The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-09-17

on them than cotton.
But faultfnding, even when we'll
is not gracious y received;
and advice. even when asked for, is
not always acceptable; and, there's
fore, | will pass on to the next sub
ie i proposed by me tor your con.
sideration, to-wit: III" vicious busi-
moss mr.avas Of the merchants. |
ants business, besides having for It's
basis the vicious credit System, is
also objectionable because it en-
coarages and fosters, to the exclu--.
sion o. all others, the cultivation ni
bu1 oae product, t. Wit: cotton, and
makes re producer Of that product
entirely dependent upon the m"r-
chant not only for what he, his ten
ants, employees and dependents
wear, but AZ so for whatever he, they
or his stock eat. The town and ru
raj merchant is dependent upon the
city merchant for the facilities to
enable him 10 carry on his business,
and the first question the city mer
chant asks him when he applies for
such aid, is how many bales of cot
ton do you expect to be able to con
troll and ship to me, and how much
and what kinds of your stock OF
goods do you expect to purchase
through me; and upon that answer
he graduated the facilities promised,
and, besides, requires his proposed
customer to agree to pay commits
sions on the amount Of cotton
promised, whether shipped or not.
And the same questions is asked
and he same terms imposed upon
the planter who gets bis supplies
through the city merchant, except
that the facilities promised are more
| stinted, because as a general thing
| he is not able to control so much
cotton, and his business is not sup
posed to be so profitable to the city
merchant as that of the country
merchant And / will say here,
parenth eticaIly, that the city mer-
chant makes an arrangement with
some grocery, provision, hardware
and dry goods dealer, with some
insurance, transportation and com
press company for A REBATE of a
certain per cent on his business, IN
consideration that be will give such
dealer pr company the whole of his,
or rather his customers business,
and Vi it'll great complacency and
without the twinge of a muscle or a
single conjunction of conscience
pockets the rebate amounting often
to thousand O! dollars) and charges
up to his customer the full market
price OF everything he does or pre-
tends to do for him, together with
the never sleeping and ever work.
ing interest.
The country merchant comes
home, and before he will promise to
sell anything on a credit, even a:
the most exorbitant prices, to the
landlord or his tenant, Gmitating
his city merchant with whom he
has made a hard bargin, and in
tends to recoup himself by driving
still harder one) asks his proposed
customer the same question and i'm
poses upon him substa ntially the
same terms, clinched in the great
majority of cases, with IA mortgage
deed of trust, or agricultural lien
and charges his customer with the
cost OF drawing and recording the
same.
Under this system it becomes the
interest of the city and country
merchants to induce their custom
crs TO buy from or through them
every thing upon which they car
make a profit, and to be paid in &
commodity upon which they car
also make profit; TINS handling 6
keen two-edged sword that, which.
ever way it is brandished, cuts fol
profits to its possessor. "And fol
WAYS that are dark, ard for tricks
bat are vain, the cunning mer
chant-tee is peculiar.
Every year, under this system
the land lord and tenant, in th'
great majority of cases, falls further
and further behind; the debt will
sleepIess interest is renewed and re
secured by the inevitable mortgage
etc, and is finally wound up by ;
sale, which transfers the property
!, to the marchant, or such as he per
noiaS to become the purchaser of i
ut a mere nominal price, leaving tn,
larger part OF the debt still hanging
|, over the debtor. Under this sys
tenn one mercantile firm in Sum mi
county, Miss, some three or fou
years ago, became the owners O
over $4,000 acres Of land, the home
steads of small farmers! Surel,
there must be something vicious in
system that produces such results
, Under this system the white man
with uudying love for his nativ
land, the home of his youth ant
containing the graves of his beloved
dead ones, remains TO exc out a mis-
cradle existence in penury anC
want, with all its mental and physi
cal energies paralyzed by his har,
lot and great misfortunes; willis
the negro, light hearted, with it'll
or no sensibility, with roseatc hope
and child like simplicity, bids bi
nnsatisfed debts and creditors
final adeu and elopes to Kansas
=, ,,oth.r ~ him land of Capaap