The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-02-03

ture can enact will bring relief. The
farmer ca be the most independent
man in all this land of ours, but he
cannot become that man so long as he
buys what he eats and what he feeds
from some other section Of the coun-
try, because then he is just Ike the
rest of us town folk, he is dependent
upon some other section and person
for the very thing which sustains life
itself. The farmer who grows enough
to feed himself and his farm people
and animals is the man who makes
any money, that sticks with him,
farming in this section of the country.
He may not make a great deal of
money, but when the balance is made
IN he is about the only one who has
the balance on the right side of the
ledger, it matters very little what the
price of cotton may be. We have
been preaching this gospel for thirty
five years right here in these columns.
We have seen it tried out right here
in Newberry county. If you will go
down to the treasurer's Office right
now and see who has paid his tax and
who has not, you will find a verifica-
tion of this statement, because the
payment of tax without even the
small penalty is a pretty good index
of how the man stands financially,
because he knows he has to pay the
tax and he is not going to pay the
penalty just because he wants to pay
it even though it be small. You will
find that in that section of the county
where there are small farms and
where the farmers live at home and
have for years made cotton the sur
plus crop the taxes have been paid
and in some other sections a very
small per cent Of the tax has been
paid. We simply mention this with
out being personal, as an index of
what we mean.
Now there may be lot of imagin-
ary cotton handled. and it may be
that, as Mr.. Roddey says, it should be
stopped and it may be that this would
give some relief and at least get bus
mess down to the point where supply
ard demand had little something to
do with the price. We do not know
about that.
The money power has the farmer
by the throat at this time because the
farmer has not made himself inde-
pendent of that power, but has just
placed himself into the very jaws of
this big business by spending his crop
before he makes it, and a lot of US
are still at the same game The far
mer is not able to go on strike if he
wanted to go, but we have said before
what would become of this country
if he would strike would be terrible.
He can never reach the position where
he can demand the price for his cot
ton or his produce until he can stand
up ard say when he makes it this IS
his, and you must give the price ask
ed or it will remain his, and when he
places himself in that position then he
is going to be master Of the situation.
We agree with Captain Roddey that
in times like these the farmer becomes
the easy prey Of the politician who
promises great things and accom-
plishes nothing, and these are times
when we all turn unfortunately to the
government for relief. We are too
much governed now and it is true that
the laws seem to be in the interest
of the money power and against the
producer of all wealth, and something
should be done so that the power
would not be in the hands of any set
Of men to arbitrarily fix the prices OF
the necessities of life and to force
the producer TO peaury and want, as
is the case just now. Something
wrong with out economic system
somewhere, Just where we cannot say.
Hope some one will give US the rem
edy. And then have it applied. Cap
tain Roddey asks a good many very
pertinent questions which carry their
own answer, but he does not give the
remedy. Let US have the remedy.
A good diagnosis is all right, but now
we would like to see the remedy ap-
piled.
Whatever the government might do