Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-01-09
agricultural department
From. tho Chronicle and Sentinel.
TO gOUTHERN FARMERS.


TO soUTHERN FARMERS.
II Permit one of your number to address to
you few words, the result Of his own re-
fections upon the state of things as they now
exist. Unaccustomed to the use of the pen,
he does not expect to attract you by any
thing but homely, common sense: When
the people of the South realized that their
resources were exhausted, and their cause
lost, they, with one voice, gave up the con-
test, and accepted the terms proposed by
the Government, and it is source OF pride
to-day, that they have adhered to the bar
gain on their side, through "evil and good
report" The bitterest enemies we have,
amidst all the abuse and vituperation which
they have unsparingly heaped upon us, have
never had hardihood enough to charge the
contrary. We were all bankrupt when the
war closed, and the question forced itself
upon each one, "What can I best do to
make support for myself and those who
depend upon me?"
We were not all agreed as to what our
true policy was. Some of us thought we
ought to plant cotton sparingly, and raise
grain and stock, so as to be independent of
the rest of the world. But the majority
were of q different opinion. They thought
there was an opportunity to regain por-
tion of our lost wealth. Cotton was bear
ing fine price. We had the lands. The
old laborers would hire, and, by using what
little means we had, and all the credit we
could get, we would make bold push for
the recovery of our section from its terrible
condition of bankruptcy and restitution.
The first season was unpropitious, which,
with the bedevilment of Bureaus, &c., &C.,
made failure. We lost all we had, but
the West prospered as of yore, for we still
bought her corn, bacon, mean whiskey, ct
cetera. The east made her usual profits,
because we still bought her products. The
Government was content because we still
paid heavy duties and onerous taxes. The
second year is coming to close, and Our
Heavenly Father has been more than usu-
ally benefcent in his seasons: but cotton
has fallen below the cost Of production,
and we are left far behind where we started
two years ago. These are stubborn facts,
not of the imagination, but facts which eve
ry man feels. What shall we do ? Com
plain and growl and do the same thing over
again? Ihope not. Growing will do no
good. We have no rights to complain a.
bout. True, the cotton and tobacco tax
were expressly in violation of the Constitu-
ton, but we have paid the tax and shall
have to continue to do 50. Growing only
makes us contemplate, and is only matter
of amusement to the men who impose the
tax. The victim robs the tyrant of the best
half of his triumph who bears his oppres-
sions with dignity and frmness. Shall we
apply to. Congress for relief? Never! Have
you any faith in Congress who now, when
the fact is made manifest that ninety-nine
men in every hundred who planted cotton
this year have been ruined by the opera
tion-the crop not being sufficient to pay
the expense of making it-still adhere to
a tax of twenty-five per centum on the
gross production They promise to take
it off the next crop. Noble fellows! Does
anybody believe there is any sincerity in
their action? I pity the poor creature
who is green enough for such creduility.
Their motive is too apparent to deceive
anybody. If they had been in earnest in
wishing to help the South, they would
stretch forth the hand now, when they see
the waves cngulphing us. No; they see
the game is likely to work to their own
hurt. They fear we will not plant crop
of cotton unless some strategy is resorted
to. The West would like to sell more of
her commodity to us, whether we prosper
or go to perdition, and they hold out this
bait to get crop in the ground, and when
that is accomplished and we are so far
committed that retreat is cut off, an excuse
will be found to put the tax on again. If
we are as wise as ten-year-old boys ought
to be, we shall not be in condition to
thank them to take the tax of the crop of
'69-we shall not have crop to take it
off of. Our present distress grows out of
our idiocy in failing to raise our own sup
plies.
If the forty-odd millions of dollars that
went from the single city of Atlanta this
year to the west, for provisions, We're now
in the pockets of our own people, where it
should be, we should not near the hourly
complaints of approaching starvation. The
truth is, the time of making money by
farming is gone by in this section. We
never did make much above the natural
increase of negroes, when we had the pow
er to concentrate all the labor we employed.
And now, when labor is so uncertain, and
daily becoming more so, it is impossible to
make anything raising cotton. The people
of the North may or may not believe what
they assert about the improvement of the
negro. We will not dispute with them on
that subject. We kaow he is vastly more
demoralized and unreliable than he was as
slave. We know that it is worth his
labor to watch him and keep him from
stealing more than his work will amount
to, and if he is left unemployed, the re-
sponsibility is not with us. We were
anxious to do the best, both for him and
ourselves, but, backed up as he was, by
the agents of the Government, he has be-
come lazy and trihing, and to carry him
further with the cotton tax on his back, is
asking little more than am willing to
bear.
The only road to independence for us is
in strict economy and the cultivation of
I o..k