Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-04-07
in THE THROES OF CHANGE
Secretary OF Cotton Association Says
Old Order Has Passed.
A FULL CROP NO LONGER POSSIBLE

Inflated Debt Incurred in the Produe-
tion Of the Crops of 1920 and 1921
Has Completed the Disaster-Labor
is Leaving the Farms and Outlook
for Consumer is Dark.
Houston, Texas, April LIN my trip
throughout the entire cotton belt, i
find that the farmers are unable to-
meet their obligations, are compelled
to reduce their standard Of living, and
to strip their communities Of the
things that make them attractive,
causing stagnation in both town and
country. The farm population shows
a marked decrease, especially during
the last two years, and the young
people. especially, are leaving the farms
and taking up their residences In the
cities and towns. Negro labor is
showing an alarming decrease in the
agricultural sections, seeking employ
ment in other lines.
1 do not think it will be exaggerat-
ing to state that there are thousands
of vacant farms throughout the cotton
producing section of America due to
these conditions, which are the out
growth of an unsound agricultural
policy which has been pursued for the
Hast fifty years. After the War Be-
tween the States, when the negro was
set free, he and his white masters were
Immediately required to enter into a
struggle for an existence in competi-
ton with each other by the production
of cheap products, especially cotton.
The old system has broken down.
The debacle in prices of farm products
since 1920 has wrecked the worn out
shack. The South is either in death
struggle or on the eve Of new birth,
and I am convinced that the latter is
tae case. We are on the eve of a new,
more prosperous and greater South.
In conferences with leading business
men, bankers, merchants and farmers
throughout the entire South, find
that people are thinking as never be-
fore. The statement was made to- me
over and over that the old order of
things is passing away; that 1T has
served it's day and generation. People
tell on all sides: I'VE need white i'm
migration; we can never continue un-
der the old order. 1t has caused both
the negro and white man to pay a
fearful penalty"
Even were scientific methods discov-
cred today for eradicating the boil wee
vii, it would be impossible for the South
to produce full cotton crop. The as
sets necessary for the production of
cotton have been depleted to greater
extent within the last two years than
in any similar period during the last
half century The South, like the. 9TH
er agricultural sections of America, is
loaded with tremendous inflated debt
incurred for the production Of the
crops of 1920 and 1921, and this bur-
den alone means the certainty Of a
short production and a complete
change Two billion. three hundred
million dollars is stupendous sum,
and this is what the South lost, based
upon the cost of production Of the last
two cotton crops. 1t Is in proportion to
the twelve billions of dollars lost by
the agricultural producers Of America
based upon the cost of producing the
last two crops and the selling price.
The remedy to these conditions is to
change this old worn-out haphazard
system The people Of the South real
ize they cannot continue same and that 1
they must place agriculture upon a
hope and market by accident. Diver
sified agriculture is a certainty. The
producers must secure a price for their
products on a level which will enable
them to receive cost of production plus
a reasonable profit. The fact that the
agricultural producers Of America and
the various lines Of industry that ex-
tended credit for the production of the
crops of 1920 and 1921 are in the same
predicament as the people of the
South, means the absolute certainty
that these conditions are going to be
changed for the better, and no section
will show greater change for the
better than the South.
For the present year, even with ideal
small cotton crop. With adverse
seasons common sense plainly dictates