Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-01-14
THE COTTON RAISER
Planters Advised to Deal Kindly and
Thoughtfully by the Negro Laborer
and Keep Him Out Of Debt.
Hutton's Cotton.Pieker Presents the
Most Plausible Theory for the Accom-
plIshmest OF the Desired Result.


To the Editors of the Appeal:
The settling up time with farmers and
tenants Is at hand, and the making OF new
contracts is now in order. In spite OF good
crops the tenants, as usual, come out more or
less in debt, or if even, with no surplus.
Those who have paid their rent and provision |
bills and have suythipg left are in large |
minority. Many are seeking new homes |
with the hxed determination that the white |
man shall not beat them The farmer will
have a sweet time getting his reut this year
from a tenant who worked hard last year
with some other farmer and realized
nothing at the end of the year-pessibly
leaving in debt 10 him. OF course IT
will not do TO Judge a whole rsce IRON
ones experience with thirty or forty lam
lilies, but when these families have
come together from widely separated dis-
tricis, and one finds they all agree in certain
| ideas Of honor, what constitutes crime In an
act, responsibility Tor debts incurred, or
| promises made, and in their relation 10 the
white race-one at least can get a pointer to
| the characteristics OF the race. And when
| he finds these characteristics coDhrnsed by
other observers at different points, and after
many years of experience, lac does not go far
| in error when he ascribes them to the race.
| There are exceptions, of course, but unfor-
| lunately they are not numerous enough 10
| change the rule. The negro tenant, or share
! hand, is the farmers chief dependence fer
labor in making cotton and corn 10 the rich
bottom lands along the Mississippi river and
along The railroads centering in Mem
phis. The prosperity OF Memphis de.
ponds directly upon the prosperity OF
| this agricultural region. Memphis IL
the supply depot whence this agricultural
region draws its ratious and clothing, stock
and implements Her merchants have a
profit on all the shipping they handle, and
another profit in the whole crop. They
are doubly favored. They do not have
TO buu the crop to realizs this second profit
they realize it without risk, simply In
handling the crop, while the farmer has all
the risk incident 10 the fluctuations in the
selling price of his products. Nor can hs
generally wait for prices which will pay him
profit. Nine out of ten belong
to the merchants, and have no voic'
/ in the matter. There is lees ne
profit for the famer who makei
the crop than there is for the merchant whC
handles it, while all the risk is upon III,
| producer. II the crop fails, the farmer, while
} losing his time, use of land, stock and i'm
| plements, and supplies used, must still pa,
/ the merchant if it takes his farm to do II
which is right, for he owes tho debt. Blu
for this very reason Of risk on HE part, tn
merchant ought to be more lenient and Civ
the farmer a larger share in the profits
They are in fact, if not in law, partners
: the farmer furnishing largely the capital i
land, etc, experience and personal attentio
G TO the business; the merchant furnishing tn
r supplies lat a profit and on interest, secured
n too, by mortgage) markets the crop at
profit to himself and chsrges up the loi
to the farmer. After awhile he owns th
farm, as matter of course, an
hires the farmer to manage 1t. As ma
ters now are it is better for farmer
sell his farm to the merchant at the eta
and seek employment as q manager: he ca
live bstler, longer and lar happier. 1t Il
merchant is bound to get il al in the eu'
N as the signs Of the times seem positively
indicate, better let him have it at the sta
lg and save yourself several years of strugg
and worry with debt, bills and mortgage
" 1t is not always necessary that he Who poin
out an evil should suggest the remedy, but
,o have suggested one; the other suggests itse
> the merchant must be more liberal, whs
convinced that he gets more than the lion
as share. The proofs are in his own hands
in the large credits on his loss and gain a
1T count, and the balances due from the plan
ers's accounts after the crop is sold, carrie
We forward from year to year, until finally
gets the farm.
u Now as TO the other evil the farmer has
~ contend with, the colored tenant or sha
hand. The tenant who realizes nothing
IL the end of the year from his labor, cannot
expected to be jealous in the interest of
BY landlord. He does not count the scan
W living aud the home he has had for the ye
as anything in summing up his profits
rt must have something visible, tangible at [
in end of the year as surplus, else he says
got nolhing-white man got it ALL" L
10 result is, the next year he will not wo
hs enough to pay his rsnt, or ii he does he "
70 make away with a part Of the crop befc
the rent is paid. If disposed SO to do, it
De il, for neither he nor his brethren count it
crime-or for that matter
ol carrying off or destroying of anythi
,ss else movable about the farm a
not of very great value. They ia
ed things-it never is considered stealing the
a After taking all of the crop he can, il
still owes the planter he has very queer ids
on about his obligation to pay. prevalt
h. idea is that as the "ground did not make
nc he does not owe it," The idea of payi
the balance in any other property he m
&c, have picked up is monstrous and as absu
ey, as the idea OF his paying cash, or working
out He will, however, generally agree
lis pay il out of the next years crop if
ice planter will give him another chance"
ny steal as before and come out further benin
If he moves him, then the debt is discharg
in and he thinks the planter has deeT
les wronged him, and has the sympathy Of
I a community (colored). He is honest in Z
thipg-he is conscious of having done
49,, wrong; he actually believes The planter
"f naturally striving always to beat or swim
~, him, and that this gives him the ris
10 turn the tables on him. 1t is q want
moral perception kind of moral strait
lat mus. In many other things this came p
,xt son will be strictly honest and thorough
Die Trustworthy and reliable. To secure &c
results planters must overcome this want
III confidence in the "msn and brother" a
se give him the benefit of the doubt alua
of Be liberal, and better give them small b
ances due than begin the year with disco
NO aged and listless tenants. Keep him out
oi debt as much as possible, reduce charges
IRE much as possible and encourage him to
cumulate. By wedding cut the idlers,
shiftless and mischief makers, be can slo'
-; but surely secure good results in this edu
~ ton, which is needed by this class far M
a. than the power 20 read and write are.
no other way can this labor be so rapi
yer improved. To do this the planter must hi
led a mitigation in excessive charges from N
60. chants, in the way OF profits, interest &
commissions. r. a. n
an. A Cetf0n.Picker.
ci- To the Editors of the Appeal:
lev The APPEAL having been SO prominent