The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-10-21
to a: high degree that Bull Dog
stenacity. They play the "HuSzars
next week IN saVannah.
Cheap Cotton

-
Cheap Cotton
lManufacturers Eecerdo.
Randall NJ Durfee. a New Eng
land spinner ard a prominent men-
! Der Of the national Cotton Manu-
sacturers, Association, has written
an article for the SeN. York Jour
nal Of Commerce almost every
paragraph of which begins With the
dietum cotton should be chea p
II. should be cheap, says Mr.. Dur
Zee, because it is a prime necessity,
because it furnishes; clothing. for
the poor man. because millions Of
workers are dependent on it foi. a
livelihood, beauss only in times OF
cheap cotton does the nlanufac-
turer secure reasonable profit on
the capital invested, z, etc. We ought
10 strive to produce cotton as cheap
iy. as possible. says Mr. Durfee. in
stead Of eurtai1ing production. He
thinks that the cottoa-produc
sections are capable of producing
large enough crops TO make cotton
cheap. As these arguments. how
ever. appear BY themselves to be.a
little too raw. :, 1T should he stated
that Mr. Dursee also contends that
F.sby cheap cotton is not meant 0
price which does, not show a profit
to the producer. All Interests
handling Gotten are, entitled to q
profit, bst tire producer
as not entitled to charge 20 cents
for, cotton costing 10 cents any more
than the manufacturer is entitled
TO charge S Izfor the finished cloth
costing Sc cents. :
Perhaps Mr.. Dnrfee thinks cot
ton Labor is inefficient and un=
progressive. It is. Five-cenft Cot
tor had way of closing schools,
dressing & labor in rags. housing it
iii hoSeIs. and prohibiting. the CON
strpcsian Of. churches It made the
slavery Of preLsneoin days appear
ih comparison as some sort Of haay-
en-. It degraded even the negro.
IS s1selled the death lists. apotheo-
s..zed ignorance. pauperized whole
sections. fsefore the Civil War there
Rad been negro slavery in the south.
EsAfter t he civil war. the cheap eot-
ton adveeates undertook a new en-:
|slayement Of the whole south, white.
and black. ...s-..:. ...,..... =.'..
..: There is and ca aB be nc. such
Hing as cotton production az ten
enefs the poand. under boil Wee
sil conditie and nobody knows 1t
better than does Afr. Durfee. And
nobody knows better than he. does
that If production Of cotton at ten.
cents the pound were possable II;
Weuid be possible only by sweating
blood out Of American citizens aud.
gfting them IN return not even a
proper food supply Afr. Durfcc
knows that. Or ought to know. it.:
Nay. more; he knows that price
al twenty cents for cotton, now, IS
al infamous price l1axoc-mak king.
20, defend It IS equivalent to deS
fending the march of an invading
army through the south. sprea7-
ing destruction at every turn
The maintenance Of American
sdonaiMaaee in cotton production,
is dssIrat,ie. highly desirable,
/, r.esvii.a e d pro, ,f.t also is,
main aimed but. not otherwise.
PhiianthroYy IS carried TO an ex-,
irene If the southern farmer is to
80 on indefinitely producing cotton
at "a loss. None more than the
farmer ,alnents the necessity for
acreage reduction, hut Mr., Durfee
Knows, or ought to know, that the:
only way in which the boil WeeVil
can be fought at all suecessfulis
IS by intensive cultivation, and IN
tensive cultivation requires eoncen-
tration OF available labor on small,
.er. not larger. acreage. Doubling
the acreage might actually reduce.
the size OF the Total crop.
10 cotton is cheap that degrades
billions. No cotton is cheap that is
paid Tor bys the MISERY and ignor-
ance Of blacks and whites. No Cot
ION is cheap that reduces whole
populations TO the condition OF In
dian serfs. But II ar. Dnrfee ana
hi sassoeia.es, so intent on profits
for themselves, would work for cot
ton prices that carried with them
sssnethins like a. living wage for
the proGueefs, cut OF the prosper
ity resulting; The South unduestion-
ably, we think, might through ed
tcsfionai processes, eet.. gradually
achieve a greater efficiency. which
weald errespondingB reduce pro-
duc.ion costs. Distress cotton"
However. is hot q national asset;
il IS a rational liability.
1t IS true that soseigners are max
ing stupendous efforts TO establish
coeson production IN their own
colonies. Maybe Mr.. Dorfee has
noted that they are doing it by
guaranteeing prices. which is the.
eonisaient OF guara nteeing profits.
The: are not worried So much a bout
price as they are about supply. lf
more production IS what Mr.. Dur
fee a-anfs. he may be. able TO get
it By guaranteeing prices also. We.
do not doubt that hundreds OF
glandcrs would be quite williag TO