The copper era and Morenci leader., 1921-08-05

much expense, it was ascertained by the Department of Agriculture that those particular regions that are ir- rigable, where the sun shines, perpe- tually, were adapted to raising that cotton and that, wonderful to relate, nature in her most capricious mooG set into the center of the desert the very land that would grow this Egyp- tian cotton, and spread itself out like blanket of snow over the face of the desert. .,- -.-Ai ,4!..x :i N sF,'-t"~
 But our Federal Government also urged, in speeches of Senators and Representatives speeches of Cabinet members, speeches, sir, of ae Presl- dent, and in ten thousand editorials and advertisements that we be not de- pendent upon foreign counties in time of war for that article, Egyptian cot ton, that which is woven into our air plane wings and our ballon fabrics. but that we grow sufficient supply at home and encourage it's develop ment, so that in time of war, 'as well as in time of peace, we would have the prime essentials for our balloon fabrics, airplanes, and our auto tires and fancy dress and shirts.
 The emergency tariff bill placed an import duty of. cents per pound on | long-staple cotton, but, as 1 pointed out, the dispropoTtion in the rates of i freight between California and Ari- zona and Boston and Alexandria and i Boston is so vast that it more than absOrbS the tariff rate
 ! Then let me again tell Senators as | ! have told them before, that the 1 American cotton grower is a citizen ] of the United States, he rears his ! children in accordance with the best traditions, his home is a fit habitatfon for the upstanding American, he en- 1 ploys labor in my State, and pays $4 | S5, $6, ST, and even as high as SS day | for labor, and is glad to do so
 i What is the situation in Egypt as to wages and ideals Thirty cents a day was the prewar wage in Egypc for labor. It is true now that the wage is 50 cents per day, but how does the Egyptian laborer work? Does he work eight hours? What are his ideals, MT. President, since Cam byses came in from Persia in 525 B. C., with laundering tread marched armies over the land, and, as the poet said, 'overthrew Osiris, Orus, Apis, and Isis,'' the Egyptian fellaheen has : been noted to the uttermost ends of ! the earth as a physical phenomenon for the Egyptian laborer is thei most remarkably efficient working machine the world had ever seen. His labor | built the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the {, Temples of Karmack, and the Mem nonium, which was a building com bining a palace and a templel the very runs of which are remarkable i for elegance of sculpture and sym
 metry of architecture, and even to- day when the sun strikes the statute f of Memnon, and it, owing to some pc culiar physical characteristic, begins to sing, sir. when the morning sun rises the Egyptian must need to like wise; so, when the sun rises the Egyptian begins to sing and to work. and he works 12 hours, singing the while, at 50 cents day.
 Yet the tariff bill which has come to the Senate from the House of Re presentatives puts cotton on the free list, which means that the American grower Of Egyptian cotton will be eX. terminated unless the schedule is corrected. Our Department of Agri
 culture spent 10 years urging cur ci5i
 zens to grow the Egyptian cotton sC that we might not be required to de
 pend upon Egypt. We spent thou
 sands. if not millions, Of dollars de
 monstrating that we could build uJ
 this industry in ->merica and chen
 We find it is to be absolutely and re
 TAor2elcsslE crushed by q tariff which
 puCs this cotton upon the free list
 and it is crushed, too. by politica.
 party that has always pretended ii
 stood for upbuilding home industr:e:
 and for protection.
 1 appeal to Senators not to destroy
 this Egyptian-ctton industry. Free
 trade will destroy it. l appeal to pro
 tectiOn Republicans not to turn tC ] free trade. Your party is flushed with victory; you denounced ire;
 trade. Now, I demand that you prac l tice what you preach.
 We can not compete with Egypt. I
 is absurd to talk about it, because. al l repeat, their wage scale and ideal are too low it is beyond the donan
 of imagination even to think abou . competing under conditions that ot tain in Egypt. 2
 Thus once cotton, had selling pric ] that enabled the grower to pav a fai wage and make an honest profit, vas
 tracts of land were planted in cotto ! and living wages were paid to. tn } cotton pickers. But just about tn
 time when the cotton farmer last yea was ready to gather his crop the Fec { eral Reserve Board. which you. si
 (Mr. Heflin,) have so eIoquently spol
 CT Of ard against. did not issue 8
 order cf defiation-I do not want {
 dc an injustice, they did not issue a
 order of defatiOn. but they sedulnusl