The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1869-07-17
Getting in Debt.

| Is II cNOI duN lSdUIc 1OL ~ man
to get in debt? Most certainly,
for it is by doing SO that at least
ninety out of every hundred of our
most successful merchants and
farmers have reached the positions
in which they now stand. We
know that such advice is not gen.
orally considered orthodox among
our political economists, but we
also know that our forests and
prairies woald in great measure
have remained in the primitive
wildness if the men who now pe0-
pie them had kept out Of debt.
Shall a young man get in debt
for a farm, or would it be better to
work for somebody else until he is
able to pay for it with his own
money? We say buy the farm
and pay for it whenyou can. This
is the system which has been in
vogue ever since the settlement Of
America, and we know of no coun-
try that has made more rapid pro-
gress, nor one in which the far
mers are more Independent. Sup
pose man has a little capital, say
three thousand dollars. and he
wishes to purchase a farm worth
that sum; now, it becomes ques-
ton Of policy whether be shall pay
all the purchase money down or
only a portion of it, reserving the
balance as working capital. We
qelieve that the latter would be
the best plan, tor what can man
do with land if he has neither
team nor tools to cultivate his
crops? This being in debt is not
always very agreeable position,
but it has been the means of max
ling more fortunes than all other
causes put together. Debt is Oft
en- the poor mans capital, and the
young man who can establish a
good credit is on the high road to
success, and it he does not reach
the goal it is because be is too
much of an imbecile to take ad-
vantage of his circumstances.
| The great secret Of getting into
! debt is in never purchasing any
thing that is not worth as much
or little more than you pay for
lit, or to put it in a better light,
lbuy that which is sure to rise
annually in value more than the
interest on the sum paid.
Fine clothes, fast horses, iewelry,
and the wines that you aud your
friends consumed during the past
year are not usually in this class
OF property, but a good farm we'll
tiled, good stock well cared for,
are pretty sure to pay; therefore,
We say again, young men who
mean to work need not be afraid
to get into debt. To owe money
which you mean to pay is one OF
the greatest preventives against
sloth, with which we are acquaint-
ed, and it has been the saving in
many a naturally indolent man.
There are plenty of men who
have more capital than they can
use to advantage, and there are
others who have energy, tact, and
good financial abilities, but no
money. 1t must be apparent that
each can be of assistance to the
other, but one Of them must get
into debt.
The man of means is usually
satisfied with seven per cent per
annum, and the man without if
can, if he has the ability, afford
to pay this sum, for it becomes the
implement with which he is to
carve out a competency, if not a
fortune.
No man can cut cordwood with
two axes at the same time and
work to advantage, consequently,
he had better lend one to his
neighbor who has none, than tc
keep both OF them himself; and
further, cannot the neighbor bet
ter afford to pay a small sum fol-
the use of the axe than to dc
nothing for the want of it, We
think so.
This is just the position il
which we often find two men
one has a farm to sell on credit
or money to lend, while another
has neither.
There are thousands Of farmer.
who have more land than they
can cultivate proftably, there
fore, it would be to their advan
tage to sell a portion on credit t.
those who could.-IN. Z. San.
| e. IN iiIuc@ra LsOYa af %ha Ioror