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PAGE SIX
TARMEXS’ UNION DEP A KTMEN T
WHY WE ARE PROSPEROUS.
Are we Americans a prosperous
people ? There would seem to be only
one answer after reading the report
of the department of agriculture re
cently made by Secretary Wilson. It
appears from this report that the val
ue of the total farm productions in
1907 exceeds that of 1906, which was
far above the record for any pre
ceding year. The total value for
1907 is $7,412,000,000, an amount 10
per cent greater than the total for
1906, 17 per cent greater than that
of 1905, 20 per cent above that of
1904, 25 per cent in excess of that
for 1903, and 57 per cent greater
than the total value for 1899. If
we let 100 represent the total value
for 1899, the value for 1903 would
be represented by 125; that for 1904
by 131, for 1905 by 134, for 1906
by 143, and the total value for 1907
by 157. During the fiscal year 1907
the exports of farm products exceed
ed the imports by $444,000,000, a
balance that has been exceeded only
four times —in 1898, 1.899, 1901 and
1902.
These official facts, taken in con
junction with the authorized figures
recently issued by the treasury de
partment showing that there is more
money in the country per capita than
ever before in its history, should be
quite sufficient to add a far-reaching
volume to the tone of optimism al
ready spreading, from the healthy
provinces to the centers of finance.
A country with such conditions pre
sent is in defiance of reason and com
mon sense when it fails to realize it?
own good fortune. Temporary mists
may obscure the environments, but no
kind of artificial flurries can long em
barras- its prosperous growth and ad
vancement. —Chattanooga Times.
ARE THE FARMERS HOLDING
COTTON?
Much is said and written these
days about farmers holding cotton.
In the papers they are advised to
hold on to their cotton. By the of
ficials of their organizations they
are urged to hold it until the price
shall have advanced. In their farm
ers’ meetings they are resoluting to
hold their cotton. From all this it
must be that the belief is spread that
the farmers are really holding their
cotton, and that the country is full
of it. The belief is held by people
only vaguely informed about farm
matters that every farmer is hold
ing a part of his crop from the mar
ket, and that a very considerable por
tion of this year’s crop remains still
in the hands of the farmers.
This is a mistaken belief. There
is, of course, some cotton still on
the farm, but in this section at least
this quantity so held is not greater
than usual.
The majority of our farmers have
picked their crop and have sold it,
as is the case every year. Cotton
was high when the cotton season
opened and the farmers rushed it to
market. When the price began to
decline it had the effect only of caus
ing the majority of them to hurry
their picking and selling, for fear the
price would drop still lower. And
the outcome of it all is that at this
tibe no extraordinarily large por
tion of the crop remains unsold.
Os course, there is still cotton in
the country. Quite a remnant re
mains to be picked, in sections where
labor has been scarce to do the pick
ing. And some cotton already pick
ed is being held. But this is the case
every year. Almost invariably cot
ton advances in price in the spring,
and there have always been provident
farmers who have held a part of
their cotton until spring. And so it
is now. Some cotton is being held
for a higher price, but the proportion
is very little, if any, larger than in
other years.
The cotton receipts show it. While
they are off over a million bales for
the entire cotton belt, it should be
well understood that this shortage in
receipt is due to a short crop and
not to an increased holding by the
farmers. In Augusta the receipts are
practically the same as they were to
this date last year, which also bears
out this same conclusion. Our sec
tion was more favored this year, and
cotton did not suffer during the grow
ing period as it did in other portions
of the cotton belt. Hence our
receipts are up to last year’s, which
in other places they are not.
It is always best to recognize facts
as they are. And the facts about
cotton are that no unusual part of the
crop is now remaining on the farms.
Still, some farmers are holding
cotton, and these may be encouraged
to hold on to it, for when it shall
dawn on the rest of the world how
short this year’s crop really was the
price will go up higher than it was
at the beginning of the season. —Au-
gusta Herald.
COST OF LIVING AND SCIENCE.
Certain professions or callings
probably will exist as long as man
does, whatever may be his degree of
ultimate perfection, physical, mental
or spiritual. Thus it is inconceivable
that a time will come when men will
not crave song and songsters. On the
other hand, there are certain callings
which are self-extinguishing, the med
ical profession, for instance, as has
recently been pointed out in official
addresses by eminent American and
British physicians. Abolition of dis
ease carries with it logically extinc
tion of doctors.
An interesting case of how applica
tion of knowledge sometimes tends
to cripple those of the same class
with those who discover and pro
claim it is noted in the current
Popular Science Monthly. The editor
points out how severe has been the
pinch felt by scientific men, most of
them on salaries, in consequence of
the rise in cost of living during the
past ten years. He estimates the
number of those In this country en
gaged in scientific callings as only
5,000. He fears that unless there is a
decline in cost of living, or an in
crease of salaries there will be “a
negative natural selection drawing
the ablest men away from a scientific
career” into more remunerative call
ings. Such an outcome he thinks
would be deplorable. He algo calls
THE JEFFERSONIAN.
attention to the interesting fact that
had it not been for applied science
and thus immensely increasing the
gold output of the world, the rise in
cost of living would not have been as
great as it has been. Consequently,
it may be said, as he ventures to say,
that one group of scientists by their
application of knowledge to a practi
cal problem, have made life harder
for many workers in the same field,
and have contributed to lessen the
number of men willing to accept the
scientist’s present pecuniary reward.
—Boston Herald.
CO-OPERATION IN THE SOUTH.
In the South there are two organi
zations, one strictly a farmer mem
bership, and known as the Farmers’
Union and the other which admits
anyone and is known as the South
ern Cotton Association, which also
fixed the minimum price of cotton at
15 cents as had already been done
by the Farmers’ Union at Little
Rock.
To show the readers of The Farm
ers’ Advocate what is being done to
arouse the people to stand by the
price, we publish the following ad
dress of the president of the Georgia
division of the Southern Cotton
Growers ’ Association:
“To Cotton Growers, Merchants,
Bankers and Allied Interests:
“The minimum price of cotton has
been fixed at 15 cents, both by the
Southern Cotton Association and the
Farmers’ Union, with nothing to di
vide us. Let’s have our price.
“The South’s opportunity for fi
nancial freedom is at hand as never
before. The farmers are situated, as
a rule, where they can command the
value of their cotton.
“It can not be denied that there is*
no profit to the grower in cotton un
der 10 cents. His profit will not be
much at 15 cents.
“Consideration of the present cost
of the elements which enter into the
making of a crop of cotton, will at
cnee make apparent the small pit
tance going to the farmer.
“There is no question as to the
ability of growers, merchants and
bankers, combined to handle this sea
son’s cotton crop at a profit to them
selves and in a manner that will con
duce to the upbuilding of the South,
They can do it if they will. It is
not contended that any one should
hold his cotton to the injury of his
creditor, but everyone knows ’hat at
present prices, SSO per bale can be
advanced by merchant or banker, and
the debt thus canceled. This would
put our cotton money into circulation,
protect our ejedit, and the cotton can
still be held until the mills and the
buyers are ready to pay our minimum
price of 15 cents, which it is un
questionably worth.
“Except in 1905, with the efforts
of all organizations combined, we
have never gotten as much acerage
reduction as we should have had, but
the results of our efforts have, in my
judgement, turned us to the true rem
edy. This remedy lies in the proper
marketing of our crop. In the past
every bale has beep sold in compe-
tition with evej-y other bale. This
indiscriminate marketing must give
way, as it is doing, to the market
ing through a system, with proper
warehousing in evry county and state
under local control, and with ware
houses backed by local holding com
panies sufficiently strong to take care
of distress cotton and the cotton of
people who will sell. A reasonable
minimum price must be fixed, as has
been done for this crop, and no cotton
must go from our control except on
payment of the minimum price plus
the carrying charge. The cotton crop
will finance itself if fairly treated.
Hence, I repeat, the farmers, mer
chants and bankers of the south, by
proper co-operation, can make every
bale of this crop bring 15 cents.
“Therefore, the appeal is to every
farmer who does not have to sell, to
sell none of his cotton for less than
15 cents. The appeal is to every
merchant to press no man where he
can possibly avoid it, but to co-oper
ate to relieve the indebtedness and get
15 cents for the staple. The appeal
is to the banker, who forms the last
link in the chain, to co-operate both
with the merchant and the farmer
and see to it that not a bale of the
south’s great product is sold at less
than 15 cents.- We must get rid of
debt and establish our independence,
and in this we must have the co-opera
tion of merchants and bankers.
“Cotton growers should remember
that the fight of their lives is at hand.
The New York cotton exchange has
revised its system of gambling, and
made it still more seductive. Let’s
have none of it. Let’s repeat last
year’s experience, and market our
crop with spot cotton two to three
cents above futures.
“Above all things the crop should
be marketed slowly. It should be
sold only to meet immediate de
mands —no more. Now is the time
for us to get our price. The mills
need and want our cotton, and by
slow marketing they can get it only
at our price. This is the only method
that will bring our price, and to this
end I now ask the aid and assistance
of every Georgian of whatever faith
or order or organization. The farmers
of Georgia know that I have never
deceived them, and if we stand to
gether now as one man, there is no
power that can stop our onward
march to success —a success that will
mean the good of all. We advocate
only that which will add to the
south’s wealth, aid her every business,
upbuild her every financial, educa
tional, moral and religious interest,
leaving happy and prosperous her
people, as the result of our success.”
—Farmers ’ Advocate.
WHY NOT LOAN THE FARMERS
DIRECT?
Hal L. Norwood Thinks Cotton Good
Security For State.
To The Star: —I observed in the
last issue of your paper that there
was some probability of a special
session of the legislature being called
for the purpose of passing an act
authorizing the money in the state