The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-12-13

five to ten cents and that till the price
advances the farmer will hold his wheat.
The agreement to pay when he "got off
his wheat" meant when he sold it, &C.;
that he was able to pay interest, &C.,
and the merchant must wait. AS tn e
poor merchant who owes in Milwaukee,
Chicago, New York or Boston cannot
sustain himself on his kind Of CONNER
cial honor, he goes to protest, loses his
credit, becomes bankrupt, or near it,
aud all because he is afraid Of offending
his backbone constituents by insisting
on what is only his just due.
We venture to say that of all our
farmers, mechanics, manufacturers and
professional men, the least commercial
honor is to be found in the agricultural
communities Of the country. If you do
not believe 1t ask almost any of the
country merchants doing credit bus.
ness. Now, farmers of Wisconsin, Iowa,
and Minnesota, what is your duty? Are
you SO privileged and favored a class of
community that all Of the world outside
of yourselves are expected to be prompt
in their dealings and honorable in their
engagements, while you can fout to the
winds every sentiment of integrity and
fair dealing, because, forsooth, the price
of wheat is not satisfactory and you are
able to hold your wheat, or can go to
another store to buy your goods, because
the merchant needs what you owe him.
Gentlemen, pay your debts! Pay
your country merchants ! Give him the
means to keep his credit good. Don't
let him go to his bed night after night
to toss on his pillow thinking where the
money is coming from the next few
days to keep him from being driven to
the wall. Aye! +! with your bins full of
cash wheSt, even at sacrifee, pay your
.daLt.s44ii ---Trfi'ay Tor What you have eaten
and are wearing out. that he owes Tor
And then, gentlemen, you will have
right (and not till them TO stand up in
your Granges and talk about clevafing
the position, socially, Of the agricultural
community of our country.
Yours, COUNTRY MERCHANT.
This is what Country Merchant"
has to say to the farmers, and hope
farmers will read it aud heed it. Now
| have word or two to say to "Country
Merchant Ho talks Of backbone
How much "back bone" has he? Let
us see. He says:
AS the poor merchant who owes in
Milwaukee, Chicago, New York or
Boston cannot sustain himself ON this
kind of commercial honor, he goes to
protest, loses his credit becomes bank
rupt, or near it, all because he is afraid
Of offending his backbone constituents
by insisting on what is only his just
due.
Right here is the trouble. The
country merchant is "afraid OF offend
ing" his farmer customer, so he lets him
drag in his payments, while he goes
whining to his creditor because he can't
collect what is due him. Does Country
Merchant try to collect? Does he
insist upon getting what is his just duo,
just when it is due !? Does he crowd
Squire Corncrib, and tell him he must
come to time or have the lawyers and
the sheriff after him? In short, does
Country Merchant himself show the
least particle OF 'back bone" in his deal
ings with his wellto do obstreperous
farmer customer i? No, sir. Mr.
Country Merchant is "afraid of offend
ing" He begs and whincs for pay
from Squire Corncrib, and goes on sell
ing moro goods to that lonost yeoman
who was never known to sell bushel Of
wheat on raising market because he
always expects it is going higher, and
who never pays Country Merchant until
he gets ready. When absolute want
and commercial dishonor stare him in
the face, Country Merchant perhaps
whia.s SO hard that Squire Corncrib
gets mad and says: "Woll if Smith
don't want to trust me, Jones will"
What does Country Merchant do then ?
He sits down and writes an eloquent
plea to his CITY creditor, placing all the
blame upon his farmor customers. l
tell you, Mr.. Editor, Country Merchap
is just MS mnch to blame for the bad
business habits of the farmer as the far
mer himself. The farmer mover expects
to pay his debt at definite time be cause
bo hoe ,ayar boon obl;noJ - Ho..,