The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-04-06
AMONG the FARMERS.
All Cotton Means Starvation

All Cotton Means Starvation
The Hon. B. H. Hill, of Georgia,
made the following torsr and pointed
remarks in a speech delivered by him
in that State. He said:
tell you to-day, | care not what
seasons may come, what large crops
you may raise, under existing condi-
tons, you will ever grow poorer, who
produce cotton, aud they will ever
grow richer who handle it after it is
produced. Without a great change,
the Southern States are destined to be-
come so many plantations, practical
ly owned by Northcn people, and the
Southern people s" many hireling
slaves to work them And in this con
dition you will reap scarcely the
wages and not half Il, rc>prrt ynn
accorded your former slaves. And
yet, the very reversed OF tl,. fate is il
your power. ludrl tie present poll
cy the next generation ri S"uthrrn
people will heron" tie ro"rr$l. the
most powt,|fs> anal ;hr E'n>t contempt
tib|e of ea,th's Inhabitants. while as,
der wise policy, the next -cnrtati"n
of Southern people may hcrorc thc
richest, the most powerful AMI Il"
most respected Of people. Witch
destiny will we choosro
But, you ask, how can this bette!
destiny be secured? will tell y"'I.
First make cotton your snplus crop:
In these five words lie the Samson
locks of your future power. Make
your own fertilizers by resting, crop
ping, grasslng and manuring Your
lands. Thus, you become indppen.
dant of the guano merchants. Your
cheapest and safest line Of tran>por
tation runs from your own fields and
hnyprns to your own barns and meat
houses. With no debts tor your sup
plies, you will need no arc.'mmoda-
ton credits at two per cent per month.
Thus you become independent Of
brokers, cotton factors and lien mcr-
chants. Yon can sell at your own
time, to your chuscn 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 States
raise provisions so much cheaper, we
can make more money by raising cot.
ton and buying from them. This is
the teaching of figures, and greater
lie was never taught.
Now, I affirm it is cheaper for YOU
to raise yonr provisions then to have
them brought from tho West and CIV
en- to you at the nearest depot free Of
cost and charge. How is tins In the
fist place, if we raise 5,W}0,0U0 bales
of cotton we will get no more none!
for them then we would get for one
half that number. Then. out of the
same amount realized, you pay for
raising the 5,OuO, 200 just double cost
of production. Half the labor and
supplies employed in raising 5,00o,.
600 bales of cotton could De employ
ed 10 raising SUPPLIES without reducing
the value of the cotton crop one dol
lar. But half this labor would raise
more than you needed for supplies.
You could employ much of it also
in eurichiug your lands and improv
ing your property in many ways.
Then yon wonld come to the end Of
the year with your crib fall "fcorn,
your smoke-house full of meat, your
family full of smiles, yourself full of
independence and your pocket full Of
money for investment. And how would
you investit? In cotton factories Oh
the waterfalls which God has sent all
through your contry to run spindIes,
This would make you independent
Of Ola and New England both. Then,
also you would mine your own imp|e-
ments of husbandry which would
make you independent of Pennsylva-
MIA foundrys and Massachusetts work
shops. In a word, every improve
mcut would be built up in your own
country, and all the profits of those
Improvements would go into your own
pockets.
Go on as you are now going, maxi
ing cotton your chief crop, and slave
~ is the doom of your children and
your children's children forever. A
people who depend on other people
for food and clothing are and must be
slaves.