The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-02-25

changes that to my mind are of the |
utmost Importance to that class. |
My view is comparative as regards
times and conditions and embraces
enough accounts to form basis of
generalization. For IL years we
have lived under the institution of
free labor. Many eanses have re-
tarded the progress of this more
perfect system, and consequently
its course and effects were slow
in being manifested. We note the
changes that have been silently
taking place, with no special proph
ct to announce them and with no
special enthusiasm, but under the
operations of inexorable logic, and
in obedience to quiet, steady press
ure. At last they have become so
extensive as to be felt. In fact
they prevail. Those who have
thought upon these subjects know
how vast they are, and how much
| refrain from celebrating them.
In the past ten years 10000 small
farms have been carved off of the
large farms in Georgia. Ten years
ago the average size Of farms or
plantations in South Carolina, de-
veloped under the old system, and
although they have Leen subjected
to divisions since tho war, was
still say 36J acres. Texas has been
developed almost entirely under
the new system. What is the re-
suit! Instead of less than 100000
bales of cotton before the war, she
now produces nearly five times
that number, or nearly one million
and a half bales, and the average
of her farms is under fifty acres.
With her perhaps 100000 farms to-
day she has hardly exceeding one
hundred of over 1000 acres. OF
course | do not include ranches.
We have almost that number be-
tween here and the mouth of the
river. But what do we perceiveg
1t is evident that the small farm.
ers are now making the bulk of
the American crop of cotton. /
do not know how much, but we
know that in addition to this all
the uplands which before the war
did but small business in cotton
growing, now make it their chief
industry, and | doubt if the large
planters, with whom the colored
race work almost exclusively, now
contribute more than One-third and
perhaps not over one-fourth of the
crop. The small farmer then con-
tributes the bulk of our crop, and
our crop is the great element in
the worlds supply. The statistics
at my command are not complete,
but they are sufficient to make il
seem quite certain that the small
farmers Of the South, and may
they ever increase, are now the
chief factor in the production of
cotton. Who can compete with
thems The planter who produces
upon large scale t! We know
that consolidated operations upon
a large scale are advisable only
when labor-saving methods can be
introduced. Our methods upon a
large plantation are, however, just
the same as those practieed upon a
small farm, and of course we are
without the economics of a varied
sort that a single family can intro
duce. The result is that we are at
great disadvantage, and the class
spoken of are sufficiently numer-
GUS to make itself seriously felt.
This, far more than bad seasons or
the other troubles we have con-
tended with, is the cause of our
depression. Without discussing
such remedies as outsiders gener-
ally advance, and which those who
know our conditions know to be
impracticable, | will hasten to the
consideration of two which alone,
to my mind, offer hope.
We know that capital without
labor is valueless. Each, then, is
a necessity. We know that it is
not prudent to venture upon a
business when we are in doubt as
to the supply of an article neces-
sary to its success. An article
necessary to success should be
under control either by virtue of
ownership or of competition. Who
competes for the privilege of wor-
king on our plantationss We not
only have no labor r-saving methods
but we have no competition in la
Dor under the old methods. The
result of this is obvious. Our
best men are not only failing to
get adequate returns for their la
Dor, but they are in great fear of