The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-12-13
The Farmer and Merchant.
VINO NEEDS "BAcKBoNE"-V1Ews OF
A COUNTRY MERCHANT.

EdttOrS MiirdnEec journal Of Com
anerce Il notice in your issue of Octo-
Der 22d, an interesting column called
Good Reading for Farmers" 1t CON
taincd several letters from the files Of
Milwaukee merchants, showing that
dealers of the country are slow in meet
ing their accounts because the farmers
of the West won't pay their store bills
until they can sell their wheat at price
that will suit them. One letter, ad.
dressed to tho III l,cauhcc Journal of
Commerce, and signed "Coun try Mcr-
chant" appeals eloquently to the far
mers to sell portion Of their crops,
even at sacrifice, and pay the country
dealer for the sugar, tea, coffee, pork
and dry-goods that they have been eat
ing up and wearing out all summer and
that he o'ees for. That letter is SO full
of truth and sound suggestion that |
hope you will let me quote it here in
full. l will here say that 1 Mi$h that
every one of the fifteen hundred news
papers of the northwest would place the
contents Of this letter before their read
| ers. There is not word in it that any
honest and reasonable farmer, who pays
his debts (like every other class of bust
ress men) exactly when they fall due
nd whether it is entirely convenient
for them or not could object to. Aud 1
believe that it would make n great
| many farmers who are unbusiness like
and really dishonest without meaning
10 be 30, reflect little and see how
mean they are in this matter and how
much harm they are doieS to the bust
ness interests of the whole country from
Sun Prairie TO New Y arI- City and -hnn
much they are injuring themselves. II
every one of yorr exchanges in Wiscon
sin, Iowa, Minnesota. Michigan aud
Illinois, would copy this letter Of
Country Merchant" l knoo it would
save millions Of dollars this winter to
Milwaukee, Chicago and New York. 1t
would prevent innumerable failures, and
take the teeth out of the wolf, "hard
times" that is abroad in the land
deranging the machinery in finance
stopping manufacturing Industries, lower
ing the market for produce, and threa,e
ing the very homcs of farmers them
selves. Here are
VIEWS OF A COUNTRY MERCHANT.
Sun PRAIRIE, WIS, Oct. IA, 1873.
Editors Ml,caukcc Journal Of Con,
mcrcc We have at all times been told
that the agricultural communities, which
mean the farmers, are the great bulwark
and backbone of the country. We
Willingly concede that it is true. In
politics they say who shall rule and
they send who they will to fill our halls
of Legislature, seats in congress, pre-
sidential and judicial chairs and when
they move in organized bodies, MS they
uow are doing, they create an influence
that intimidates and frightens our great
railroad kings. They say, thus far have
your land grabbing schemes, subsidies
and theft of the public domain gone,
but they shall go no farther. We do
not say they are wrong. So far, so
Lood But let us look little farther
and SEQ what is tho duty of the hour.
Where ought we to look for the com
mercial honor Of our country Most
assuredly in the backbone of our country.
We look for it; do we find it whore,
moro than any where else, wo ought to
find it?
What is the course pursued by a
large majority Of our farming commun
Nity?
In the spring the country merchant
goes into tho market aud buys his stock
of goods, fills up his store and Messrs
A., B., c., aad perhaps hundred more
of the backbone of the country, come
and make their purchases through the
summer for themselves and their fami
lics, with the distinct understanding
that when they get in their crops they
will pay their accounts. Some Of these
farmers are well oF.--rich worth four
times as much as the man whose sugar,
coffee, pork, tea, &C., they arc eating
through the season In the fall they
harvest their bountiful crops. Their
bins, stacks and barns groan with their
we'll filled contents; and tho poor
country merchant who it may be is,
.'hard up" to pay his creditor, and want