Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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COTTON MS NOT EQUITABLE . -? .; _ i ? """"-*"""*" Manufactured Articles Are Sell . in^T Entirely Too High in Pro portion to Raw Coton SHOULD BE FAIR DIVISION OF PROFITS Mr. Guion Discusses The Mat : ter of Supply and Demand in Relation to Acreage. To the Editor of The Daily Item: . The State of April 12th has a let ter from Mr. Furman L. Cooper, on . acreage reduction which all men should read and analyze carefully. Mr. Cooper is evidently another one of the many men in our midst who only partially understands the cotton situation. His letter is another evi dence that Southern people are alive to the existence of a condition that should be solved with equity, and of ' yrhich all thoughtful men are en deavoring to reach a solution. In fairness to Mr. Cooper, let me say, his letter is open-minded and free from harsh, unjust criticism. His query. "Is the cotton farmer the" only one interested in cotton pro duction?" This is a reasonable question worthy of an intelligent an swer. If one was forced to answer .this great question "Yes" or 'No," it should be answered "yes," because the conditions under which the cotton is-grown, first affects the producer, and if conditions made a slave of the "producer, the fact that he clothed - hundreds would not justify the en slaving of this man. Your correspond l ent says "Where one man grows cot ton in the fields, ten wear cottor clothes on their backs." Now as a matter of fact, the ratio is nearer twenty times this great. Hundreds wear cotton clothes to every produc er of cotton. It is due to this fact that is that, we producers of cotton are in such small proportion to the consumers thereof, that no matter how heavily we are "put to," no cry .: to- "Macedonia to come over and help us," ever reaches beyond the bounds ?Of the cotton fields. And it is be cause of this, that the deepest think- J ers of the South, have in their ex tremity been driven to organize the cotton farmer, and advise him to re duce his cotton acreage, basing theii j ' .action on the past history of cotton j which shows that small crops invari- j 5 ably sell .for more money than big crops. Now, let us return to those shoe I strings at 10 cents per pair, it is presumed they were just plain shoe strings, such as a farmer would buy, about 4 pair to the ounce, G4 pair tc the pound, ^6.40 per pound for cot ton shoe strings that are nearly all made of cheap cotton. Based upon the schedule of prices paid for dif ferent grades of cotton as quoted in The State of 13th inst. by Mr. J. M. Holman of Creston, the cotton to make these shoe strings would cost 15 cents a pound low middling or 19 cents a pound middling strings; either of which, is ample for the aver age tan or black string braided out o: . No. 7 to No. 20 cotton yarn. Can' , Mr. Cooper figure out who got his ex tra 9 3-4 cents and give the farmer i clean bill of health? Within past ten days the write: bought a coil of 3-8 inch rope at 6' cents per pound; the quality of th< rope clearly indicated that it wa: made of low grade cotton, not above . low middling, more likely strict gooc ordinary, now selling according tc schedule of Mr. Holman (and he is about right) at 14 cents per pound When cotton was 12 cents per pound this class of rope sold at below 20 cents per pound. . Why the differ ence? The manufacturer tells yov. his wages and supply bill make the difference. If the laborer necessary to "make this rope is worthy of his hire, is not the producer of raw cot ton due-higher wages also. Arriving at the moral of Mr. Cooper's tale: 1st: "That a limitec ? supply means higher prices," we ad hilt this, it is our just aim to make cotton scarce enough, to command our part of the 10 cents shoe string and 64 cents cotton rope. 2nd: "That more people would suffer from a scarcity of cotton products than would benefit from higher prices of cottor products" we do not admit that prices would have to be higher for finished cotton products, to enable the pro ducer to get a fair price for his cot ton. Nor do we admit that if prices of cotton products were raised higt enough to justify remunerative price.* to the producer, that it would onus-, others to suffer out of proportion t< the suffering of the producer by cot ton prices ranging at figures belot. the cost of production; because the cotton farmer gets his cash almost en tirely from cotton. He certainly Cup on the average) is dependent upon the price of cotton for the condi tion of his prosperity, while the consumer of cotton goods spends only a very small part of his income Upon the /purchase of cotton pro id ucts. To put it differently, if one man produces any commodity and two hundred consume it. is it s<M. but right and fair that the producer oi that article receive as much for his la bor as the consumer gets. Should not the producer b?- entitled to the same living condition as those who consume the product of his labor. 3rd: "To enden vor to regulate the law of supply and demand, etc." The cotton producer cannot effect the de mand but he can regulate the sup ply, and should do so when ib<- de mand has been restricted, as in this case artificially. Were not artificial means being exerted today, the de mand for cotton would be unprece Icnted. So long as France and Eng rak'eac kep the spzsd&s of ASKS RULING ON COTTON QUESTION Secretary Houston Requests At torney General to Pass Up on Acreage Reduction * DOES MOVEMENT VIOLATE ANTI-TRUST LAW? Agitation Started by Kansas Allen Taken up by Secretary of Agriculture. ! Washington, April IS.?Attorney General Palmer has been asked by Secretary Houston for an opinion as to the legality of the movement among the Southern cotton planters to re duce agreage, with the purpose of holding up cotton prices. Boston, April 19.?Boston and Brooklyn opened the National League baseball season today with morning and afternoon games. Berlin, April 18.?The Bavarian anarchist Sendeimer has obtained complete control of the new com munist government in Munich, ac cording to Munich advices. many and Austria idle, they artificial ly increase the supply of raw cotton, for their spindles and decrease the (demand for 'raw cotton there by increasing the chances of buy ing cheaper cotton, it is the cot ton producers duty to decrease his possible future supply in proportion to the idle spindles of the world. If our present acreage reduction is not drastic enough and peace has not been signed by May the first, so as to open the markets of the world, the Southern Gotten Growers' Association should call on the farmers to plow up an acre to the plow each week peace is delayed until our present acreage is down to 50 per cent of normal. And this should be done be fore it is too late, to plant these acres in corn. Mr. Cooper evidently has not at tended any of the various meetings to reduce cotton acreage. At all of these meetings, it has been urged that every available acre cut out of cotton, be planted in food crops, that the South might become self sustaining? this is the burden of our song. Every principle that has been ad vocated by the Cotton Growers' As sociation and by the editor of The State, has been sound. It has been preached at us always that, the South has a. monopoly on cotton, yet each fall there is difficul ty to finance the cotton crop. Who ever heard of a difficulty in financing a monopoly, it might happen once, but not repeatedly. Those who have acclaimed cotton, Kling, have misplac ed a crown?those who have bowed to king cotton have bowed to an empty throne. It is the act of a simpleton to raise ten bales of cotton at a loss when seven bales would pay a good protit. The fall of 1918 was the best on record still a, Iargre part of our crop is low grade. If this indicates any thing, it indicates that we are now planting and have for years planted j more coUon and produced more cot ton than we can get housed before it has heavily deteriorated in the field. Every bale of low grade cotton is al ways produced at a loss, in add"-;~ to subtracting from the value of our good cotton. Thanks to four short crops of cot ton whai- *he editor of The State re plies to Cooper is true. The last two years have brought a measure of prosperity to the farmer, the av erage man is in better condition than he has been for years. Re cently a lawyer and a banker said, "The years 1!?17 and 19IS have liqui dated or put in good standing thou sands of bad accounts." This speaks well for the average farmer; it shows he will pay when he can. Farmers have been accused of throwing away and generally mis handling the hard money, he has been able to earn in the last two years. Unfortunately this is true, but no persons handle with skill anything w"hich is new to him. A new man on j horseback is likely to ruin a good j horse before he learns his ability and j endurance. A new man with an au tomobile thinks he must run like the I devil is at his heels or he is not rid ! ing. A novice with a gun is most likely to shoot at a bird a hundred yards ! away, when his gun will not kill at j fifty yards. Give the farmer a. little money and la little time and he will learn to use ! it wisely! He has not been accu-; [tomed to handling- the cold cash long (enough to know how it oughi to roll, i Let no man think one or two years j of fair prices will solve tin- situation. What we need is a period o? prosp?:-? [ity, and no man or organization can j bring this about permanently uct'l j we realize our system of farming is 'fundamentall;, wrong. Too many me:: ! .are farming to make cotton who I ought to be farming to make a >'??.? ? insr. The political economist has preaeh i ed the division of labor or specialisms j until wc have passed the limit. World ! wide conditions are going to force us j to produce everything possible a* i home, and the most the Southern fCotton Growers' Association can hone. to accomplish, is f<. educate the rot .ton growers to produce their living j first and then look after the cloth I ing of the world. ; Let it !>'? understood that we are [not under any moral obligation to air j country, king or people, to produce [pound of cotton to our own detri j ment. Louis I. Guion. j ; Lugeff, S. C. I Warrants Aggregating ?94,057 j Mailed County Treas ! urers. j WOMEN TEACHERS TO GET BETTER PAY I _ i - j Money to be Credited to School I Districts for Disbursement. Columbia, April 17.?State high school aid was paid today to 111) high schools in forty-three counties by J. E. Swearingen, Stale superintendent of education. Warrants aggregating $94,057 have been mailed to the re spective county treasurers. The mon ey will be credited to the proper school districts for disbursement by the local boards of trustees on their warrant, properly approved by the county superintendent ofeducation. The revised and liberalized High School Act of 1919 carries an appro priation of $100.000. The State Board of Education reserved $5.943 to pay the office and traveling expenses of the nigh school inspector and to maintain the normal classes in approved hi^h schools. The University of South Car olina lends to the State Board of Ed ucation its professor of seconadry ed ucation to serve as high school in spector. Prof. j. A. Stoddard was elected to this position upon> the res ignation of Prof. W. H. Hand last fall. Ten normal classes in approved high schools are authorized under the present law. For the past three yeais successful normal classes have been I conducted in the high schools at Wal I halla. Orangeburg and Conway. Each j instructor receives an annual salary i of $1,200. The .State board is plan j ning to establish other normal classes I in the fall. If this program is carried lout the reserved balance will be ful i ly exhausted before Christmas, j The revised high school act of 1919 ! provides better salaries for assistant J teachers?practically all of these are j women. Heretofore they received a maximum of $55 per month. Under the new law they may receive as much as ?75 per month. In every in stance, the .contract between the local I board of trustees and the teacher was i accepted as the basis of State high 'school aid. The salary agreed upon ! by the trustees and the teacher con stitutes the basis for the payment of j this aid. Among the 119 schools, j these salaries ranged from $40 per j month to ?7"? per month. Not a few boards of district trustees reporl sal aries ranging from $75 to SI00. In j every such case the over-plus is paid I from district funds rather .than from j State funds. The salary of the lowest paid high ! school assistant is the basis for all State aid. The high school law. there fore, contemplates a minimum high school salary of $75 per month. In case the same high school assistant returns for the session 1919-20 she may be paid $S0 if the hoard of dis trict trustees considers such a salary appropriate and desirable. If this same assistant returns for the session 11*20-21. the maximum salary may be $85 per month on the same condition. tThis pohcy of recognizing tenure and j service in the same classroom will j tend to strengthen and stabilize all [high school work. To encourage the employment of an j adequate teaching corps, the law pro I vides further for an allowance of j$150 for a third high school teacher ! and for an additional allowance of j$3 50 for a fourth high school teacher, i A two-teaclT-r high school may be j granted S.G75. a. three-teacher high !school and a four-teacher high jsrhool $97.'). In this disbursement of I high school aid $13,425 was distribut ed on this basis. The number of j these three teacher or four-teacher high schools is steadily .^rowing, and j the new act will greatly stimulate . this growth. Schools receiving this credit for out iside enrollment must instruct', at least ? 15 pupils under each teacher before jany tuition can be granted. The num i her of outside pupils thus qualified 'for session 1918-19 was 1.159 and the j total amount of tuition to which the j districts were entitled was $27.806. [but only $11.090 or 12.2 per cent of ! the required sum. could be apportion j ed and paid this year. The high I school appropriation will have to he1 [raised from $100.000 to $130.000 be i fore these districts and these pupils Jean be fully protected. The scaling of [this item, however, gave an equal and j proportionate distribution for each of t these outside pupils entitled to tui-j } tion credit in each State-aided high i j school. The Price of Steel I _ I President Wilson Directs Re opening of the Discussion Washington. .April 'IS.?President Wilson has directed tin- industrial board of the department of commerce and the railroad administration to open a discussion of price stabiliza-1 tion and endeavor to find a common! ground on which they can agree. Strike in Milan Socialists Shut Down All Busi-1 ness for Twenty-four Hours Milan. Italy. Wednesday. April ? The twenty-four hour strike called as a protest against the killing of fourl and wounding of forty in clashes be-1 tween Socialist and anti-Socialist | groups, caused a complete cessation j of business here today. Cafes, bars and restaurants were closed. No i"W .'!>.i i?<?? i ? w*?rr ??<!5?1i !u iI IF GERMANY DOES NOT SIGN Delegates Will Be Sent Back to Berlin Immediately on Special Train TREATY WILL BE ENFORCED BY ARMS Allies Are in No Humor to Put Up With Obdurate Huns. Paris, April 19?The text of the I preliminary peace treaty will be transmitted to the pr, ss Friday or I Saturday next, the Petit Parisien ! says. In case Germany refuses to sign, the Echo de Paris says, a special train will immediately be pi... at the disposal of German delegates ' jy their return to Germany an'1 he allies will take military and naval measures to enforce the treaty. Texas Reduced Acreage Cotton Movement is Strong in All Sections Columbia, April 19.?A statement Issued yesterday afternoon by the South Carolina Cotton Association says that the most encouraging re ports have been received lately by the association from over the cot ton bolt. These reports indicate a re duction of 33 1-3 per cent, in prac tically every Star ?'There has be. ;h talk," says the statement, "to the effect that Texas is not goinjr to reduce. In or der that he might get the view oi one not connected actively with the Texas) Cotton Association as to the outlook in that State. Chairman J Skottowe Wannamaker wrote a letter to W. W. Woodson, president of the Texas Bankers' Association, asking that he write him the situation ir that State. "Mr. Woodson in replying said: "1 am surprised to note that the repor: has come to you that Texas is nol backing the proposition. We have had a campaign all over the State and I believe that the acreage reduc tion in Texas will be fully 33 1-3 per cent. Through this section, which is in the cotton belt, it will be more I than 33 1-3 per cent, because in tht : fall of the year the largest acreage [ever known in this county was planted ! in oats and wheat with a prospect j ?low of a fine crop.' .Mr. Woodson j lives at Waco." i Tie- association also gave out a let ter from Commissioner of Agricul ture Garner of Mississippi replying to l the reports that Mississippi is not re ducing very heavily. Mr. Garner said in his letter: ; "I will say that Mississippi is do ing her full duty in regard to cot ton acreage reduction, and I hope that South Carolina, together with the other States, will make as good a showing when the census bureau makes its report on the cotton acre :tgfs planted in the different cotton growing States." A letter from Commissioner of Ag riculture Brown of Georgia says that Georgia is sure to reduce 33 1-3 per cent. He declares that the people of that State are better organized and more determined to stand by their guns this time than ever before. A letter from Gov. Hugh Borsoy closes as follows: "Be assured that we will do everything possible to see that Georgia lines up with So'uth Caro lina." Food Prices Go Up Public Hopes Dashed During March Washington. April 18.?Foodstuffs increased in price in March after pub lic hopes of a return to normal levels j had been raised, by a decrease in February, said a report today by the j bureau of labor statistics. As a whole 22 articles of food were 2 per cent higher last month than the preceding month and were 14 per cent higher than March 191$. For the six year period, March 1913 to .March 1919. the increase in the re tail prices of all foods was 80 per cent. With/ Hour, bacon, lard and corn meal increasing more than 100 I per cent each. Butter declined 19 per cent in Feb ruary, then increased 1<; per cent in March. Other increases in March were sirloin steak. 1 per cent: round steak and chunk roast. 2 per cent: coffee and tea. " per cent. Navy beans, potatoes, rice, o^gs and milk declin ed in ptfee. Germans Seize Libau Lettish Provisional Government Forcibly Overthrown and Officials Arrested I Copenhagen. April 1$.?German and Baltic-German troops have forcibly seized Libau and overthrown the Lettish provisional government, according to advices received by the! Lettish press bureau here. The Germans disarmed and intern ed the Lettish forces, and Liter ar rested the Lettish minister of the in terior and several officers. It is said that Premier Cllman has protested to Gen. von der Goltz, the command-) er of the German troops, in Lctuia and the latter has expressed his as tonishment over the incident. Paris. April 19.?The question of an alliance between France, the Unit ed States and England is .?'ill being TOBACCO BARN SHINGLES We have just received a large car of Red Cedar Shingles which on account of grade and price specially adapts them to tobacco barn covering. BOOTH & McLEOD, Inc., PHONES 10 & 631 SUMTER, S. C.< EVERYTHING IN THE BUILDING LINE Premier Lloyd George Returns to Paris for Final S~ ?ns of Conference A WEEK OF STRENUOUS WORK AHEAD I Italians Are Still Working For Favorable Decision on Fiume j and Dalmation Question. I _ I London. April 17?With the re j turn to Paris of the British prime 'minister David Lolyd George, ac 1 companied by the Earl of Curzon and ;Lord Milner, it is expected that there i will be a speeding up of the final prep ! arations. preliminary to the gather ! ing of the representatives of asso j ciated powers with the German dele gates at Versailles on April 25. ; j.nere was no meeting of the coun ! cil of four at Paris Thursday anc j President Wilson was thus enabled tc take up many matters with various I delegations which may be considered" j side issues of the coming peace set . rlement. The problems of many coun tries, including Ireland, Koumania Serbia and Portugal, have thus agaii: ? come under the consideration of the ; president. According to the present purpose the covenant of the league of nations j will be the first subject treated in detail .after the declaration of peace. After that the matter of the military, naval and aerial terms, reparations, i responsibilities and frontier will be j taken in band. As it is evident that the question of the possession of Fiume and the Dal matian coast has not yet been defi nitely settled, the Italian delegates are working earnestly to secure a decis ion before the "'alian chamber of deputies meets < xpril 24. It is the inte?. n of the aeronau tical commission of the peace confer ence to form a permanent internat ional commission on aerial naviga tion, to act as a kind of clearing house on all questions of air navigation be tween the respective States, j That the internal political and la bor troubles in Germany are not to 'oc permitted to encroach upon the oc cupied zone anywhere is indicated by an order of the British commander on the Bhine. which informs the strik ers in Cologne that they must imme diately return to work on pain of hav ing strong measures taken against those who promote or countenance unrest. The American commander cometime ago issued a similar order. Northern Italy is experiencing a spell of labor trouble, the workmen at Milan. Bologna, Turin and Genoa, the principal manufacturing cities, having gone on a 24 hour strike. Earlier in the week at Milan there was lighting in the streets between Socialist and anti-Socialist groups, in which four persons were killed and several wounded. Troops had to be called out to restore order. Labor troubles also are brewing inj the department of the Seine, France, of which Paris is the capital. A one I day strike has been called for !Vfay ( 1 by the general federation of labor to put forward the federation's pro-! gram which calls for an eight houri day. politieal amnesty, non-interven-1 tion in Russia, lifting of the stale of siege and the censorship and the re turn of constitutional guarantees. A general strike is threatened if the government and the employers do not i meet the demands of the federation. Disorders of such magnitude are j reported from both European and Asiatic Turkey as to give rise to the fear that there will be great out 1 breaks at various points and new mas-j sacres of Armenians. { An investigation by the Belgian J central committee of the damages! suffered by Belgium as a result of I the war shows that these aggregate! : 35.000,000.000 francs. The items in- i elude'damages to state property. Bel- j gian industry and private homes and war expenses. A Russian Bolshevik wireless com munication announces that the Bol-j sheviki at various points on the j Western Russian front from the Black j Sea to the Baltic have been victor-1 ious in fighting against various groups j Berlin. April lf>.?Count Czernin. j fhe former Austro-Bfungaruin foreign] minister, was arrested Wednesday by German-Austrian authorities as he was about to cross the frontier into Switzerland. Paris. April 19.?The delegates sent i hv the Irish societies in the United ? i States to place Ireland's case before! the peace conference, called upon] Col. House this morning and hand ed him the papers relating to the case, h submission of which was set for to-! < NO DISCUSSION OF PEACE TERMS i j I Treaty 'Will Be Handed to Ger mans by Council of Four the 26th ! CONDITIONS WILL BE i I EXPLAINED TO DELEGATES i Time Will Be Allowed For. Con ! sideration But No Debate on Terms Will Be Permitted. i_ -. i Paris. April 17 (By the Associated. ;Press).?The procedure on arrival of . ; the German plenipotentiaries at Ver sailles has virtually been decided up : on. It will be President Wilson and . I the premiers who will hold the first .'meeting" and deliver the treaty, as:it -1 is no", deemed feasible to have all .! the allied powers attend this initial I session. - j The actual arrival of the Germans I ? at Versailles, it is stated, is schedul > j ed for Friday night, April 25, but the ; i meeting with the president and pre [! miers will not be held until Satur . i day and may even be deferred until -! Monday. ; n ,! After the treaty is actually deliver t j ed it is intended to allow adequate ; i time for the Germans to make inquir ies concerning the various details be ; i fore returning to Weimar. This is ex ; j pected to take about two days, the i j first day being devoted by Germany . 11 to familiarizing themselves with the j terms, and the second day to answer l in?r such queries as they may make, j There is no purpose to have this J assume the character of a discussion J but merely the elucidation of any i points which may assist in obtaining j prompt and favorable action when-the J plenipotentaries return to Weimar. . ! It is believed the stay of the pleni j potentiaries at Weimar will cover a ! week, thus bringing them back to j Versailles about May 8 to 10. This, j however, is conjectural, for it is de I pendent upon the rapidity of the de j cisions reached at Weimars . . j Premier Lloyd George's declaration' { in the British parliament that i FYaiice had been given full guarantees j against a renewal of German attacks ; is the first authoritative statement j that such guarantees have been given I and arouses the keenest discussion ! regarding1 the nature of the guaran tees as affecting the United States and Great Britain. The French reports say the guarantees amount to an al liance and the semi-official Temps says: ' Premier Lloyd George's lan guage admits of only one meaning. This is that Great Britain and the United States engage* to sustain France in case she is again attacked by Germany. Such an alliance is le gitimate and necessary. Mr. Lloyd George would not pronounce such words lightly, and his announce ment is singularly instructive.'" Other French reports describe the pruai-antees as in the nature of a casus [foderis whereby any failure of Ger jmany to carry out the treaty would bring concerted action by France,. ; Great Britain and the United States.. [ The council of four which framed : the guarantees as part of the Rhine settlement, has thus far maintained a rigid silence, except for the gener | al declaration of Mr. Lloyd George. Viscot: nt Chinda of the Japanese delegation, arranged today for his ap pearance before the council of four on Saturday on the Kiao Chau ques tion, with a view to an adjustment with China which shall be incorporat ed in the peace treaty. The Ameri can delegates believe that an accord will be reached, whereby China will ultimately control Kiao China with suitable recognition of Japan's ef fort. A plenary session of the peace con ference will be held two days next week. Wednesday and Thursday, for the purpose of passing upon a large number of remaining details before,, tin- meeting with the Germans. Butchery of Jews Thousands Killed in Galicia by Ukrainians Paris. April IS.?Betachments of troops of General Petlura, the Ukrain ian peasant leader, have been carry ing out excesses against the Jews in Galicia, according to information reaching the Polish national commit tee here. At Husiatin and Pastov it is declared twenty-five hundred Jews were killed or wounded and at Pap^ niarka. two hundred and fifty are reported killed London. April Eichborn, the ' former Spartacan police chief of Ber lin, has been arrested by German government troops at Brunswick, ac? cord in er io an Exchange Telegraph