Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1881-06-30

tied deep IN the pubic m'no' II the
price Of cotton has declined from lie.
to Sc. as the crop increases from FIVE
million five hundred thousand to s;z
million five hundred thousand bales,
it will be somewhat interesting to our
people, from analogous reasoning, to
know that we could scarcely expect
more .nan IN average Of &c. per
! pound for crop ofseven million five
hundred thousand or eight million
bales. You can not say that my hy-
pothesis inregard to such & crcr is
an lmpossibility, for have we no. i'll
| creased the crop in a few years rom
| two million to six million live i,ar-
dred shousand bales? the incI case
for the past year alone being about
| one million bales, in round numbers,
! with a similar increase for this year
lconfdently predicted by the buyers
and spinners and looked forward to
with trepidation by our own people.
Let us anticipate, then, whet may
happen, and suppose our growing
crop reaches eight millions bales, or
thirty-two hundred million pounds,
which at Sc. would give us $4,000.
O00- ..ar $4,000, 900, less than five
million bales brught US, and $lS,000,-
000 less thar orr o,5o0:oo0 crop.
Now, if we are to hold our own, as
| our crop increases and the aggregate
SUN for it decreases. we ought to be
| able TO buy onr mules ri lower prices;
| We ought TO be able to hire our cot
| ton chopped ONT, picked and ginned
at lower prices; Wa ought TO pay less
for our hagging and ties, and we
| ought to Ut able to purchase al our
| supplies at lesa rates. Bat Whist is
| the TACT ion all know that prices
| ale not materially leasened 10 tie
plante:: Cor anything, and OIL the con-
| trars a BIZ crop means 10 all tie
| world who sell to the planter big
! prices Tor their aoo's. no one conn1-
ins its snicidal cost, and all heiieving
hat such crop loust render the
planters rich and prosperous. But
| 4h my countrymen, too well yon
; know it, or at least will know, the
! mockery o! such prosperity. And I
| say to you II such thing 10 come
to happen, the tabled Tantalus sur
rounded by water, with not a drop
| to drink, will uot he III more pitia-
BILE condition than you, surrounded
b7 your cotton bags, with not cent
n The world YOU can cali your own.
Even now, on ali sides, the cotton
factors have become our largest plan
.ers, many o: them owning from five
% rs high as fifty plantations, and
| make the assertion without tea OF
contradiction that noi one was gotsen
IRON planter who made cotton a
surplus crop out from men who knew
nothing, and would learn nothing but
to make all cotton. With one more
remark l will return to my calaula-
tions, and it's this: Ii the God o!
| dire disaster, storms, pestllence and
famine, sees fit to urge our people to
pursue their present all cotton sys,
.em of farming until they shall pro-
luce eight million bales, there Will
not be one Of this category OF plan
.ers sound financially left in the coun-
try. Providence, on the other hand
with far seeing wisdom, knowing only
bankruptcy aud ruin will ever make
some planters give up the all.cotton
plan, may be taking this terrible man
ne- OF saving them at last; on the
| principle OF the aurgeon who cuts IN.
sparinsly to save the patient who has
oeen given NJ as forIorn hope. But
| let us return TO our estimates. Oh
the total amount received for crop
the planters share is one-half; plan
tera, therefore, receive $l04 ,0n0:oo0
FROM which deduct tie expense &C
connts chargeab!e to tue planter
feed ior teams, $39, ,ooso,ooo; half coat
OF haggins and ties. 81. .275,ooo; nal!
cost o! marketing crop, $l6,250,0oo;
loss oi twenty per cent. in decreased
value OF stock, $l5,600,000; loss and
decrease in value OF implements and
machinery twenty per cent, 81 ,3!!5,-
| 900; repairing fences, houses, etc, we
would estimate at i've per cent. on
value Of land, say 100000, and taxes
At two per cent, 2:,,l2Oo0o; taking
ot4l amounts chargcable TO planters
sccounts, $50, 10000 from the $l04,-
Sooo.ooo, gives us So So $4,000 as plan
.ers' profits, or aum less than one
; per cent. on tota! investment. Now
my friends, l would not have yon
think l put this estimate iorwerd az
| inialii5le, or even accurate, ior nc
,eneral estimate Of q subject so di'
versi:ieti, made on the basis OF one
system, when there are hundreds in
vogue, oorld be expected 10 ne per
feet; and, besides, every one knows
that tue individual planter increases
or decreases his per centage of profit
in proportion as his plantation is
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