Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-12-19
F. D T O RIAL
COMMENT
TIE BOIL WEEVIL A
MENACE TO CIVILIZATION
Manufacturers Rccord.)

Manufacturers Rccord.)
Cotton is in many respects the
most important single industry in
the world, when we consider it
from its production as raw mate
rial to its manufacture and its wide
ramifcations in world trade. 1t
represents an aggregate investment
in lands, in mills and cognatc in
dustries of $4,000, 100000 or
over. The South alone has about
$1,000, 100000 invested in cotton
mills, knitting mills and kindred in
terests and many billions in its
production.
The development of the cotton
industry during the first half of the
, last century was the greatest busi-
ness achievement during that pc
Rod in the world. Beginning with
a production of a few bales in the
early years of that century, cotton
growing developed in the South to
point where it largely dominated
the finances and politics Of this
country and of Europe.
During the Civil War the famine
in cotton endangered the welfare
of millions Of people in England.
The poverty in the Lancashire dis
trict during the four-year period
stands out as one of the awful rec
ords in the life of an industrial CEN
ter. A few months ago one of the
, foremost cotton manufacturers of
England wrote to an American
friend that the inability of England
to secure its usual supply of Amer
lean cotton, in any one year, would
cause greater distress in the Lam
cashire district than did the war
Millions q people in Lancashire
are wholly dependent on the manu-
acture of cotton. Millions Of peo-
pie throughout the world hun
drcds Of millions, indeed, are de-
pendent for clothes upon the pro-
duction, from the South's staple,
of the finished cloth. Millions of
people in this country are directly
dependent upon the growing and
handling of cotton, while the finan-
cial interests Of the nation would
he shaken to their foundation by
the loss Of the cotton trade. The
South could weather the storm bet
ter than any other section, because
the South could turn it's farm lands
into the production of diversified
agriculture, once more regaining
the prosperity which never would
have been lost if this section had
not by force Of circumstances I'M
wisely centercd its agriculture up
on the production of cotton.
This great industry, without
which the world could scarccl,
maintain its civilization-for with
out cotton clothes we would sink
back into barbarism-is menacei
by the boil weevil. This is not
merely menace to the South, for
the South's business structure could
stand the shock of its cotton crop
crop being destroyed, better than
the world could stand the loss Of
cotton goods. It is a menace to
the nation--a menace to civiliza-
tion itself.
1t is, Therefore, incumbent upon
every agency of this government
and of all other civilized govern
n1ents; upon chemical manufactur-
ers, cotton manufacturers and f.
nanciers, to spend money with the
utmost freedom in encouraging
chemists and others to find a
remedy for the boll-weevil. Va
rious remedies are being develop
ed; some of them are more or less
successful; but the task is very
great. The danger Of the destruc-
ton Of the cotton industry is so
vast that until the whole nation
realizes the extent and Importance
of that industry and the serious
ness of the menace the task will
not be tackled on q scale common
surate with the magnitude of the
problem to be solved.
The world faces a cotton famine;