The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-01-17
THE PLANTING INTEREST.
THE CAUSES OF ITS WEAKNESS, !,
AND THE REMEDY.
Strong Words from our Exchanges.
THE RESULTS OF THE YEAR.
From the winnsboro' News.l


From the winnsboro' Newsl
The people of South Carolina need to be re-
minded at this time OF the above very simple
truth. Three-fourths of them have made, by
q years hard labor, debt, in some cases,
debt involving ruin and bankruptcy, as the
only result. They have, however, now at last,
we trust, rot fully down TO The bottom. and
| hencetorward will begin to rise; They nave
learnt that they must manage, first OF all, to
teed themselves and their stock, before they
can begin 10 calculate upon profits. The dis
cjnline through which they have been taught
this lesson has been severe, 0ut IL mas 0een
necessary. The system OF speculative plant
ING that has cursed our State could not nave
been uprooted in o day. It is not uprooted
yer. for one-half and more OF our farmers are
going 10 speculate again during the coming
YEAR But the wiser halt have learnt. through
their trbulation, that their only security Is
patience. And the result of such patience
will surely be O measure OF success lOr lne
present, and brighter hope for the futlre
We avoid reference TO politics. Politics is,
to be sure, at low ebb in South Carolina, ou.
really most of our evils are not at all cohnect-
ed with politics. On the contrary. they are
social, and can be remedied only by the preva-
lencc of more intelligent views as to our ma
| terial condition and resources, anu oy Ine
growth of better habits OF thrift, economy, ln-
dustry and virtue.
TIE DUTY OF THE HOUR.
From the Union Times.l
There has been great deal Of talk about the
duty of the hour. What is 1t? Who can define
it? Every man, as l....Ger OF course, Will see
it from his own standpoint; and every man
will think that he is right-for orthodoxy Is my
doxy, and heterodoXy is your doXy, all the
world over. But there are some duties upon
which most persons will agree-to disagree
Every one will agree that IL would be best for
him TO attend to his own business, and let his
neirhbor's alone; and still he will interest him.
sell, lin an amiable weakness, no douot,) IN
his neighbours affairs, over the way,
Every man will agree that It IS MS duty 10
20 less into cotton, and have an eye to proVls-
| ions. He will talk confoundedlS we'll on the
subiect-convince everybody OF the correct
| ness of his views, and go home chuckllng
with the idea that he can now go IL stronS on
| cotton.
Every man will agree that it is losing busi-
| ness TO work free labor; and yet, as he has the
land and the stock, ne will try it another year,
hoping Tor Dig crop and high prices:
Every man will agree that it is killing bus-
ness to give lien, and pay four prices for
everything he eats, aud at the end OF the year
| find himself again la debt-yet he Will go right
| into it. and bind himself, hand and foot, like
lamb for the shambles.
Every man will agree that it is his duty not
| or oarpet-baggers, who have been prominent
| in their political course-yet every man Will
| be ignorant OF who was prominent, or be SO
hampered by circumstances, or This, that anu
another reason, that he will do just any thing
| that he thinks will pay.
Every man will agree that II Is mean to tam
per with his neighbor's employees; but every
man will not agree as to what Is tamrerinl, or
what Is mean.
Every man will agree upon condemning
meanness, dishonesty, hypocrisy anu 6ackbit-
ing, but differ very widely upon the definition
Every man will agree that honesty is the
best policy-but few will honestly play out
their part.
Every man will agree that the golden rule
contains the true wisdom which would 40
more to make this world an Eden, than all the
wealth OF its gold wcrshippers-do unto others
as YOU would have others do unto you-and
yet how few agree &c practice IL?
This is The great duly OF the hour, and will
embrace all otier duties of life.
TIE CREDIT SYSTEM IN COTTON PLANTING-ITs
RUNoUs EFFECTS.
mississippi Correspondence Chicago Tribune.]
No class of people with whom have ever
been acquainted are so utterly reckless IN tue
matter OF running themselves head over heels
In debt, as are the planters OF the Souln. so
it has been from time immemorlal almost, and
so it seems destined to continue. Before the
war, they purchased with reckless prodlgali-
ty, the chief incentive in life apparently being
to stretch their credit TO the utmost, 10 make
cotton, with which, with little regard TO creul-
tors, To buy more negroes, with which 10
raise more cotton, and 50 on, from year
to year. Nor does there seem 10 be- any
Improvement under the new order OF
things. As in the olden times, the plant
er buys with perfect reck!essness, that he
may stretch to the utmost limit his number OF
bales. His only possible chance for payment
lies in successful crop. He therefore gam
bles-stakes his all upon the chances. 1t the
crop turns out well, he is able 10 pay up ana
again stake all upon still bigger crop next
time. II the crop fail, as cotton, being pre-
carous crop, is at best aptto do, or If The price
Is below the expected standard, the creditor Is
forced to take what he can get, oftentllnes.
perhaps, TO whistle for his pay aud in any
event he must again shoulder the planter
hope of making himself good. Of course,
In taking such chances as these, the
country merchant endeavors to keep q
fair balance between profit and loss. In
trusting the planter for supplies he
not only charges, In the first place, round
profit on his goods-say so per cent.-but IN
addition to this, bleeds the planter on the
amount charged to his account in the way OF
interest, to the tune of not less than 3, Oft
IliuCo pCl SShp' PSA 49, S''~ ~ ~-S
stands for, say, on much OF the amount, ten
month";, the planter Is thus seen to pay on q
large 'oportiOn OF his supplies the sum OF 81
per cent on the amount OF the original pur-
chase. Add this to the so per cent profit on
the goods, and 1t is seen that by the credit
system in vogue the planter is mulcted In the
sum of fully Is per cent over and above what
he would pay for the goods were he "beiore-
handn sufficient to purchase the same supplies
at wholesale for cash Now, incredible us il
may seem to the outside world, this is but a
fair showing Of the credit system upon Which
the cotton platter makes his crop. Nor is
this, by any means, the whole OF the difflcul-
ties under which he laUorS.
Leaving out few lsola' ed sections where
some little effort is made in the way OF bet
ter order of things, and the planter absolutely
purchases his eutire supplies from abroad.
With perhaps as rich land rs any In the world,
he yet raises, ofl-limes not q single bushel OF
corn, and in almost any case not tiLhe oi the
corn, la ION, or other supplies he must have.
Somehow, his idea of farming never goes be-
yOnd cotton, and in the raising OF this the
study of economy is Ro part OF The programme
The main thing is 10 raise as much as possible,
without u thought of the consequences OF such
a course of action. That success can possibly
attend q people under such system Of agri-
culture long at time, Is morally impossible.
Contrary 10 the general idea, 1t never did at
tend them in the past. The records OF the
bankrl, court show the majority to have been
bankrupt before the war, and can show, be-