
wholly commendabie an undertak-
ing that we venture to say the Her.
aid would not undertake to arfue
otherwise.
When the Herald says that cot
ton was king on the basis OF 7-cent
cotton. 1t n equally stupid. Wild
ducks sold at rs cents the dozen In
southern markets at one time. Sew
IN cen went long way. Even so
We doubt II any cotton ever sold In
this country ut cents a pound and
showed a profit. The largest holder
OF slaves In South Carolina, IN 1859,
stated that the average return from
his investment, over q term OF years,
vas less than per cent.
| But the sheer Ignorance OF the Her
4 Hrtv noI
u is understood that the cost OF
picking and ginning a bale Of cotton
alone 10 today more than Z cents 4
pound! There are thousands OF
acres OF cotton lying unpIcked today
because 1t costs more so pick and gin
tho staple than the staple is worth
In the open market. The Herald
charges twice as much for itself to
subscribers as II did when the war
broke out. II does 20 properly, on
account Of the additional cost of white
paper. Moreover, II would Indignant
~ repulse any effort 20 compel II 10
rn daily q. loss. Yet 1t has tho
positive impertinence TO attempt to
arouse prejudice among its readers by
suggesting TO them that prices for
| cotton represent rank profteering and
that reasonable. even a too low, tar
in on long staple cotton is indefen.
sible. What Is the sense of being
an intellectual nincompoop
There is plenty OF political and OK D.
nomic buffoonery in connection with
the pending emergency tariff bill, but
II happens to come entirely from the
ignorant discussions of such papers
as the Herald. Because such igno:-
ance 10 inexcusable, the comment
based on 1t can fairly be character
| lied as vicious.
When paper says II Is in favor Of
1-cent Gotten. IL says that II is In IA
vor OF industrial slavery for every
farmer, black or white. who produces
cotlon, thar the children of such
iarmcrs ought not to be educated,
tnat they Oufht not to have shoag