The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-12-11

ords over two-thirds of Georgia farms
are tenant operated farms, over ZOO,-
600 of Georgia slightly more than
100000 farms being manned by ten
ants. With few exceptions this ten
antry was based on the exclusive or
near exclusive planting OF cotton up
to the ability OF the tenant to cult
vate.
Under this system the tenants were,
for all practical purposes, forced to
buy all food and grain supplies at tulI
retail prices plus stiff interest or
credit charge added thereto. Under
the best of circumstances the tenant
had nothing better to look forward to
at the end OF the year than balanced
store account In bad years he was
left with a debt like milestone about
his neck
This tenant system brought about
steady increase in absentee land
lordism," the white land owners for
one cause or another moving to town.
In the generality Of costs these ten
ants were uneducated They needed
the closest sort Of daily and hourly
supervision and with the landlord
miles away that needed supervision
was practically nonresident
It is the fashion to blame all our
present troubles on the boil Weevll.
The weevil has brought things to a
head acutely, but if the presumably
intelligent land owner was daily on
the lob giving people supervision,
seeing that the more or less ifnorant
tenants did the right thing at the right
time and in the right way, the effect
of weevil attacks would be reduced to
minimum. -
In pre-weevil days it was possible
to get by" in some shape or other
with the tenant system based on eX-
elusive or near-eNclusive cotton pro-
duction. There was, however, little or
no margin even emitting any ac-
counting for the loss Of soil fertility
which was steadily going on, that soil
fertility being the real farm capital
rather than acres or land lots.
Under weevil conditions with yield
per acre but 10 per cent, Is per cent,
so per cent and sometimes more IN
the absence of intelligent handling OF
the crop any margin that may have
existed is swept away and tenant,
supply merchant and other
local factors Of credit based on that
cotton growing are all broke
SO far as human foresight can fore
cost the weevil will in future be a
constant factor in our cotton produc-
ton. There are sufficient cultural and
insecticide remedies but all the cal
cium arsenate in the world is not go
ing to do the work in the absence OF
supervision right on the
ground. The white land owner must
get on the job and stay on the job.
Careful records kept on some OF the
cotton plantations operated by large
show that the actual
number of days spent in LABOR on
cotton crop runs from 100 to TO days
in the wear. This means that two
thirds Of Georgia's farm operators
have been trying to get years living
out of what is essentially halt-trme
work, supporting along with them
selves the landlord, supply merchant,
fertilizer dealer and indirectly the
country banker.
The load was simply too much tor
him even before the weevil Is 1t any
wonder that he is now throwing up
his hands, abandoning farms, gong
to our Georgia cities or towns or
further north where his labor is IN
demand at high wages and practically
he wear round? Is it any wonder that
nearly hundred thousand Georgia
arm population left the farms from
January to May, 1923, and has been
steadily drifting all summer?
We predict that next fall and win
ter will see a still greater abandon
nent than this past season from those
where all cotton or nearly all
cotton is still blindly followed. We
have had many letters saying fatty
that they, the tenant and small farm
err. will leave as soon as they gather
the years crop.
These people the tenants and small
farmer, can do little or nothing OF
their own volition. They have follow
ed for life time a system that has
put them in a position OF
economic slavery to the sources OF
local credit
Each year before a furrow could be
turned they have had to go almost on
Bonded knee to supply merchant, Ter
tilizer dealer and banker for credit
most for meat and bread together
with grain for the work animals. The
price Of this credit was an agreement
to plant cotton acreage up to the linn
it OF their ability to tend during the
summer months The next result, UNI
der weevil conditions, is that they are
regularly and continually broke.
There are heavy debts hanging over
them from the cotton growing spree
of 1920 These sources OF local credit
have been forcing an over-planting. OF
cotton ever since hoping that a MIRA
Gle would happen, that Georgia would
somehow make big crop, sell it at a
big price and these hangovers be hq-
Undated Vain hope 1t would be well
to kiss these old 1920 and 1921 debts
goodbye so far as being paid out OF
a continuance OF the old system
It's time to look to the future in
stead of to the past Georgia must be
put on a sound agricultural and eco
nomic basis ANY hoping that the old
system can be resurrected had best
stop. 1t is dead forever We realize
the size OF the job. this changing the
life time habits of over two million
people. but it must be done.
One of the first things 10 be aimed
at is the wipihg out OF the hundred
million dollar annual drain on Georr-