The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1859-09-13
From the Cincinnati Gazette.
The Debts Of Farmers..How and when
they should be paid.

EDIToRs OF GAZETTE Will you per-
NIT plain farmer to offer q few plain
thoughts in reference TO the wheat crop
l am induced TO do this from the fact that
there appears to be an intense anxiety in
certain quarters, that the wheat CT op sho'd
be Immediately forced upon tho market
1t cannot he that there is such scarci.
ty of breadstuffs in the large cities-for
there is where the chief concern seems TO
be-that an immediate famine is to be up.
pretended, if the farmers do not "hurry up
their cakes" therefore, we must look for
some other reason.
The ostensble reasons assigned by these
writer's, is that the farmers are generally
in debt to the country merchant; and they
in turn are indebted to The jobbers of the
city, who cannot meet their obligations,
unless the farmers Immediately thresh
their wheat and bring it into market; and
as an argument to induce them to do this
they say that by "hoarding"-this | be-
licve Is the term-they will inevitably
bring bankruptcy and ruin upon the coun-
try, anil sare consequence of the low pri.
ces which must ensue when the crop does
come to market; coupled with the serious
consequences of farmers not meeting their
payments before they are due. say DO.
fore they are due, because wherc farmers
purchase goods on credit it is generally
with the express uuders tanding they are
not to be paid until the end of the year.
Now am fully aware that the wheat
crop is very important one; but 90 not
believe that the business Of the whole
country is based upon it, as it would ap.
pear from the writers alluded to.
Now, if this be true, then, according to
their views, the best thing farmers can do
is to lay aside all their Other work, and
Immediately thresh their wheat and send
it to market.
Now, ask any reasonable man, what
would be the inevitable consequence Of
forcing upon the mrrkct 20O,OOO,OOO bush.
els of wheat, or even half that quantity?
Would it not, most certainly, bring about
the result which is so earnestly deprecated
by these writers-a fall Of prices2
Now, it seems to me these writers are
either mistaken in their views, or they are
in the interest of parties who wish to bring
about this very result, in erder that they
may he enabled to get the wheat crop in.
TO their own hands; and then we will hear
no more of tremendous crops, great surplus
&c, &c, A few words in reference
to the extent of the crop. Before, and
even since harvest, we everywhere met the
cheering news of splendid crops; but since
farmers have began to thrcsh, we find that
although the grain is excellent, weighing
"a to 65 lbs, tho yield has been very
much overestimated-not much, if any,
exceeding that of last year.
Now, admit the crop to be all that has
been claimed, and how will we stand com.
pared with last year? Last year there was
a heavy surplus of all the cereals held over
from the previous year, while this year the
first of July found the country moro desti.
tute than it has been in twenty five years.
so that however good the crops may be,
they must command good prices.
INDIANA FARMER.
REMARKS. Our correspondent msap-
prehends the direction Of the articles that
have appeared in the Gazette, on the sub
ject to which he refers. We have never
urged that people should sell their wheat
to pay debts that are not due. Neither
have we supposed that in order to satisfy
TIE claims Of merchants that are operdue,
it would be necessary to throw the entire
surplus crop of wheat upon the market at
once, for such a suppositlon would imply
that the whole farming interests Of the
country are loaded down with accumulated
debts--a thing we are happy to be able
to say we do not believe. Upon these
points. therefore, which are most strongly
dwelt upon in the above communication
,nere can be no argument between the
Gazette and an "Indiana Farmer" But
our correspondent takes the ground that
the farmers have no liabilities that are over
due. In this, we are sorry to say, he is
greatly mistaken, and when correctly iu-
formed, he must, as man Of honor agree
with us in the views that have been pre-
sented upon this point, The liabilities Of
the country, overdue, are in the aggregate
very large. These have been standing, or
rather accumulating for from one to five
years, and are chiefly in sums varying from
$50 to $1,000. Is our correspondent n.
ware of this fact9 If not, it is only neccs.
sary for him TO visit few localities in any
Western State, and make inquiry Of coun-
try merchants, 10 be convinced. 1t may
be said, and it is doubtless true, that tho
merchants themselves are to blame, TO
large extent, for this state of things; but
then an inculpation of the creditor cannot
exculpatc the debtor. If the debts are
due, the responsibility Of payment rests
with the party who has purchased and con-
sumcd the property, and there is only one
way in which this responsibility can bo
honorably met, and that is by pay ymont-
payment, not when convenient, bpt when
possible; not when it can be made without
a sacrifice, but when it can be accomplish
ed under any reasonable circumstances -
This is tho principle upon which city mer
chants act; it is the principle they are
bound to recognize; and this feature under
lies tho foundation of trade. Remove this
cornerstone Of credit for single week,
and the whole machinery of commerce
would come 10 stand still and gene,al
disaster issue. Take merchant, for ex-
ample, with liabilities amounting to half
IL =. L