Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-08-16
Capital
By
The Political
Au~ly.,


Rep. Lawrence Westbrook Of
Waco has announced the Texas
legislature will take up the cotton
carryover fight at the point where
the six-state cotton conference
split up and quit 1t.
That Is on the question Of asking
the federal farm board to hold off
the market $500, 900 bales OF carry
over cotton, to protect farmers
this year from q government-ln-
flicted disaster.
Gov. Ross S. Sterling and Mr..
Westbrook we're voted down In the
cotton conference on their plea for
the backing Of other states in the
fight to keep the governments cot
ton holdings out OF competition
with this years growers.
The whole matter Will go before
the Texas legislature, and the
sentiment Of those representing a
million farmers will be clearly de-
fined for the United States gov
eminent and the officials Of other
states TO see and understand, Mr.
Westbrook said.
The contest that broke in the
conference here is a fundamental
one in the cotton associations, ar
issue that has caused discord. that
has become internal politics Of var
ious organizations, and which has
obscured the welfare of the farmer
according TO the lawmaker from
Waco.
Rep. Westbrook thinks in terms
of cotton. He has been singled out
by governors Of Texas as their rep
resentative in dealing with cotton.
He walked out Of a cotton organ
ization because Of differences over
the same fundamental question.
Mr.. WeStbrook, in pressing the
holdover issue before the cotton
states conference had not only the
backing Of Gov. Sterling. but the
recommendation behind him Of the
head OF the nations largest cotton
concern. wv. L. Clayton, Houston.
had urged before a preliminary
session that the farm board. hold
ing half the huge surplus, should
be prevailed upon TO act TO the
benefit, rather than the injury, OF
American farmers.
Results OF the vote in the cotton
conference were rendered unmean-
ingful BY the nature OF the vote. .
Everybody there. from hired hands
and politicians to the disinterestec
spectators voted. Rep. Rogers OBJ
jected 10 a statement in the senate
that there were no dirt farmer:
present His presence was the
exception.
The one grain Of meaning that
can be sifted from the vote Is thai
a majority OF the delegate from
other states disapproved the petit
ton 10 the federal farm board.
and their reasons were clearly
stated.
Those reasons were that thesI
delegates had been commissioned
10 deal with cooperative cottol
acreage control, and had not beef
instructed by their governors witt
respect to the carryover issue.
They simply had TO wait for IN
structions. Their vote did not Sa,
that their states may not be firml
entrenched III the same polio
which Gov. Sterl ng asked the con
ference here 70 adopt.
Texas furnished five-Sxths o
those attending the informal con
ference. Its representation va
dominated by the officials. leader
and members OF cotton associations
and these men could not have bee
expected TO forget or ignore the in
ternal contentious, disagreement:
/ ~perplexites, uncertainties that hav
beset the groups concerned witt
the maladies OF a sinking industry
All held 70 the same hope.
that Of bringing cotton farminI
back TO a paying business. Tn
great ~impounded flood of cottol
! piled above the uncertain barrie
OF a federal boards decision wa
recognized BY all as a distinc
threat. The way to deal with i
was the question over which the.
differed.
The legislature Of Texas, MI
WeStbrook insists, Is largely free o
the ~dissention of the cotton peoplI
themselves, and he believes 1t vii
look on the problem from the view
pont Of the farmer who has h
make a living this year and next
rather than from that of the agen-
cies OF government swamped viii
an uns-anted burden Of commoditiei
now worth less than the money
advanced upon it.
Upon one thing the conference
agreed. That is, that the farmer
should look elsewhere for a large
part of mis- living. That he shoulc
not rely on cotton alone; that hC
should not plant all his acreage IL
cotton alone. that he must adjus
himself to new conditions, anC
prepare 70 grow the cotton which
he produces on less land than II
the past, and that he must take
care 10 use the other acres pro-
ductively in other purposes.
And that ~transcends the organ.
ization politics that boiled over
about the carry-over surplus.
Ill. II III