Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1881-09-07
The crsdh System.

An inappropriate time {" enquire what
cans,s bny. contributed nost to bring J
ahont the prrrnt state Of Affairs, aud
what cnur.e will best enable the people to
regain their prosperity aud escape -neh
di,a,trrs in the future. IL - true thHt
mo-t u,nrlr attribute their present pinch
,l auauci Il condition Ia the short crops,
TN, another aud more patent cause lies
behind that. We brllrN" that there VIII
he enough made this year for the country
IN sut-,.t noon for another yrar. Most
farmer. will make cnrn enough To do ihrm
and # they could sell their cotton and n-''
the proceeds IT would pnrcha-. ut cash |
prices hat other supplies they wonld h~ |
u,.c,..nriIy cnmu,llrh tn have to suh-ist |
uuou 10 make annthrr erup. But this ih-
.nalles, number Of onr painters can do.
| The great mnJoriy 81 them Will have 10
turu over their entire cotton crop to their
merchants TO pay for the present y-nrs
supplies. and then many Of them viii be
largely in debt to the merchant. IL the
farmers were ont of drbr they conld sub
.-t for another year upon whnt their lands
have produced this --ason. The string-n-
CIV of the times which IL likely 10 press
hard npon the farmers another year d"e-
mn, then arise 80 much frurrthe short crops
n. from the system Of trade which has pre-
| vailed since the war. We refer tn the ere
dit system. The system Of the farmer de-
voting himself almost exclusively I" the
production Of cotton aud buying his sup
plies from the merchant OF credit. THIS
system is, We believe, at the bottom oil the
present hard times. aud Il continued VIII
ultimately ruin both merchant and farmer.
The farmer can in all ordinary years, pro-
duce his own meat and bread cheaper than
he can buy it from his merchant. IL the
farmer pursues the system of procuring
hts meat and bread from III. merchant nj
credit prices, and when wcsreak Of credit
pticc- W. do not mean to crnsnre the mer-
, chants, for they have tn protect them
selves. but rs long rs the farmers persist
IN tLi. system it takes ab"ut all they can
max, in good crop year To- pay the mer
? chant hi, supply account. often they dc
il when the crop is good. This being
the case when the season i favorable i"'
tb. pruluction. Of course when there u
auy considerable falling on IN the yl,ld
cotton the planters are left largely in dep
4 To- the merchant. This state OF nHAir'
must continue aud viii grow worse n
long as the credit system 10 followed u,
: our planters II our i1rpltIs wish 10 pros
y per they must either raise their own mel"
II and bread az coutIivr some way Ia get !
without pniuy in debt for IL, or else the.
, viii always lie poor and timrs will no
make haste Ia grow soft and easy.
vnulh W. m tier fnr the merchant and bet
ter TOT the farmer II ia" credit system
were tiroli,h,l II might bear hard apo
the farmer for the first year. hat after tina
'r they would prosper aud live easier thh
Z they ever have dnur under the credit ~
m tenn. The SOONER the planter. adopt ia
II cash basis the sooner they viii begin
prosucr. A. lnng ~ they adhere Ia III
present ruiuou- credit system they ncN'
viii SEE, any ptImLHrni prosperity.
H..