The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-12-07
THE PREDICAMENT OF THE
FARMER.
(By \. l.. Willet.)

and so to steer them in attitude and
acts. Human life is choch full OF the
inter-relationsnip of all things OF
strange unexpected exhibits in reac-
| ton all OF which leads us up to the
Labor Bureau and the predicament OF
the farmer. And while some Of the
announcements of the Labor Bureau
are most excellent here is one that
seems to separate widely the Bureau
from the excellent thing which we
know as logic.
immigration
The Labor Bureau While stating
that there is a tragic shortage OF
common labor in this country ana
that it's sole cause is restricted i'm
migration, yet the Bureau does not
advise more immigration, but, on the
contrary insists that the new nigh
tariff threatens to make the lou
Of labor in the United States the
harder" and that this will "offset
the present lack Of immigration.
Jehoshaphat. J What babel OF con-
fusion in .theorem do we have here.
For two hundred years we have been
fed I'D into actual gorgement on the
theorem that high tariffs put up
prices which protect home labor
against cheap. foreign labor. Now
we are solemnly told, on the con-
trary, that our new tariff will make
the lot of labor here harder. Will
our republican congress kindly SIT
I'D quickly and take notice, and why
not repeal our tariff law, since 1t IS
going to react so unfavorably on
American labor. Even over in lndla
they are setting up tariff today
to protect their more ignorant ana
less efficient labor as against the
skilled labor of Europe and America.
The tariff always has been supposed to
be the provider of high wages Tor
home labor. Up in the Labor
Bureau they had to have an argu-
ment for the continued restriction OF
immigration; and they found one
but with what a stress and strain
and a twist was the argument pro-
duced.
Deflation
Or the contrary the Labor Bureau
saws some very sound words as re-
cards defation. The Labor Bureau
recognizes the serious predicament
of the farmer in the one-sided de-
fation of prices last year. In this
enforced deaation the bottom abso-
lutely dropped out Of all agrlcultu-
raj prices. The farmer, however, was
barred from borrowing on his pro-
ducts even though he was willing to
put up collateral. Witness the whole
sale selling, for example, of cotton
at ten cents last year, the same
cotton today worth twenty-six cents.
If you care to go into this def1ation
story further read an excellent
editorial in November the twenty
second number of that high class
financial paper known as Commerce
and Finance. The title of the article
is The Federal Reserve System I'M
periled."
Regeneration of Europe.
Another pronouncement Of the La
Dor Bureau, and a most sound one it
is. is that it tells the labor Of this
country to press for the regeneration
of Europe as the surest way to solve
labor difficulties here. In other
words, a busy Europe will mean a
buying Europe. Equally true it is
that our American agricultural diff
fculties can be solved likewise and
best and indeed can only be solved
by European regeneration.
Humiliated
Inc MOSL uum1lldIluS tAAAS IAAoe
ever happened in the history of this
country was when Turk stood up
the other day in Lausanne and laugh
ed at and decried this country, saying
that we demanded rights and privi-
leges the same as Europe but that we
gave nothing in return and would as
sumo no responsibilities. And the
Turk for once in his life was right.
And while our agricultural recovery
certainly depends upon European re-
covery yet this European recovery
will never come so long as this coun-
try insists on bleeding white its allies
for war dabts and so long as the rul-
ing national thorems are 'isola-
ton" and 1.-The observer" which
terms, by the way, are wholly un-
known in certain ethical realm a
little higher up than the United
States. Things have come to a pretty