Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-07-28

| Will, especially at Inls llme, CnaHeDSS
public attention. 1t is put in the shap,
Of colloqUy that might readily be in
dulged in by citizen of New England
with one of Tennessee. We publish it
not with any hope Of its producing al
immediate benefit, but as another added
| t. the many contributions on the same
subject which the APPEAL has given il
the belief in ultimate good and benefit
TO the community from them.
WEST TENNESSEE REPRESENTED AT
THE BUNKER HILL CENTENNIAL.
Under the shadow Of Bunker Hill
monument, on Centennial day, two per.
sons might have been seen. One Of them
was New England cOttOn-spinner, the
other = West tennessee farmer. They
were Shaking hands across the bloody
chasm" in about the following strain:
New EnglandeT-'SpOse there are
monstrous fine cotton crops in your sec.
ton, this year?
Farmer-Yes, sir, our crops are in 9
| splendid condition.
New Englsnder-RSisin' anything
besides cotton?
FsTmer-MOst Of us planted wheat on
about One'sixlh of our ground, corn on
another sixth, and cotton on four-sixths.
ton pays much better'n anything else
| you raise?
Farmer-No, sir; it don't pay at all,
| it runs us ia debt.
New Englander-HoW in tarnation
/ dye cypher that eOut?
Fsrmer-Very easily; tits in this way:
! When we take into consideration the
/ value of our land, and the interest on its
/ value, per annum; the value Of our
mules, and the interest on their value,
! per annum; the value of the grain we
/ feed away to those mules, and the in
| terest on the value Of that grain, per
| annum; the money we pay labOrers,
and the interest on that money, per an
| mum; the cost Of provisions to feed those
! labOreTs, and the interest on the cost of
| those provisions, per annum; the cost
| Of agricultural implements, and the in
| terest on the cost Of those implements,
| per annum; tho cost Of gin,
| and the interest on the cost Of
! that gin, per annum; the cost Of bagging,
! ties and the interest thereon, per annum;
! the cost OF transporting that cotton to
market, and the interest on that cost of
transportation, per aunum; the rates OF
commission which our merchants charge
US to sell that cotton, and the interest
on that rate OF commission, per annum;
we find that it takes part of the pro-
ceeds which we realize from our grain
crop to help pay the expenses Of our
cotton fields. The cotton does not pay
its cost of production.
New Englander-Wal, that is long
list Of grievances agin your cotton fields,
to be sure. Why don't you shift things
plant more grain and less cotton.
T.
it would be gross violation Of an old
established system of farming in our
section of the country. Southern farm
ers have an indestructible admiration
for the beauties of a cotton field. They
would rather go out into their cotton
fields and take a look at them than to
eat, or to take a look at something,
growing, which could be converted into
food. Every planter is jealous of the
amount of cotton which his neighbor
may make. They watch each other
closely, to see that no one plants more
acres IN cotton than another. l confess
that am as Jealous as any one of them,
and as | am determined that no one
shall put in more cotton than myself,
you see l am kept in the old groove Of
starvation, through Jealousy.
New Englander-Ah, l see. But
why don't you farmers throws off that
dead weight? Farm to live, not live to
farm.
Farmer-Because we are in the old
groove, and jealousy holds us there, and
mat is not all.
New Englsnder-By all your ieal-
Ousy-What next?
Farmer-We farmers Of the south
have determined TO continue the culture
Of cotton, although we know that large
and excessive COTTON crops, with small |
grain crops, means inevitable starva- |
ton. We have determined on pursuing |
this fatal system OF agriculture because |
it enriches the New England and |
western States, and keeps US farmers Of
the south poor.
New Englander-By all your jeal-
ousy and determination, how does such |
q system Of agriculture enrich the New |
and the western States?
Farmer-In this way: We carry our
cotton to our merchants to sell for US.
We owe them nearly as much as our cot
ton crop is worth for supplies furnished |
during the summer. These supplies
come from the western States. Our
merchants must make their profits on !
these articles, and they do realize q pro-
tit on them. When our merchants dis
pose OF our cotton they take from the
the amount due them for sup
plies. This leaves us very little to paw
other debts incurred by and through the
production of those cotton crops. So you
zee we have to sell part Of our wheat
3rOp to make up enough to sweep away
he deficits which are set up against us
" our cotton crops. This leaves us
about half Of our wheat crop on hand,
With which we must lay in our winter
upplies, while our new crop OF wheat is
growing. These supplies consist of bs-
ION, flour, bran, hay, sugar, rice, coffee,
nOlasse7, boots, shoes, hats, clothing and
iOmestics. The western States pet our
money for the first four articles men
Toned, the southern States draw from us
or the next four articles, while the New |
England States get our money for the
asst five articles named. So you see the
OutherD States get but a small amount
or sugar, rice, coffee and molssses, COM
JARED to the money drawn from US by
he western and New England States
or TIE other articles. All the money |
which our large cotton and small grain
Tops give unto US goes to our merchants |
or the supplies just named, and they
Jay the greater part OF that money to the
WO sections named IOs another stock Of J
upplies. Thus the south is well stocked
With supplies from the eastern and
western States, while they, in return,
re well stocked with all the money we
llanters toiled hard to earn during the
pTing and summer months. And that
) not all!
New Englsnder-By all your jealousy
( each other, and your determination
o pursue the starvation system of agri-
Ulture, and by all the supplies which
be western States and our section ship
on! What more have you to say?
FarmeT-Well, the table cloth on my
able st home is made Of fine domestic;
can't afford q linen cloth. Who !
ares to say that the cotton, of which
hat table-cloth is made, was not pro-
uced in my field? This cloth was
nade by New England mills, and in
uying 1t, not only paid out what l
eceived per pound in the Memphis
market, but paid freight to the mills,
be cost Of manufacturing it into cloth,