Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-09-23
PLUNGING IN COTTON
South Generally More Stubborn than
...F Wiee
From the Kannas City Star.


On a chill December day nearl.
sixty one years ago the city of Char
lesion, S. c.. was permcated with ex-'
clement. It's citizens paraded up and
along the Battery out at the water
front; carriages with their black
coachmen passed and repassed; groups
of eager faced men, pale with antici-
patton talked quietly here and there.
whats the news? Has anything
been done yet?" were questions on
every hand. Suddenly the news came
South Carolina has taken the lead in
declaring its independence of the I'm
ion.
Then the tcnseness that had been
bound up with expectation was re-.
leased. Paraders increased in num-
shouts were hard. Long live the Pal
metto state! Long live cotton!"
All. cotton! This was the key to
the situation. In n few moments
shouts were given to clear the way for
crowd of men tugging at some large
object. The object wGs rolled to
central point in the street, and there
gradually lifted. It was strung up on
rope suspended across the stree,
and shortly there appeared in huge
letters above II the inscription, Cot
ton Is King"
The south was taking long plunge
on cotton. 1t had taken shorter plung-
es before; it has taken many since.
The south believed secession and
probable war with the north not only
n justified course, but n perfectly safe
course. Did not the industrial life of
the grand country of England have to
be maintained? Were not the cotton
mills Of England the substantial life?
Was not England dependent on the
southern states for her cotton, and
would she see that necessary source
jeopardized? No, England's aid was
assured. On with secession! Cotton
is King!
The south lost on cotton that time:
it lost heavily, and cotton was de-
throned for years. But the south
didn't quit plunging on this crop; the
product of which Is bound up with
romance and tragedy with uncertain
ty, immense financial loss, sometimes
with unbelievable gain--a crop which
makes and unmakes a large section
of the United States az irregular in
tcrvals.
Last year the south plunged again
on cotton. With good supplies Of the
crop on hand and with the price
around the dizzy height of 43 cents a
pound, almost n record acreage was
planted in the spring. The south had
no thought of the fact that only six
years back cotton could scarcely be
marketed for and cents q pound.
1t had forgotten the economic demor-
alization of the section for year af-
ter the great war broke in Europe.
when the price of cotton suddenly had
been cut in half. while other prices
generally were increasing. The crop
Of 1920 was planted, regardless. And
the big yield came around in the fall.
nearly 13 1-2 million bales.
But before it had been harvested
omething else had struck the conn
try. including cotton. Recovery from
Ihe price and spending orgy of the
war period was on. Cotton prices
were dropping; they continued to
drop. until daily market reports came
like sickening thuds TO the planter,
the cotton mill man and the merchant.
The almost unparalleled move was not
halted until cotton had gone to 10
cents pound. and even lower, less
than one fourth of its price a few
months back.
Another plunge on cotton apparent
| ly had brought disaster. But this dis
aster was faced with courage, admir-
able for its persistence if not for its
wisdom and regard for general econ
Omic welfare. Last fall the south.
almost as unit resolved not to sell
! its cotton. 1t kept that resolution. al
though the penalty has been business
depression almost unimaginable in
other cotton sections of the country.
For twelve months merchants were
able TO sell little to collect almost
nothing. Business failures and tre-
mendous losses that came were bound
up in some cases, but only, in few,
with suicide and despair The econo-
mic and Industrial life Of the south
Rad been stricken low many times be-
fore; it had almost faced death on
more than one occasion. The disas-
ter OF the last year was sustained.
Will the south stop plunging on
cotton? 1t can cultivate other crops
proftably. 1t is not dependent on
cotton; but it knows, probably too
WELL that the rest of the world prac-
tically is dependent on the cotton the
south produces. The section proceed
cd with circumspection this year. 1t
did last spring what ii had never done
so well before in reducing its cotton
acreage one third. Then the weather.
as tickle sometimes as the New York
lnll ,,.nn,.l III