Evening star., 1933-09-21
Delegation Also Favors In
fIation, but Subject Avoided
at White House.
FARMERS WOULD REDUCE
PLANTING NEXT SEASON
l5-Cent Price Suggested, but Lower
Quotation May Be Accepted
in Relief Plan.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
A special committee from the Cotton
Belt States urged President Roosevelt
today to order Government purchase of
half Of the present cotton crop at Is
cents a pound as a means of raising
prices and controlling production.
The committee, headed by Senator
Bankhead. Democrat, of Alabama in
formed the President the recent South
ern States cotton convention favored
imitation of the currency, but this point
was not pressed or discussed at the
White House
Asked if initiation had been dropped,
senator Bankhead said no" and ex-
planned the committee was sent to the
White House only on the cotton plan.
President Sympathetic.
Some OF the group indicated the
President gave the impression he was
doing all he could to push expansion
OF credit and that he was holding of
meantime on currency imitation.
Senator Bankhead said the President
took under sympathetic consideration
the proposal to purchase half the cot
sion was in prospect.
This plan to establish a minimum
price of Is cents pound for cotton
provides that those farmers from whom
cotton is purchased must agree to take
out of production next year the same
amount OF bales taken over by the
Government.
Bankhead estimated about 5000 900
bales would be purchased under the
plan, the financing to be done through
the Reconstruction Corporation.
Price May Be Too High.
Some OF the group gained the i'm
preston the Administration was not
in sympathy with the Is cents a pound
price but might favor a lower mini
mum. probably IL cents.
Because so many Of the delegates
to the conference have returned home
virtually the entire group remaining
here went to the White House.
Senator Thomas, Democrat, of Okla
homa. leader in the conference, par
ticularly on the imitation question, ex-
pressed his regret. he could not 90 be-
cause Of previous engagement.
Meanwhile, opposition to proposals
of the Southern group for currency
expansion was voiced by Senator Lewis,
Democrat, of Illinois, who reported at
the White House on a trip he has Just
made through the South and West.
Fears Imitation.
If this Government attempts ir-
flation-mere putting up of the dollar
on the theory that it will mean an
increase in the price of cotton in one
States or oil in another State" Lewis
said, ''as soon as that demand is salts
fed there will be calls for imitation in
other commodities.
"The result would be our money would
lose its present standing of value and SO
depress business in America and repress
buying by those who have money. It
would destroy all the fine work done
under the N. R. A. and set back the
undertakings now afoot."
Lewis left his message for the Presi-
dent with his secretary, Stephen T.
Early. While he said he was speaking
for himself, he added these views CO.
lnclded with those of business men,
farmers and manufacturers with whom
I talked both in the South and in the
West"
Senator Bankhead was appointed
chairman and spokesman of the COM
mittee calling on the President. Other
members were:
Representative La Mar Jeffries. Ala.
bama; j. E. Mcdonald, Texas Commits
sloner Of Agriculture; Robert Harris.
New York cotton broker and Texas
cotton grower; Representatives William
Wilmington and Wall Doxey, Missis-
sippi, and A. D. Stewart of Mississippi;
Representatives B. T. Castellow and
Braswell Been, Georgia; Representative
J. j. McSwain and W. NJ Manning Of
South Carolina, and Representative
John Sandlin and Rifles Wilson Of
Louisiana.
The growers spent good part of their
morning session today discussing plan
to have the Government fix minimum
price OF Is cents pound for cotton
and buy as much as half of this years
crop with money to be borrowed from
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