The Monroe journal., 1922-02-03
INTERESTED IN
PRICE OF COTTON
Mr.. Higgins Finds Tha! Mer-
chants Know When Cotton
Declines Before Report
WHAT SELFISHNESS DOES
One Occasion When a Mans Tooth
ache Was a Blessing Thinks
Mr.. Clyde Newsome
By l.. L. Huggins


ut looks like Henry Ford is trying
to ruin the mule business" said a
stock dealer few days ago." but if
he can sell tractors at a price that
VIII pay farmers to buy and use
them and thereby better the farming
interests of the country | am willing
for him to do it." That man is big
ger than his own individual interests
and there is no ooubt about fellow
of his cal Der making an honest liv-
ing. II tractors should become so
popular that the mule business would
no longer be profitable, there are
plenty Of other jobs waiting for the
dealer who is big enough to look be-
yond personal gam and rejoice at any
improvement in agricultural opera
tions that is calculated to benefit the
farming industry and thereby the en-
tire country.
Merchants Interested in Price of Cot
There was a time in my life when
actually entertained the idea that
merchants and other business men
cared very little about the prices paid
for cotton and other farm products,
but little experience in the mercan-
tile business gave me an entirely diff
ferent view of the matter. If possi
BILE, believe the business men of the
towns and cities are even more deeply
interested in the price of cotton than
the farmers themselves. During the
cotton selling season in the South a
merchant doesn't have to refer to the
market reports to ascertain what the
cotton market is doing. The volume
Of his trade is the only barometer he
needs. While cotton growers depend
largely upon their cotton for their
money crop, merchants are dependent
upon their business for bread and
meat, and when cotton brings a poor
price their business suffers on account
of it. That is the reason bankers,
merchants and other business men
join cotton associations and lend their
influence in every possible way in
boosting the cotton market. 1t is not
that they are so intensely interested
IN the welfare of the farmer in every
instance as that their own interests
are at stake. However, don't under
stand me to say that business men
don't want farmers to prosper for any
other reason than that it helps them.
| believe that great majority Of the
bus ness men of Union county are
hearted, fair minded men who
would be delighted to see their farm
nv. ft,aplc ,,rncna, &c - J;I,,it ,,,aa,
anything at all to business. But the
point | am making is that self-pres-
ervation is the first law of nature
and that when the agricultural classes
prosper everybody else prospers with
them and when they suffer, the whole
country stagnates.
What Selfishness Does
There is an element Of selfshness
in practically everybody and in a
great many people it is about the
only element. Selfishness is the sin
of the race. Ii was responsible for
Adam and Ewes partaking of the
forbidden fruit in the Garden of
Eden. 1t has been responsible for
every violation of human decency
since that time. When a man steals
he usually does it, not through sheer
Aeed, but for personal gainto satisfy
his selfish desires. II he allows his
evil propensi,ies to get the upper.
hand of his letter judgment in any1
other way it IS simply an effort to
satisfy his selfish nature. 1t is said
that Alexander the Great conquered
everybody but himself, but his selfish
inclinations wouldn't permit him to
bring his own faculties under COM
plete control. Then if selfshness is
the sin of the race, we are all guilty, |
more or less. The extremely weak
who fall by the wayside we are ready |
to punish severely instead of trying
to reform them. OF course when a |
man shows by his actions that he is
too weak to withstand the tempta-
tons that flood his mind he must be
confined for the protection of society. |
But | verify believe that the principle |
idea of our penal institutions should
be to help and strengthen the poor
devils who have given way to their
selfish nature, rather than to punish. |
The idea of atonement through suf-
fering is ridiculous, and therefore |
no one should be required to suffer
any further than will assist him in
strengthen 'ng his character and build
ing up the weak places in his habits.
Mr.. Helms Idea
Mr. Hugh Helms of Wingate is on
of those fellows who refuses TO be-
lieye that the boil weevil is going to
do a great deal of damage in this Sec
tion. He is of the opinion that Union
county has been infested with the
weevil for several years. Il am con-
fident that the boil weevil did more
damage TO my cotton in 1920 than
ii did in 1921" said Mr.. Helms.
He then stated that something hap
pened to the cotton crop in this sec
lion few years ago and that it is
his opinion that II was the work of
the boil weevil. IF the top crop is
destroyed by the weevil." continued
Mr. Helms, lit won't amount to
much. for ii isn't worth picking any
way" Just how much significance
should be attached to Mr.. Helms
opinion we leave for the reader TO
judge, but there are thousands OF
cotton farmers in the county who
would be delighted to know that 1t is
a correct solution.
Couldn't Walk Dam