The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-02-14
ALL COTTON MEANS STARVATION.

Tie Hon. B. H. Hill, of Georgia,
made the following terse and pointed
remarks in speech delivered by him,
a short time ago, in that State. He
said:
tell you to-day, 1 care not what
seasons may come, what large crops
you may raise, still, under existing con-
ditions, you will ever grow poorer, who
produce cotton, and they will ever
grow richer who handle it after it is
produced. Without great change,
the southern States are destined to be-
come so many plantations, practically
owned by northern people, and the
southern people so many hireling slaves
to work them And in this condition
you will reap scarcely the wages and
not half the respect you accorded your
former slaves. And yet, the very re-
verse of this fate is in your power.
Under the present policy the next gen
Grafton of southern people will become
the poorest, the most powerless and
the contemplate of earth's inhabitants,
while under wise policy, the next
generation of southern people may be-
como the richest, the most powerful
and the most respected of people.
Which destiny viii We choose?
But, you ask, how can the better
destiny be secured? Twill tell you.
First make cotton your surplus crop
In these FIVE words lie the Samson locks
of your future power. Make your own
fertilizers by resting, cropping, grass
ing and manuring your lands. Thus
you become independent of the guano
merchants. Raise your own provis-
ions. Thus ysu become independent
of the provision merchants. Youl
cheapest and safest line of transport.
ton runs from your own fields and hog
pens to your own barns and meat
house. With no debts for your sup
plies, you will need no accommodation
credits at two per cent per month.
Thus you become independent of bro
kers, cotton factors and lien merchants.
You can then sell your cotton at your
own time, to your chosen buyers, and
will get your own money. None Of
these things can planter do who plants
on credit and borrows money to buy
his provisions.
But, you say, the western State:
raise provisions so much cheaper, We
can make moro money by raising cot
ton and buying from them. This is
the teaching of figures, and a greater
lie was never taught.
Now, affirm it is cheaper for you
to raise your own provisions than tc
have them brought from the West and
given TO you at the nearest depot free
of cost and charges. How is this? In
the first place, if We raise 500, 00C
bales of cotton we will get no more
money for them than we would get fol
one-half that number. Then, out o.
the same amount realized, you pay fol
raising the 5,000,0 900 Just double cos
of production. Half the labor and
supplies employedin raising ., 200, O0C
bales of cotton could be employed il
raising supplies without reducing the
value of the cotton crop one dollar
But half this labor would raise more
than you need for supplies. You could
employ much of it also in enrichins
your lands and improving your prop
erty in many ways. Then you would
come to the end of the year with YOU
crib full of corn, your smOke-house full
of meat, your family full of smiles
yourselves full ofindependence and YOU
pockets full of money for investment
And how would you invest it? In cot
ton factories on the waterfalls which
God has sent all through your coun
try to run spindles. This would make
you Independent of Old and New Eng
land. Then, also you would mine
your own Implements of husbandry
which would make you Independent O
Pennsylvania foundries and Massachue
sets workshops. In a word, every i'm
provement would be built up in YOU
own country, and all the profits o
those improvements would go int
your own pocket.
/ Go on as you are now going, making
cotton your chief crop, and slavery i
the doom of your children and YOU
ehildren's children forever. A people
who depend on other people for fooC
and clothing are and must be slaves.