The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-15
PHILOSOPHER ARP.
Tho IiicIi and Poor Farmers.
-i'hinM Constitution.

her, but sometimes think we brag mos,
too much aboat Il. Georgia is going
ahead in enterprise, and has saubrious
climate. and Il law.abiding, Christian
people, and for one am content to live
ami die here, and don't want my chill.
dren to move away. But Georgia is a
long ways behind in her agricultural
interests. | have been looking over
report of the grain crops of all the
States that was compiled at Washington,
and don't feel hattered very ml,l
This report covers every county in every
State, and find that two counties in
illinois msde more corn than our whole
State, and one county made rs much
wheat as our State. Isn't that sad :?
Just think Of small county growing
three million bushels of wheat, and ali
of Georgia raised but few bushels more.
Think Of one State growing thrco hun.
dred and fifty million bushels of corn.
Iowa averages thirty seven bushels OF
wheat to the acre, and Georgia averages
sly and one. half bushels. Iowa averages
forty one bushels Of corn per acre, and
Georgia averages nine. II looks like we
had better quit Dragging. don't il? Well,
| know we have got n big lot of cotton
to set off, but the question is, what do we
make on Our best farmers ia North
Georgia say i costs eight CENTS D pound
to make it and we get about nine or
nine and half for it. Our sales are
big but what are our profits. And now
comes an off year, n year of drought
which cuts down the average still more.
Cobe says he is afeared that corn will 20
to five dollars bushel. Cobe don't
keep up with the times. Cubc goc. back
to the year when the failure of crop
did run up the prico enc mously, when
there were lots of Jacobs who had to
hitch up their teams and go away of to
some Egypt country to buy corn. But it
Is not 80 now. Railroads have brought
the great granaries of the Northwest to
our doors, and corn is about as cheap
now in Georgia as it was when we made
| a iull crop. Corn is cheap enough, and
the only trouble is in finding n little
money to buy it with. II Cobe can't
raise the half a dollar how is he going to
buy q bushcl of corn7 The trouble
generally with our average farmers is
that they are not rewarded for their In.
Dor. Every common laborer ought to
get one dollar for days work. Agood,
honest days work in the field is worth
that much at least, but they do not get
nall OF 1t, making cotton on rented land.
The poor are obliged to keep poor.
travelled with some Illinois men the other
day and they spoke Of the difference
between the North and the South among
The laboring classcs--the tenants who
farm on rented land. They got better
paid for their work aud soon were able
to get land of their own and puid a
cottage and go ahead. Fifty acres is
good, big farm up there. Families make
agood living Oh twenty acres, for they
put part of it in truck, and can sell any.
thing they raise. They are more thrift.
ty people. They spend less and work
more. "A few farmers make money down
here, but 1t keeps ten men poor to enable
one man to get rich-wben one gets
ahead he can keep ahead. It is like
money making money. The first thou
sand dollars is harder to ge. than the
next two thousand, and SO il farmer
can Just get start with land aud stock
ana implements, he can keep On and
make money. Here and there you can
hnu farmer who starts with nothing
and works up and makes money, and it
looks like if one can do it others can,
put there is something in the breed Of
lolks just like there is in cattle and hogs
some are shifty and some are not, some
are ambitious and some are sleepy and
indifferent. Nevertheless, it is an up
| hill business for poor man to farm.
! There is not much inducenant for a
young man to try it if he has no CAPITAL
and 30 he goes to clerking or travelling
for somebody, for he can do that without
capital. 1fa man has thousand dollars
he can buy him enough land to farm on
and can stock it and then he has got a
home and can raise hogs and cattle. and
chickens, and get his wood for nothing.
and can york up tc independence If he
is any account but in my opinion n
poor man had better hire out and tack
himself on to some clever, rich man, and
sortcr belong to him. The original Bill
Arp used to say that he had rather be-
long to Col. John A. Johnston than to
be Free. for he said the Coloncls wife
throwed away enough vitels and clothes
to 40 his children, and they was always
nigh enough to pick 'em up. There is
nothing wrong about this relation of the
humble poor man to rich and generous
landlord. The poor man loves to lean
npon his rich employer for help aud pro-
lection and advice, and the rich man il
proud OF the poor mans homage. So it
Is all right where the rich man is not
mean and tho poor man is not proud.
There are not many men who do not
depend on and look up to somebody.
asked Bill ono day how he was going to
vote and he "didn't know until he had
asked Col. Johnston, and the Colonel
wouldn't know until he had consulted
Judge Underwood, and the Judge
wouldn't know until he had heard from
Alex Stephens, but how Alex found out
hoy to vote he be dog'd if he knew" I
reckon about half the people ought to
sorter belong to the other half anyhow,
and the niggcrs especially without any
'sorter." We are all Of us in some kind
of slavery anyhow whether we like it or
not. There is slavery at sea among the
sailors, and slavery on land among the
soldiers, and our children owe to US abb
solute obedience until they are twenty
one. Slavery is not such a bad thing
after all. Tho children of Israel had
slaves but it was only for seven years,
and then the slave went free unless he
didn't want to, and in that case his mas
ter led him up to door. post and punched
a hole in his ear with an awl and put a
gold ring in it and he was slave for
life. Just so when man and woman
get married nova. days, it is kind of
voluntary slavery and there amt much
difference, except that the rings are put
on the fingers. They both belong to one
another for awhile, until they find out
which Is tho best man, and then the best
man runs the business. know lots of
married men who are wearing rinos In