Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-16
Hardship Pointed Out
In Cotton Restriction

/ To the Editor Of The Star:
It seems silly and childish to read
what public men are saying today IN
regard to the restriction, for example,
of the planting and cultivation OF cot
| ton To restrict the growing Of cotton
| means that thousands Of farm hands
I who are now employed will be idle in
! 1882. Is not that great foresight on
| the part of advocates OF restricting
| farm products to add thousands to the
millions of the already idle2 1t GER
| tainly Is q brilliant idea Of those who
give you In exchange larger num-
of unemployed and you will get more
| for what cotton you produce. sup
pose these unemployed. half-naked peo-
| pie will be able to buy cotton And
those who must care for them until
they can get work, with this additional
burden, will be able to buy your cotton
| at higher price. And with the reduc-
| ton in quantity the prices must be
much higher even to equalize the situa-
ton. The position in which we would
find ourselves would simply be ridiculous
and tragical. Again, no later than 1880,
| % OF our 48 States suffered more or
less from an unprecedented drought for
this country. Can the men who would
foster reduction Of cotton or any other
useful product insure these United
States against drought, floods or other
calamities that might befall us during
1892? The great crop OF this present
year could easily be consumed II the
hungry people Of city and town could
get it and pay for it.
Our means Of distribution-of paying
| the producer, transportation in getting
the produce on the market and to the
peoples the problem. In such an
event of drought, food (such as we had
recently In the Mississippi Valley frost
| to kill fruit, etc, we would need the
reduced acreage to cover the loss. The
thing that should be done Is to devise
means by which this so-called over
production can be distributed to the
| needy, unfed, half-clothed and badly
housed. II the necessities of the I'M
employed-the people in dire need in
this country-were met, the so-called
overproduction would disappear like
dew before the Summer sun. With our
great fruit crop and thousands of
bushels of apples and peaches going to
waste, thousands of families in our
cities will hardly see an apple or peach
unless they see them on the market or
some fruit stand. We need a Joseph to
see that the starving people are fed,
the naked clothed and the homeless
housed. This is no time for idle dream
ing and impractical speculation, but for
wise and timely action. I was in a
home short time ago In which the
husband said there had been no bread
for several days and the wife, surround
ed by three little half-clad children,
had on a dress made out of two or
three odd ones of different colors. My
experience in trying to secure adequate
help for dependent families in most
cases has been very unsatisfactory.
POSSIBLY I may say more in reference
to this later) / say this, our problem
is nationwide and must concern and
engage the heads of our Government,
the leaders in our churches, and the
benevolent of all-our people and those
who have the present and future of
humanity at heart. It is q situation
that We must meet--a crisis that must
be tided over and it will tax the brains
and resources Of the Nation to do it.
w. J. HUBBARD.