Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-23
Good Crop at Good Prices
Needed to Pay Debts AC-
CumuIated During Two
Recent Bad Years
BY EDWARD G. LOWRY
downright. 1929


OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla, March
21.-Overnight on the train from
Kansas City one seems suddenly to
leave the west and here at Okla
homa City come into the south
Oklahoma City looks like southern
town. Its inhabitants and manners
are those of the south and just at
this particular junc1ure the climate
of the south, for it is as warm as
mid-May will be in your more
northerly ATTITUDES.
This is cotton country. Three
fifths of Oklahoma is devoted to
cotton and the remainder to wheat
but cotton predominates as an IN
terest and as a measure of the rise
and fall of the prosperity OF the
state. Just now the state of MIND
of the farmers may be described ac-
curately as one OF hesitating OPP
timism. The turn for the better, so
marked in the state previously Wis
tied, is less apparent here. Okla
homa is a full month behind Iowa,
Nebraska and Kansas on the road to
recovery.
These people down here have been
more severely tried, perhaps, than
the corn and hog and cattle ralserS.
They are not out Of debt yet, ana
there will not be a full restoration
of confidence until his years crop
is in. It must be a good crop and
fetch good prices to bring the farm
er and merchant up level with their
obligations. The state has had TWO
bad years. 1t raised an enormous
cotton crop in 1920, paying wartime
prices for labor and for all of the
other factors that went into the
making of the crop. This cotton was
marketed. for the most part, at the
bottom CT spectacular decline in
prices.
The whole state took a heavy loss
Last year when prices improved
and the farmer had a chance to sell
his cotton on q profitable basis the
boil weevil invaded the state and
he had nothing to sell. These two
bad years, one on top of tho other
with the great shrinkage in farm
products values, have severely tried
not only the farmers, but also the
merchants and the bankers. There
have been some bank failures out
here, and there would have been
more had it not been. for the aid
that was extended from the outside
Loan Eased Situation
The war finance corporation has
loaned between five and six million
dollars in the state since last au-
: tI1mn. This aid, merchants and
farmers alike eagerly proclaim,
greatly eased the whole situation in
the state. The fact that the gov
eminent was willing through the
war finance corporation to lend
money on Oklahoma security en-
couraged the local banks to lend
more freely. Indeed, one is told the
measure of the confidence that
exists now is based almost wholly
on this aid and the willingness to ex.
tend further aid if it is needed.
As it stands today, this is an ex-
traCrdinarily interesting state. 1t
is quite unlike any other state in the
union, in that it's population is a
composite representation of so many
other states 1t is seldom that one
- encounters a native Oklahoman of
mature age. The average citizen
when questioned, whether merchant.
banker, farmer or whatnot, declares
himself to be from Indiana, Tennes-
see, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois or
Ohio or some other neighboring
state.
A line drawn north and south
through Oklahoma City, which is in
the geographical center of the state.
and another line drown through it
east and west would quarter the
state into four distinct sections, each
representing a different type of cit
izenship, a different soil and topo-
graphical condition and distinct asz
ricultural interests. The state is
still in process of fusing. 1t is maxi
. ing its traditions and backgrounds.
1t isn't afraid of new things. 1t
isn't fixed politically.
Political Uncertainty
At one election it will go Demo
cratic, at the next Republican. At
the present moment one of the SEN
ators is Democrat and the other
Republican. One branch of the leg
islature is Republican and the other
branch Democratic. Its citizens, as
one encounters them casually, are
lively, engaging, active, clearly ac-
customed to ups and downs; in brief
typical examples of the pioneering
spirit. They are just emerging from
tight corner, at least they hope
they are emerging, but they have
had hard knocks before. AS they
say: eff we have hard luck again
this year, and I don't think we will,
we will just have to finad another toe.
hold and claw our way out again."
They have not had much, if any
time to think about the treaties, OF
our relations with Europe or the
tariff bill, but they dc hope that
they will not have to pay a bonus
TO the soldiers on top of their other
burdens. AS they commonly phrase
it when questioned: I'VE want to dc
what's right by the boys, but il
would be a great help to the folks
out here if they could wait until we
get Strengthened out n little. We
can't stand any more taxes jus!
now"
The agricultural situation anC
condition in Oklahoma show a great
er recovery and Improvement than
the banking situation, which is still
sore spot. There will not be a
full recovery unless and until the
crop this year is a full one and
fetches the present or higher levels
Of prices and the small state banks
get on sounder basis.