Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-03-06
DE DISQUALIFIED CON DSTlON OF
NORTH CAROLINA.

OenatOf Hans" III, who has Just re-
turned from + visit to North Carolina,
reports the condition of the State, SO
far as agricultural and cotton interests
are concerned, worse than at any
time since the war. He states that,
while the cotton crop vii be large,
the prices viii be low, and hence not
so remuuerative a. heretofore. The
prices are lower because of the in
also on account of the foreign buyers
having anticipated it by contracts
when gold was high. The higher the
ruling rates of gold the lower the mar
ket price of cotton correspondingly is.
Many of the plantations have changed
hands. The labor is disarranged, and
there is not the same class of men in
management of plantations as hereto
fore. The former planters seem to
have become demorasized, and now ac-
cept positions on railroads or in stores
at from $40 to $50 per month, giving
up their former occupations.
We clip the above from an exchange
not only to copfrm what Senator Ran
som says about the condition of this
State. but also to affirm that what he
says is equally true of other Southern
State We have just returned from
an extended trip through South Caro-
lima and Georgia, and we were as
much astonished as we were grieved
to notice how much the country had
Tetios5l a'iou tuI."o fo,,r ,,o.rs
Nowhere was to be seen the same
thriftiness. The farms did not look in
as good order, the houses, the fences,
the stock, all show a want OF prosper
ity. And the farmers are dispirited.
They are poor and growing poorer,
and freely confess that they can See no
hope i'll the future.
There must be some good reason for
this widespread ruin to the agricu
tural interests of the South. Much of
ti.e trouble may be owing to the poll
cv of planting all cotton, but before
the war many vast fortunes were m de
by pursuing this very same policy.
The dem mora.ization of the labor syS-
tenn may i'll part account for it. But,
imperfect and unreliable as it is, we do
not believe a crop rs valuable as Orr
cotton crop has been produced at less
cost for labor. These alone cannot
account for the almost universal fail
ure of Southern agriculture since the
war.
We believe that other causes are at
work which are undermining the pros
perity of the farming interests of the
country, the financial policy of the
government being the chief enemy to
the producing interests. In the South
the farmers found thernselv without
means at the close of the war. They
had t, horroy money to place their
farms i'll proper condition; supplies
were obtained Oh a credit, and SO were
fertilizers. Even money had to be
borrowed to make advances to labor
ers. This Indebtedness was incurred
forty cents pound, and the currency
was at fifty per cent discount. Now
these debts, in the shape of mortgages,
are pressing upon them their cotton
is worth little more than the cost of
production, aud they are compelled to
pay in currency 80 scarce as to be
worth about as much as gold. In the
meantime the rate of interest has
consumed all, and more than all, that
is left after the expenses of the farm
and family arc paid. Too frequently
the children are growing up in ignor-
ance on account of the impossibility of
paying tuition.
This is not an agreeable picture, but
it is a true one. There are exceptions,
no doubt, but the condition of the
Southern farmer and planter is bad
and growing gradually worse.