The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-05-25
For the anderson MtelNgencer.
HARD TIMES.

For the anderson IatelAgencer.
HARD TIMES.
MEsshs. Eb1roRsi The present financial
condition of our cottntry demands our seri-
uus consideration, Immediately after the
close Of the late t7af cotton demanded
price dnheard of in tile history of oi1f Goth.
try. 1niniediately aftef tile close of the war
of 1912; cotton brought froth 97 I'd So cents
per pound but our people (our fathers) were
not skilled In its cultivation; and the high
prices that il deHiSiidsd then depended upon
the embargo that was placed upon il, did
really not upon the quantity produced, and
from 1916 to 1885, averaged about IA cents
per pound. From 1885 to 1861, up to the
commencement Of the late war, the average
price obtained by the producer was only
about cents per. pound. But during and
dfter tile cidse Of tie iEaf, tottdh fdiged
from 65 to 13l cents per pound, that is, UP
to the 1st January, 1875, but since then up
to the present date it has not averaged more
than 1O1 cents per pound. The high price
of cotton after the close of the late war de-
pended entirely upon its diminished culture
during the war and for two years afterwards
the Confederate States Congress having
enacted law prohibiting the cultivation of
more than three acres to the hand in cotton,
iii order to increase the supply of provisions:
Now; ought that not to convince every
farrier that tile less cottJh Is planted the
higher will be the price, and that they can
not produce cotton at the present prices and
buy all or even half of the bacon, corn and
-four that they must necessarily consume.
Hundreds, yea, thousands, of farmers of the
Piedmont portion of our State are to-day
buying corn and other supplies (which was
unknown in this country before the late
war; and giving lien upon their future
crops to secure payments which will only
increase theif Indebtedness and make them
unable to pay debts they contracted for ldst
year, and at the close of this year will be
one and half years behind instead of one.
But we hope that this condition of our
farmers will prove beneficial to the agricul-
tural interests of our country in the future,
and that many of those who have heretofore
been unwilling to cultivate the soil, will see
the necessity of pursuing that most noble
and honorable of all occupations-agricul-
tife;
Immediately after the close Of The late var,
a much larger proportion of our citizens than
heretofore engaged in the mercantile bust
iness. Many of them who practiced econo-
my in part only, succeeded in accumulating
good fortunes, while others used no .econo-
my whatever and were unsuccessful, and
would not now prosper With oil the gold In
their possession that has been extracted
from the mines of California since their dis
covery; but, however, very large majority
of the merchants since the war have accu-
mulated fortunes. Many of them are now
taking advantage of the present financial
depression, and have retired from business
to live in luxury upon the fruits of the in
dustry of the farmers of our country, which
in some instances were unjustly obtained,
while others, under the false pretences of
reducing their stock with pretentions Of
abandoning the mercantile business, sell
only for cash, and have determined to furn-
ISL no supplies in the time of need to those
whom they made their fortunes from by
charging exhorbitant prices. Others, who
only recently engaged in themercantile bus
mess, on account Of the failure, and in some
instances the indisposition of the farmers to
pay up last fall, were forced by their limited
circumstances to justly abandon the credit
system. But we who are living in the vicin-
ity of Williamson are not in as bad condi-
ton as some other portions of our State.
The most of our merchants are still furnish
ing farmers, not only of Anderson, but of
Greenville and Laurens County. The firm
of anderson & Chapman might justly be
termed "Joseph, the Egyptian 1sraelite, as
these gentlemen are furnishing more sup
plies to the farmers than at any previous
year. May their good deeds be 'flike bread
cast upon the waters" again to be gathered
up, not in corn, bacon and flour, but in
greenbacks, "from whence all joys are de-
rived" May they long be remembered by
the honest and suffering farmers, who we
hope will not shirk from their duty in Octo-
ber and November next, and that they will
not allow themselves to be "gulled" and
ssoft-soaped" by the rag-sellers to pay them
in preference to those who have furnished
them when really in need the very pabulum
of life.
SCHNITZ.