The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1926-11-19
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By CHARLES E. TAYLOR
THE SOUTH MOVES TO THE LEFT
By CHARLES E. TAYLOR

Economic Determinism is an old fellow with
a malignant heart
He changes the laws Of even the Modes and the
Persians and cut up all sorts of perverse capers.
He even changes the ideas of many of our 100
per cent Americans and some of our ivory pated,
false alarm politicians or pseudo statesmen.
He sometimes causes men to, if not change
their religious convictions, at least alter their
Interpretation of few verses in order to make
it conform with "the times and the Manners
and when he can do that, it is admitted that he
is a powerful old man.
Economic Determinism has changed the ideas
Of some of our Southern COlonels who have not
had a new idea nor one altered for nigh onto a
century now.
In speaking of what old Economic Determinism
is doing in the South, Bertrand Wolfe, Di-
rector of the New York Workers School, has the
following to say of the movement of the Bourbon
South to the left that is well worth perusing and
Eliminating:
King Cotton who has a reputation for running
very conservative kingdom in the "Soid South"
seems to be determined to drive his subjects to
the left by his recent actions The results of these
actions will be, Judging from present Indications
considerable pressure exerted by Southern Bour-
bons for recognition of the Soviet Union and en-
trance by these same Southerners into an ALI
ance with strange political bed-feows in the shape
of the progressive farm bloc.
The reason of all these changes is the enormous
drop in the price of cotton. This years crop is
estimated by the government to be 16647,OOO bales
to which must be added a reserve of million bales
left over from last year. This crop is so big
that owing to the peculiar contradictions present
ed by the capitalist system, many cotton farmers
will be ruined Last year, the average price OF
a rather poor crop was 22c a pound At this
writing the market price is 13c and there is dan
ger of this going still lower Representative Pou
of North Carolina estimates that the cost OF pro-
ducine pound of cotton is Zoe so that the loss
of the cotton farmers will be from 20 to $25 fol-
every bale they sell, not to mention the loss on
the bales they don't sell. Representative Pot
has requested Coolidge to grant a special session
of Congress to consider the problem of granting
relief to the cotton farmer But Coolidge has re-
fused Now Senator Smith of South Carolina
has had an interview with Mr.. Coolidge and {
remarkable scheme has been worked out for sal
walton for the cotton crisis.
This scheme consists of ordering the alread!
bankrupt farmers to reduce the amount of acre
age under plantation during the present year
This sounds like very brilliant solution. Re
duce the amount of the cotton crop and you de
crease the supply relative to the demand Thi
increases the price and everybody is happy.
Such is Coolidge economics.
In practice, however, the only salvation for tn
small cotton farmer is to increase his acreag
each year If he decreases it. he cannot NEE
the interest on his mortgage or his rental pay
ments or the interest on loans and he loses HI
farm altogether. Even for the big cotton farm
ers this is a dangerous experiment because tn
reduction of acreage in this country is no guar
antee against a bumper crop IN the rest OF tn
world which will keep the price down and leaN
the American cotton farmer with a low markt
price and a small harvest to market.
There is law on our statute books, the famol