The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-01-11
The South = Cotton.

a correspondent of the Chicago Tri.
blnc, writing from Jackson, MISSISSIPPI
pi, gives a sad account of the couai'.
ton of the cotton planters in the Mis-
sissippi Valley. His reflections upoa
the ruinous system adopted by Wcs-
tern planters, apply with full force TO
the planters in this State. The
writer is o,i,ion;iy shrcsd Western
man, and has at single glance caught
n correct view Of the situation of the
cotton planters. He says:
"At nearly every station We observe
train af;cr train, bound South,
heavily loaded with cotton. The
platforms at the stations are covered
with cotton at nearly every road
crossing, we sec more or less wagons
moving to the nearest station with
cotton OH tho train, the chief topic
is cotton ;and in fact, enc is impress
ed with the idea that there is l!tt.e
elso but cotton to be seen or talked
about. Several facts we CLEAN that
may prove interesting. Not the
least of these in Importance is the
selfaevident one that there has been Il
complete revolution in the cotton
trade Of tho country; as conducted in
former years. Cotton isno longcr,i 10
a rule, shipped to New Orleans, in
special consignmcnts to factors, who,
through advances madcto tho planter,
control the crop. 1t is shipped now
in the main, as the property Of the
no n,orobonlo Thnc, ru
chants have themselves furnished sup
plies; and in so doing, taken the place
of The former factor in New Orleans:
Thcro has just sprung up a local trade
III the country towns, to the serious
injury Of that city.
That the crop made is ono Of the
largest over known is beyond all
dcabt. That il will materially enrich
the producers, however, very much
doubt. On the contrary, | bclicvc
they are poorer, in the main, than
they were a year ago. The roasonssarc
obvious. No class of people With
whom have ever boen acquainted,
arc so utterly reckless III the matter
of running themselves head over heels
in debt, as are the planters Of the
South. So it has been from time i'm
memorial almost, and so it seems dos.
tined 10 continue. B,foro tho war,
they purchased with a reck kless prodig
ality the chief incentive in lif appa-
rcntly being to stretch their credit to
the utmost, to mako cotton, with which
Nith little regard to creditors, to buy
more negroes, With which to raise MOI G
cotton, and so on, from ycArto year.
Such course could have but one re-
suit You hear them all dGclnim
against tho war as bringing hopeless
ruin upon their heads. The fact is,
MS shown by the records of the Bank
fupt Court, tho war merely prccipitai
ted the crisis. Nine out Of ten wero
hopclessly insolvcnt before the war
Nor does there seem to DO any i'm
provement uuder the new order OF
things. rs in the olden time, tht
planter buys with perfect reckless.
ness, that he my stretch to the ut.
most limit his number of bales. His
only possible chance for payment lies
in successful crop, lie, therefore
CANDLES stakes all his upon ,hc
chances. t tho crop turns out we'll
he is aLlo topay up, and again stake
all on still bigger crop next time.
If tho crop fail, as cotton, being
precarious crop, isat best apt to do
or if the price is below the expected
standard, the creditor is forced to take
what ho can oftontimcs, perhaps, tt
whistle for his pay and, in any event
he mus. again shoulder the planter
through another cfop in The dcsporatt