Newspaper Page Text
*v > * '
Does Cotton Oligarchy Grip South
and Defy Plans for Diversification?
MR. HOLLEMAN’S COMMUNICATION.
The aeiwmpanylng communlotlltn from J. T Hollenasn. of Atl»nt». la an
Intensely lnlar**tlng dlwuarion of tha allu.llon confronting th* »o..lh to-
«*r Probably ao man In «h* aouth I* better pooled concerning farm con
dition* than Mr. Hdlleman. wtoo. for more than a <tuart*r of a conturr. ha*
(Mil In farm land* hot only « v a r r b« rt of U**° r « l ». but ,n p, ' -t of
lb* pouth. and tbtuufiti hhm million* of dollara hare b**n lanl or. »oulh*rn
la negotiating Ihoa* loan* Mr. Holl*m*n ha* had to mak* clou Indl-
vldual research with **oclflc study of condlllon* .urroundlng ovary loan.
H* I* thoroughly In touch with farm condition* In *v*ry part of tb* aouth
What h* s»ya th*r*for*, a* bearing upon th* pr***nt *ltuation malt** an
aacaadlndly Interfering contribution to th* HtdriHur* on th* subject;
Bailor Constitution: It I* hl«h tlm*
that aom* man ro** up big enough and
brav* rnnuKh to tell the truth about
th* lit notion l have th* courage lo do
It, but I know that f arn not big enough
to do It a* It should b* don*. i had
hobrd that some man would tome for
ward and t**r away the mask from our
boasted pro»p*rlly and leave «*po»*d
th* hideous akelelon In all It* realty.
This w»» th* hop* that actuated me
In tny communication to you of August
7t. We at* not a prosperous p*opl«,
wi> h«v* never been a prosperous peo
ple and we never will ft* a proaperou*
people so Ioiik o* we baa* our prosper
ity solely Upon the production of cot
ton It I* time we cetiaed to dignify
and to itlorlfy a crop, the over-produc
tion of which I* a cure* upon th* atale
and upon the entire south
We should meet the Issue *<|ti»rely.
The rollon exchanges should be open
ed as soon as It can safely be done,
and every man who has COttOh In his
posacaslon and who owes money should
put It on the market, sell II for whut
It will bring anil pay his debts Those
men who lire not In ilebl and who do
HOI I l« sell can afford 10 hold
their cotton. The government should
get behind the banka, and the govern
ment la behind Iho banks, to the full
est extent to which It can legitimately
go. The all Important question la tha
reduction of the production of cotton
In the future and tliu production of food
for man and beaat. Wo should leave
to the banka and to congress, acting
through the bank*. Iho matter of tnk-
tug care of the pTesenl crop of cotton,
snd turn our attention to the matter of
preventing an excessive prodUctlon of
cotton In the future, and lo the matter
of producing home supplies. We have
heard a great many Ilroe* that If a
wall were built around the stale of
Georgia her people could allll live In
comfort and Independence. The gov
ernor of Georgia. In an Interview pub-
IIshed In one of our papers two weak*
ago. made this •tatement Well w*
have the atone wall. It wa* built by
the German emperor, built without a
moment’* warning and thrown around
us In m night. Where. now, la our
boasted Independence? Inate»d of com
fort and independence we find panic
and despair. If, Indeed. It were possi
ble 5) throw around this atate a real
wall that would shut ua off entirely
from all communication with the out
side world. 1 believe that every man.
woman and child, and that all the
Itorses and cattle In this state, would
die of starvation before another crop
could l>e harvested. I believe that any
statistician could gather the facts and
figures ami vrrlff what I #ny. 11 }■ *
well-known fact that only oho state
. list of the Mississippi river now pro
duces us much food stuff ns It con
sumes, snd that stale Is not Geor
gia, but Delaware. The government
census shows that there are not a»
many live stock In the state of Geor
gia todnv as there was In I H«0, al
though our population Is three times
as great. Here, then, Is our weuknuss.
Who l*ro«luo«*H.
Now. If WC aro to undertake the
problem of reducing the production of
cotton, we must know who produces
1t The trouble began In 1«#0, and l
hope It will have Us ending In 1914. A
war started It snd I trust a war will
erul It. It Is well known to ull Intclll-
KCiit men that when the southern sol
diers returned to their homes after the
civil war they had nothing left but
their lands. 1 heard the Hon. N. J.
.Hammond shy on one occasion that Ini-
rnedlately after the war he traveled
horseback from Augusta, to Macon.
He suld that oil that ride he euw not
one living thing Not a mnn. nor a
-woman, nor a child. Not a horse, not
ei cow. no hogs, no sheep—nothing that
find life. Everywhere he wu* confront
ed by ruin and desolation. The condi
tion of tha south at this tlm# seemed
hopeless indeed. The wisest and brav-
vst men were staggered by the situa
tion. Fortunately. In every town and
village there were a few men more or
Ums prominent who still knew people
In Baltimore and New York. They
opened negotiation* with their friends
4n these elites. bought good* of all
ports on credit and began to eell them
out to the fanner* on credit. Those
woods were not simply things to wear
Mild things to cultivate their farm*
■with. Thev Included things to eat.
The men on the /urine had to buv ev
erything under an arrangement of thin
port. They hod to buy their farming
Implement*, thUr mules, their seed for
lilantlim, their clothing and whatever
they needed to live upon themselves,
and whatever they needed tor the ne
groes they employed upon tlielr farms.
That method is In existence at th#
si resent day. The vast sums of money
that farmers have paid to these mid
dlemen for things that they ehou Id
have grown on thetr own farm* would
stagger the Imagination. These mid
dlemen necessarily became wealthy
and their children and their grand
children are wealthy today as a result
of the money made by tlielr father* and
grandfathers In supplying the farmers
of this state and of the south wttih
what they needed. Naturally, the men
In the cities and the towns and the vll-
lutftty In th« sort of buBlnwn I
have described began Ihemeelves to ac
cumulate lands, by foreclosure or by
outright purchase, and these men are
today the large land otCner# of the stale
and the large cotton producers. Imv-
•ry countv you will Had them. They
own the banka the fertiliser plant*, th*
oil mill*, the warehouse* and big sup-
P lv stores snd all tb* Important lino# of
- . *_ H4I.WU eell I be fupmgr g!*0
borers #*t. They also repr*»ant non
resident*. who own large tract* of
land, snd they control these lands snd
dlelat* what shall be planted on them.
Thev »r* al*o In politic*, they are
member* of the leglelature. they are
active In all election*, they have their
candidates for all the roomy offices,
they help to elect the mayors of their
towns, tne solicitors of the city courts,
the solicitor* general, th# county
Judges, th# Judges of the superior
court, the congressmen, the governor
and the United Hlstes senators. Their
sons and daughter* throng the col
leges of th* state. And i will say Just
here that It I* not my purpose to at
tack these men. or to say anything un
kind In regard to them. They are the
very flower of the state. Such prog
ress as we have made hae come
through them Hut they nrc the pro
ducers of the cotton crops, and the
question before us Is to ascertain who
It I* that produces this very crop
The** are the men who <lo It.
Some Georgia Counties.
Th* United Htalcs census department
at Washington Iiuh Just Issued a bul
letin dealing with the ownership of
rltv ami country homos In Georgia. 1
have noticed these bulletins appearing
In twenty-seven of the country week
lies that came to tny office last week.
I call your attention to the following
luble, made,up from the exact flgur
tallied lri thl
alls department:
Number
bulletin of tho o§n-
County.
B*k*r .
Hfn Hill .
IlrookM . .
Bulloch .
Calhoun .
C* toon*. .
Cortot . .
Colquitt .
Columbia
Doug htrty
Klbtrt.
Gordon. .
liara-lMon.
■AMfl ..
Ntwton .
Flkt . . .
PulMkl .
V’utnam .
Itandolph
lenity. .
loaUdlnf .
Htowurt .
Talinforro
Ttrrtll. .
Too mb* .
of Home*.
. . 4.474
. . M 4
. . 2.631
* . 1.464
. . 1.416
. . 1.014
. . 1.819
. . 1200
. . 1.394
.. 1.021
. . 1.910
. . 9.407
. . l.»21
. . 1.102
. . 2.190
. . 2.426
. . 2,749
. . 1.992
. . 2.111
Occupied
by Ttncnti
640
4 40
1.493
1.912
ft.179
hltfUld
791
1,920
1.470
1.196
2.924
1.328
1.961
1.717
498
• 14
1.047
1.414
•19
2.140
1.486
994
1.496
1,919
1.199
9.090
1.972
1.841
694
1.194
1.902
1.121
2.299
720
1.219
840
Occupied
by Owners.
928
648
1,038
1.642
229
661
1,006
1,169
410
112
770
972
997
807
901
<07
989
220
640
T.
2(1
>4.
IIS
SOI
482
*»7
Totals
.1,1.023 84,428 1.6.604
It will lie seen from the foregoing
table, which Is merely Indicative of the
conditions In all the other counties,
that In these twenty-seven counties
there arc fit,0.1.1 farm homes, that 34,-
42H of these farm homes are occupied
by tenants and 1(1,604 are occupied by
owners. In other words, nearly 70
per cent of the farms In these twenty-
seven counties are occupied by tenants.
These are the farms that are pro
ducing the cotton. It would be Inter
esting to take a particular county and
And out the name and address of the
owners of these rented farms. 1 wish
Mr. John I> Walker, of Ni.arta, and
t Vviiuliliii/lnti
fn.slness They **U the fsrmsr
agricultural Implements, hi* fertilis
er*. his mules, sll that he and M* 1*~
borers wear and all that he and kl* la?
Mr. A. K. Barnett, of Washington
would undertake to do this In their
own counties In your paper of the
Hth Instant these gentlemen tnke Is
sue with me ua to what 1 said In my
communication of August 28. It would
bo very illuminating lo the publlo to
know exactly the ownership of these
rented farms in the state of Ueorgtu.
Far-IMf Landlord*.
You must not fall Into the error of
thinking thut the owners of these
rented farm* live In the neighborhood.
They do not. They live In Atlanta, Sa
vannah, Macon, Augusta, Columbus and
In all of the other towns and cities In
the state. Indeed, they may be found
In New York and Washington and
Baltimore and In many other far-dis
tant places. They are all Georgians,
but they have abandoned these farms,
ranted th»m out to poor white folk#
and negroes and are living elsewhere
upon the cotton rents which they ob
tain. The owner* of these rented
farm# are also bankers, merchants,
supply men, liverymen, warehousemen,
fertiliser men and other men ’In simi
lar lines of business tn all the cities,
towns and villagaa of the state. Their
one Idea In reference to these farms
Is to see that they produce eyery bale
of cotton possible If one of these
owners lives too far away to look
after renting and to attend to the
gathering of the crop and the collec
tion of the rent, some local man Is an
agent for the purpose. This local man
Thera is a m.—
ap now looking to the reduction oi
the cotton crop for neat year. Farm
ers ars urged to rut down thslr crops.
Farmer* are urged to hold meetings
and attend to this matter. Farmers
are urged to plant something on tb*lr
land* that will go to f*ed themselv**
and thslr femlllss and tlielr stock.
Thsss farmers that th* newspaper* ars
talking aboat are not the one* who
control the production of cotton at all.
If you want to get at th* eitaatlon.
you must (All a meeting of the owner*
of tb#** rented farnfs. and tbelr local
agents In th* various cltl*a. town* and
village*, and the men who bug and
sell what goee on and what goe#away
from the farm. In a convention of
that* people you might accomplish
something As a matter of fact, these
men have been In convention already,
but the newspapers did not realise It.
Thssc are the people who are crying
loudeel for help In the** dark days
You will notlc# that the various meet
ing* that have been bald are not made
ap of men who ere actually working
on the farms, but hav* been mad* up
Of banker*, merchant*, warehouseman,
fertiliser man. mule dealer* and peo
ple #f thl* sort. They find thslr occu
pation gone when cotton ha* no value
They admit everything except that
they themselves are responsible for the
enormous cotton crop* that hav* b**ri
produced for years in the south. They
e*« hn end to *11 their plan*. With
the cotton crop eliminated their vari
ous line* of business vanish. Th*
farmer who raises his own supplies at
home has no use for these men. With
the cotton crop gone these men hays
nothing to do. because of their
business training and of their busi
ness enterprise* being based solely on
cotton. They know that real farming
cannot be conducted by them. To be a
real farmer they will have to go out
In the country and live on the farms
and look after (he cultivation of th*
land, the growing of the grain and
hay. the raising of live stock. This
sort of farming requires constant and
Intelligent attention. Cotton farming
ran tie done by any sort of u poor
white tenant and any sort of an Igno
sunt negro. All these poor tenants und
negroes need Is to have a little direc
tion from town In the springtime, an
arrangement by which all they *m
and HI their stock eat* Is furnished
lo them und they can produce the cot
ton and carry it Into town In the full,
where the lord of the manor will he
ready to take It and hell It und pocket
the lion's shuro und let the poor white
tenant and negro tenant have Just
enough to keep him alive until next
year's crop. These men give no thought
of the building up of the land, but
milk It from year to year of every
ounce of cotton It will produce. Htrong-
er than the grasp of the mailed hand
of the German emperor ie the clutch
of these men upon the agricultural In
terest* of the south.
Real Fsnssers.
Now. there are In every county a
fsw real farmers. You can count them
In each county on your ten fingers.
They are no more disturbed hy 'be
war in Kurope than they would be by
the eruption of the volcano of Veeuvl-
ua They are not concerned a» to
whether they can e<H of ’not thaftr cefc
ton crop of the year 1914. If they *et
the price they want, they eell it. If
not, they pile it up under the oak tree*
in their front yard* and let it stay
there. Their farm* are in good eh&pe,
they have plenty to eat themnelvee.
plenty of food for their etock, and the
nctcroeM and white laborer* upon their
farmn are well fed, well clothed und
quite contented. Thslr houses arc
well Unlit and comfortable, their farms
arc well fenced, thslr lauds are well
cultivated, and they are not ashamed
to live In the country. Splendid mules
and horn***, fine herd* of cattle, flock*
of sheep, fat hogs and chickens and
ducks and turkeys, all the things that
went to inak e up the old-fashioned
southern home They have orchard* und
vegetable garden* and are literally liv
ing In the land of inllk and honey. There
are still such farmers left In Georgia
and the south, but they are very few
We need not concern ourselves greatly
about the real farmers, the Independ
ent farmers of Georgia and the south
In iny opinion thev number possibly
10 per cent of the farming population
They have demonstrated the fart that
they ca:( lake care of themselves, in
good times anil bail times. In times of
peace und In times of war. 1 have al
die live stock, they need s-ttentlon
morning, noon and night. Every mem-
bar of the family must take a hand.
Intelligence I* necessary, and by this 1
do not mean education obtained from
school book* aeid school teacher*. I
mean that Intelligence which waits
from thought, from exercising economy
and from doe* attention to detail.
Furthermore, thSe sort of farming
means that the wArk roust extend from
January to January. Tou know your
uottori farmers Only work about half
th* ytsr. Indeed, tb* owner of the
farm find* It unaocegaary to vkslt nt*
cotton plantation more than two or
three time* a year. The men who are
actually doing tb* work on the farm
ar# engaged only at certain ssssons.
But the farmer who undertake# to
break away from th# all-eotton system
snd to look after all the othar thing*
that should be produced on bis plan
tation will have to work Juet a* hard
a* do the people who live lit th# ultlea.
This Is why a grest many people heM-
late. Cotton farming 1* aasy. The
other eort of farming means labor and
thought and constant attention and
care. But while cotton farming Im
poverishes and dwarf* th# people, thl#
other sort of farming will build them
up. make them more Intelligent and
ronder them absolutely Independent.
And, speaking of education, load* roe
to call attention to another groat fact.
We flatter ourselves that year by
year we are expending so much money
upon our public school system that
education must bo Increasing, not only
In the cities, but In the rural district*,
and that the beneflrlal effects of In
creasing educational facilities will
finally solve all our problem* No
greater mistake was ever made. W hat
do the words, education, school house*,
teachers and colleges mean to the
white farmer* of thl* state and of the
south? They mean nothing In the
world except the opportunity for their
sons and daughters to fit themselves to
get away from the farm, to go Jnto the
towns and cities and he able to make a
comfortable living. This and this only
Is what education means In the cotton
farming districts of the south.
A Greal Opporlualty.
It seems lo me that the leading men
of thl* state have now the greatest op-
port miltv that ever came to them, to
take hold of this situation and lend the
people out of the wilderness. When I
Speak of leaders. I do not mean merely
men of financial positions, not merely
editors snd other leader* of thought;
I mefrn men who now are occupying
high and responsible position* In the
government of this state and of tha
south Thl* question should find it*
way into our state rapltol and should
stir up the men who occupy the of
fice* there. What nobler and greater
work could th* governor of a great
state find than the work of taking
hold vigorously of th* condition*
which now exist and ahowlng the peo
ple how to free fhemselv**? I know
that It has nod been the cu*tom of th*
south, or In Georgia, for the governor
to concern himself about *uoh mat
ters ft* these, but I can ##* no reason
why h# should not do so 1 know that
secretaries of stats, state treasurers,
state comptroller# and other atate of
ficers have been accustomed to put a
very narrow rormtnictlon upon their
diitlee. and to confln* themaelve# to
very narrow channels Even our corn -
m Issloners of agriculture eeom power
less to grasp our present situation,
seoin unable to Influence the farming
Interests and. to my mind, fall far
short of their duties and responalblll-
Tou will remember that I appealed
to you at the son* tlm*. and you pub
lished In The Constitution an Interview
with me along this line. Th| s i nt ST*
view attracted the attention of *"•
Edmonds, of The Manufacturer* Rec
ord, e*»d be wrote you that euch pub
lication* would do th# state harm. Mr
Edmonds ha* done a wonderful work
for the southern country, but he hae
been blind upon tWs particular fea
ture. He does not know the real situa
tion that axlote in tb* farming com
munities of thl* state and of S-h* south.
Lately, elnc* th* war gune have com
menced to thunder In Europe, he ha*
boon delivering some eled** hammer
blows on tho'oubjeot of Pcoduclngfood
muff*. It Is hlgk time that he did It.
It is high tiro* that Oil th* newspaper*
oboiild take up th# subjeot and follow
It relentlessly until something Is oc-
compllshsd. I told one of the Atlanta
editors that unless something wo*
deem, the time would com* when our
lands would pas* Into th* hands of
foreigner* coming Into th* itsir and
our native Georgian *rould disappear
from tbs farm* He agreed with me.
but said that he thought that would
bo a good thing. Mot content with my
efforts to Induce the newspaper* to
take hold. 1 was Instrumental In hav
ing drawn a resolution calling upon
th* legislature #f |)HJ to appoint a
committor, mad* up of members of the
houoe and eenate, to investigate agri
cultural conditions In the otate and re
port to tha legislature of 1*14. wheth
er thooe condition* were satisfactory
or not, and especially to report upon
the Heating* statement. This resolu
tion went before the agricultural com
mittee of the hou»* and was ably pre
sented by one of th* representatives of
Fulton county, and strongly advocated
by Mr. Robert F. Maddox, who made
a speech before th* committee. 1 also
addressed the committee The resolu
tion made about a* much impression
upon that committee as pouring water
on a duck’s back. To be perfectly
tie
te certain to Ire one of the prominent
business men In the city, tho town or
the village nearest the farm. This lo
cal agent, of course, looks first to mak
ing a good rent contract for the own
er. When that point I# accomplished,
then he see# to It that, In aomo way
or other, the handling of all the cot
ton produced on that%farm should
come through Ills store or his bank.
He sees to It that nil the fertilisers
that are bought for this farm, all the
mule# that are purchased for this farm,
all th* farming Implements that are
used on this farm and all the supplies
that go to the tenants on this farm
are handled by him. His only Idea la
to make the farm produce the cotton
and he will attend to everything need-
ad on the farm, gat rents for the own
er and make a commission or a sales
profit on everything that Is bought for
ska farm or sold front tha fores.
ALL’S WELL WITH THE WORLD
BOTEL WINECOFF
Atlanta, Ga.
HOTELS ARE LIKE FOLKS
They have personalities, pleas
ant and otherwise.
The HOTEUj WINECOFF. on tha
centermost spot In Atlanta, i* a
pleasant and friendly sort of hotel
for rest, recreation or basin as*
activity.
The HOTEL WINECOFF gives
th* man and woman from out-of-
town a eens* of security and
cheer. Often this spirit Is a bless
ed and beneficent thing to the In
dividual away from home.
Whether you pay $1.60 or $3.00
per day for your room, you ara
made to feel that “All's well with
the world.”
The HOTEL WINECOFF li At
lanta's newest and most complete
Hotel; now under the manage
ment of Mr. J. F. Letton, former
manager of Hotel Ansley.
EXECUTIVE STAFF:
Frank T. Reynold*
Jae. F. deJarnetta.
A. H. Chapman.
ready shown that 70 per cent of our
farniH nr® occupied by t®n8nti. Thin
lcnvus about 26 per cent more of the
farms unaccounted for. These are oc
cupied by owner*, who are annuli farm
ers, who have never reached the point
of independence and who follow exactly
the same system of farming that I#
followed by the 70 per cent making up
the tenant farmers. At one time, In
discussing Mexico, president Wilson
referred to the downtrodden people of
that country as the "submerged 46 per
cent." Well, we have this submerged
cinss In our country, but you will no
tice that 1 have raised the percentage.
1 put It at 90 per cent. About 10 per
cent of our farmer# are Independent,
20 per cent are small white farmers
owning their lands, and 70 per cent
are tenant farmer*. Undoubtedly the
tenant class, making up the 70 per cent,
are submerged: Undoubtedly this
70 per cent ha* carried down with It
the 20 pan- cent of white owners of
small farms, os they are not sufficient
ly strong In numbers to escape the in-
fluence of the other 70 per cent.
Mr. Charles S. Barrett, president of
the Farmers’ Union, has struggled
heroically for many years In an effort
to decrease cotton production and In
crease food production. Hus he suc
ceeded? Mr. Burrett himself will tell
you that he has utterly failed. Why
has he failed? Mr. Barrett certainly
hus great Influence In the Farmers'
Union, as the members of this organi
sation have re-elected him year after
year to the presidency. I have often
wondered how he explain* to hlmslf
and to hi* Intimate friends his failure
In the great fight he has made along
these lines. I can tell him what th*
trouble ha* been. Indeed, a careful
reading of what I have already said
In thle article fully explains Mr. Bar
rett's failure. The member* of bhe
Farmers’ Union are not the men who
are responsible for the production of
the large cotton crop* w* make. Mr.
Barrett ha* been levelling hie fire In
the wrong direction. The ten or a doa-
en Independent farmers In each county
car* very little about the Farmers*
Union, because they succeed without It.
These farmers amount to about IS per
cent of the total farm owners. The
70 per cent of tenant farmers can no
more control the production of cotton
than the army of automobile chauffeurs
can control the output of care from
the various factories of the country.
The 20 per cent of farmer* who one
their farms, but who follow the lead
of the other 70 per cent and plant noth
ing but cotton, are the ones who make
up tho membership of the Farmers’
Union. They are hopelessly In the mi
nority In the fanning population, they
know nothing but cotton planting and
follow blindly the custom* that have
existed In this state for years. In
other words the men who are reaponsl-
btle for the excessive production are
not only not members of the Farmers’
Union, they are not eligible to member
ship. Bankers, merchant*, owners
oil mills, cotton factories and fertill
plants rich lawyer* and wealthy
physicians, superior court Judges, mem
bers of congress and other classes of
large land owners are not and cannot
be members of the Ftarmera’ Union. Be
fore Mr. Barrett can Influence these
men and thereby curtail the produc
tion of cotton, ho would be compelled
to let down the bars and modify the
rostrlottons In reference to member
ship In the union.
Let It not be undemtood that 1 and
men like me have taken up this eubjert
hastily und are considering It simply
because of the war In Kurope. A great
manv men have been seriously con
cerned about this matter for a good
many years. In 1*12 the charge was
made by Mr H. G. Hastings, of this
city, thgit the proceed* of our entire
cotton crop were required to pay for
the food stuff* consumed In this state,
and many hundred* of thousands of
dollars more. That charge was bitter
ly d*nled, but has never been dis
proved What sort of a state govern
ment have we, when a charge like
this cannot be either verified or dis
proved? It wa* this statement by Mr
Hastings that set me thinking For
many years. I have realised thus some
thing was radically wrong, and I be
came convinced, and am still con
vinced, that Mr Hustings ha* under
stated the case. rather thRn over
stated It. About that time the boll
weevil rame Into prominence, ns the
prediction was made tha>t this pawl
{.saBiOTr-"rsjsaf WA
vegetables and p °“ 1 JL r5 ^pportunity for
not only com* » "* bu t l P t hsre would
the negroes to »o:rk, 19u with prop-
be plenty for ,h *i" Sf of the farmei*#
£m. of th— cltl- were oo«weHjJ
•ome or moo® ° , **.-7: naanlt bo for*
ha?« a rocount of th*lr poopio
—th*" Allant**alo“e-
wmone all th* large dries of the Stati
frank with you, they laughed at ua and
we were forced to abandon the fight
No Criticism.
Now. In all that 1 have said you will
not find one word In criticism of the
farmer, using the term farmer to de
•crib* the man who Is actually on the
land doing the work. Nor will you
flml one word In criticism of the lands
themselves. No fnlrcr Collfilry rah be
found on th« face of the globe than
lies within the boundaries of our
southern states. These lands need
nothing but intolllgent cultivation and
they will enrich all the men and wom
en who give them this sort of atten
tion. Today the southern farms are
barren or the very things that should
be tholr glory. You can get on a rail
road train, or Into an automobile, and
ride u hundred miles without Seeing
a herd of cuttle. When you do find
cattle, they ar* littl*. tick-Infested
creatures that no mor* resemble real
cows than a tubercular cotton factory
operative resemble* an athlete. I have
young men In my employ twenty-five
year* of *g*. born and raised In Geor
gia, who have never seen a mult celt.
There Is no grain, no hay, no poultry,
no *vegetabl* gardens, no orchard*—
except th* peach orchard* belonging
to a non-rusldent corporation—nothing
that goe* to make up a real farmer's
home
Pathetic indeed ha* been th* Ilf* of
the small landowner and th* tenant
farmer In Georgia and the eouth for
fifty year*. Courageous, honest, pa
X 0 w n &^a‘^.ir^n^-popuUUom
ft: JU-ndVnV
business and its P 0 ^*! 0 "wJJ
otber Important city In the otata To*
cannot bu«d great dries except UP®j
proper foundation*. In Georgia tna
foundation of all our growth sad pros
perity I# agriculture, and the failure oC
our cities to expand I* Proof P®* U !’ P
that th* agricultural condition* era
unsatisfactory.
1 plead for th* resurrection and re
incarnation of the old southern home.,
The white hous* with It* green win
dow blind*, ^tending back from Ut»
big road among tha great oak*, the
long avenue, flanked by green lawn*,
the old-fashioned flower*, the g:rape ar
bor. the vegetable garden, the orchard,
the cider press, th# long row* of bee
hives. where the fig trees grow—all
around, th* broad acre# divided into
cultivated fields by trim fences, herds
of cattle, sleek horsee and mule*, rat
hogs, flock# of sheep and goats; chick--
ens and ducks and pigeons, strutting
gobblers, guinea-fowl* with their loud
“pot-rack" and the stately peacock
with his gorgeous feathers flashing In
the sun; well filled barns, the smoke
house with all the irood things of the
olden days. And cotton—yes, tho
cotton that is not the king, but the
servant of him that grows it. We
had such homes once in Georgia. Shall
we ever see them again ? Out of
such homes in the olden days sprang
the men and women who were the
strength and glory of the state. Why
may we not build them again!
But someone may ask what solu
tion I have to offer. It ie impossible.
Mr. Editor, for me or you, or for any
other man to enter into the details of
the solution of this great question-
We can only call attention to the
situation and leave to others the
working out of our salvation. My
purpose in writing this communica
tion is to attract the attention of
some man big enough and strong
SUBSCRIBE FOR THE REPORTER
D. E. MORGAN. M. D.
Diseases of Children
Office over Bradfield Drug Co.
Telephones 92, 297
would reach our state In 1914 or t915
As a member of the chamber of com-
merce, and as a director of that body
for two years I was extremely active
In helping to enlighten the people
about the holl weevil, and In urging
upon them a change In farming meth
ods In some quarter# the activity of
the chamber of commerce In Atlanta
wa# sneered at Nevertheless, we went
forward, and through the Influence of
the annual corn show, great program
ha# been made in teaching the people
of thl# KlRte what can be done In the
cultivation of corn. A great many
people were brought to Atlanta and
were sent to other parts of the state
to speak upon the boil weevil and point
out the disasters that would come 7b
us unleo* we ceased the all-cotton
method of farming. 8o that the oltua-
tlon which the war has produced Is
not unlooked for hv me. and by many
other men. because we expected this
same Hit nation to arise through the
coming of the boll weevil. Even in the
year 1913 I sought help from all three
* the Atlanta newspapers One of
these newspaper# absolutely declined
to take up the matter and expose the
real ettuatlon. because the editor
feared the effect of It upon the out-
alde world The editor of another
newspaper listened to me patiently and
mild that he would refer the matter
to hts agricultural expert, who wa* a
young professor In the agricultural
college at Athens. Evidently the
young professor thought that 1 wa*
wrong, and the editor felt that th*
young professor knew more about th*
situation than 1 did. although I hav*
Been, for thirty-five year*, dealing di
rectly with the farmer, and hav*
studied the situation a* carefully as
any man ever did or ever could. Noth
ing came of It with this newspaper.
dene be lifted? in the springtime they
go forth and with “our brothers In
black" set their hands to the plow
They bend their back* to the burden,
and when the frost falls they have
ndded >1.000,000.000 to the wealth of
the world But small indeed Is their
share and meager the recompense to
them Every two years, according to
the government census, they move from
one place to another. They build no
homes, they live In rude huts, no flow
ers about their dwellings, no trees to
shade them from the sun. consumed by
the summer's heat ami chilled by the
winter's cold, no lawn# about' their
houses, no garden fences, and with the
accursed cotton plant crowding the
very threshold of their rude dwelling*
and thrusting its limbs Into their very
windows, their lot Is Indeed pitiable.
Tlielr, sons and daughters come to
manhood nnd womunhood. deport from
the fnrm and are lost to them In some
distant community. Finally, when their
fight Is over, they are laid to rest In
the rude churchyards of the country,
others take their places nnd continue
the light. They hav* established no
permanent home, their kith snd kin arc
scattered fur and wide, and the place*
that knew them once know them no
more forever. I have no word of criti
cism for men like these. 1 know them.
I have lived among them. I sprang
from them. Who shall undertake to
lead these men out of the wilderness
of their troubles? Men whom they ele
vate to high office* In the etate and
national government are ever ready to
teach them politics, but they are not
prepared to help them eolve their prob-
tlent and long-suffering. When shall the nconlc Henrv
they see light" when shall their bur- enoujfh U> arouse the people.^ nenry
where ReaaaAy Lice.
I have ahown you where the respon
sibility lies for th* excessive produc
tion of cotton. I have pointed out the
men who are responsible for It. The
remedy does not lie with the men who
are actually at work In the fields pro
ducing cotton. It lie* with the classes
of men whom I have endeavored to
describe In thle article. It used to be
said that a dozen men could get to
gether tn New York city and say what
should be dune with every prominent
fln&nctal Interest and with all the big
enterprises in the country. Fortunate
ly great progress ha* been made in
last few years toward putting an
end to thl* condition. High finance 1*
not so much In evidence as It was a
few years ago. But the some princi
ples are Involved In the questloa I am
discussing now. Twenty-five men
could have a meeting In almost any
county In this state and adopt a reso
lution to cut the cotton acreage in
hair, and if ttfley themselves complied
with the resolution and brought all
their Influence to bear to carry It out,
the acreage would be reduced one-half.
Indeed, there are counties where one
or two men can do this, so absolutely
and completely do they dominate the
business and farming operations of
their county. The question of reducing
the acreage, therefore, can be compre
bended. We know who 1* responsible
and we can form some Idea of how to
reach the responsible parties. But the
question of increasing the supply of
foodstuffs Is a most serious matter.
It requires Intelligence to successfully
produce grain and hay, to successfully
raise live stock and to successfully
supply the farm and the home with all
the things that are necessary for man
and beaat. Any sort of a white man and
all the negroes can go on on* of these
Mg plantation* and grow cotton,
under the supervision of the
owner* and agent* of non-resident
owners living in the town*, cities and
villages. But when you come to h»n-
lema. A fearful responsibility rest* at
thl* time upon men In authority and
men In high office*. Will they meet
It?
The Negro'* Part.
And let u* consider the negroes. You
know, there are about one million In
the state of Georgia. The system of
all-corion and no food stuffa entails
more suffering upon the negroes than
upon anyone else. Theirs Is. Indeed,
a struggle for existence at all times,
and especially at a time like this. It
goes without saying, that If anybody
shall go hungry and naked. It will be
the negroes. When 1 was a boy. forty
years ago, on my father’s farm near
Macon, although the war had ceased
but a few years before, there existed
• real sympathy between the farmer
and the negroes on his plantation. My
father saw to It that every negro ten
ant on his farm kept hts cow. a few
pigs, chicken*, and had a potato patch
and a garden. How is It now? A
Georgia etate senator. In my office
a few day* ago. discussed the question
W. Grady knew nothing of archi
tecture. He had no knowledge of
house building. He would have been
unable to lay the foundations, to erect
the walls or to put on the roof. Per
haps he would have known little of
anything that related to the erection
of any sort of a building. But the
files of The Atlanta Constitution wiir
show that he wrote one editorial
which so stirred the people of this
state that, in a night, as it wore, the
Soldiers’ home sprang into existence.
It was not for him to enter into the
detailft necessary to erect this build
ing which has proven such a blessing
to the veterans in gray. His mission
was to see what other people could
not see and to state it in "thoughts
that breahe and words that burn.’’ -
Having done that, he was content to
leave the actual work to other hands.
So. I hope that some man in the south
will rise to the occasion and strike
the note of freedom for our people-
some Grady, who shall tell us again
that “The citizen standing in the
doorway of his home—contented on
his threshold—his family about his
hearthstone—while the evening of a
well spent day closes in scenes and
sounds that are dearest—he shall
save the republic when the drum tap
is futile and the barracks are ex
hausted”—some Dickens, who shall
once again break down the prison,
doors and set the capitives free.
J. T. HOLLEMAN.
Atlanta, Ga.
—Atlanta Constitution.
about which I am now writing. He
owns a large plantation, although he
does not live bn It, but Is a practicing
lawyor In a neighboring town, ana
stated that he did not permit a sin
gle negro family on his place to have
any of the things which my father In
sisted upon in tne old days. When I
asked him for hie reason for this, he
said that the negroes would steal his
corn to feed their stock upon. This
custom is almost universal. Moat of
the negroes of the state live on farm*
and day by day they are drifting fur
ther away from the white people.
Who 1* responsible for It? In my
opinion, the white men ore solely re
sponsible'. These ignorant people ar*
left on these plantations, ara Instructed
to make a cotton crop, and the owner
of the plantation feels less interest In
them than he does In the mules that
draw the plows. All that they get
upon which to live passes through hi*
hands. At the year’s end he makes
such settlement as circumstances Jus
tify. Now, I would not go on record
as insisting that the negroes should
be allowed to own lands to too great an
extent. This Is a problem too big for
me But I do insist that they should
be taught upon these farms to produce
other things than cotton and that they
should be allowed themselves, in some
way, to produce many things upon
which they might exist. When will
our people wake up to the real situa
tion that confronts them with reference
to these hordes of ignorant negroes
on the furms? They are bought and
sold os they were before the war of
1840. They are traded In by court of
ficers and owners of the big planta
tions in almost every county in the
state. Their flhes are so arranged
that the big plantation owners can pay
them and take them out of Jail and
get more value In services than they
Some of the Russian names read
like the pi-lines set by a printer on a
Jag-
Partner Wanted
To furnish capital
for operating
wood yard in La-
Grange. Have
plenty of wood
' near railroad.
Write me at once, enclosing
2c stamp for reply.
Stuart M. Stout, Chipley, Ga.
JOHN C. CARTER
DENTIST
Truitt Bldg, LaG range
nave paid In fines to the court officials.
We must face about on this proposition,
or be prepared to meet a worse condi
tion in the future than the European
war oan produce. If the negroes know
nothing except the cultivation of cot
ton, who is responsible? If half their
time during the year is given to idle
ness and crime, who Is responsible?
They cannot work except when the
cotton crop needs It, and I have al
ready shown that this takes up only
a portion of each year. No won
der they abandon the farms, when they
can flee to the big cities where they
are lost In the crowd*, but where they
do have certain opportunities that are
denied them en the farm. __ This. i» a
DENTAL OFFICE OF
HENRY BIGHAM PARK, B,
S. D. D. S.
LaGrange Banking & Trust Co.
Building
Hours: 8 a. m. to 1 p.
2:30 to 6 p. m.
Emergency work Sundays by
specUl appointment