Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-06-03
Southern Land-Pirstss.



One of the worst features Of the existing
condition Of things in the South is 10 be
found in the character and methods Of large
number of men who sell goods in the smaller
country towns and villages, and at the Gross
roads" and landings almost everywhere.
These men are mostly foreigners or Northern
men, but Of late there are, in some parts Of
the country, few native Southerners taking
up tho same kind Of business, as good South
ern citizens now and then confessed to me
with shame. These merchants or store
keepers, are as rapacious as pirates, entirely
destitute of principle, conscience and homes
ty Observe, / do not say that all the 'small
merchants" or dealers in country places in
the South are of this character but the class
is q very large Une, and IL has its representa-
tives almost everywhere. These men are
growing rich faster than any other class in
the Southern states. They sell goods 10 the
negroes and poor whites at 200 or 800 per
cent. profit, and much of the time they sim
ply take all that a man has. A large part of
their business is conducted in this way. A
dealer Of this class makes an agreement dur
ing the winter with q negro or white laborer
to ''run" him for the season. That is, tho
merchant furnishes the "small planter" with
all his provisions and supplies Of every kind
for the spring, summer and autumn, agricul-
tural implements and everything needed, On
credit all these things TO be paid for out of
the crop, when IL is matured and gathered.
Each dealer may thus supply, or run"
dozen, twenty or fifty men. During the
summer, and all the time that the crop is
growing, the dealer rides about and inspects
each mans crop, of sends some competent
man to do this so that he can estimate the
probable product. OF course an experienced
judge can do this very accurately. Thus,
II = - Aa - aI-o IL H..
merchant knows almost exactly how much
has been produced by each man that he has
run" All along through the season he has,
of course, entered on his books each article
furnished to the planters. Now he goes over
his books and puts down the price of each
article, the amount which the customer is TO
pay for il /; and the price is 80 arranged that
the aggregate charged for the seasons sup
plies will exactly take the planters whole
crop. The poor laborer is thus left at the
end of the season, absolutely penniless.
There are often stormy scenes on settling
day" Such a merchant will submit without
resistance to the bitterest cursing wronged,
disappointed, enraged negro can utter. Often
there would be violence, but the merchant is
armed and his dupe is cowed. The end or
result of it all is usually that the dealer makes
the man a cheap, snowy present, and ar
ranges to run him again the next year. But
sometimes, when a negro is concerned, the
outcome is different The merchant buys
cotton. In many cases he has a gin Of his
own OF a cotton press. This gives the wrong
ed, helpless negro an opportunity for re-
venge. The gin or press is fred some dark
night; there is q deduction from the dealers
profits for the year; the negroes of the re-
gion exult among themselves, and there is
new political outrage" for the newspapers
and politicians.