The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-07
For the farmer snd Nechtnic

Now | affirm that the
Board Of Trade are responsible in a
great measure for the dull times i'll
Raleigh. Because they have the eutire
management OF the Cotton Trade which
has been the life Of the city. When the
farmers were allowed to bring their cot
ton and sell it to any body who wish to
buy (and any body could buy that had
the money! between sunrise and sunset.
Rdlet9h HoariShe3! Farmers could bring
their cotton TO market and sell 1t as
eOon the sun was up. do their trading.
and leave before 10 O'Clock.
Now they have to wait until after 10
o'clock before they can sell a pound. 1t
has been Il life long cuetom for farmers
to come to market early. but it has not
heen d life long custom tor them to wait
until after 10 O'Clock before they can
sell their cotton. This is a great annoy
ance, especially when they re often
notified 10y some policeman to Move
up Il little - or Back a little - or
To the right.'' OF lett all OF which
tends to worry him. and make his trip
To town a disagreeble one. When the
market opens other annoyances occur.
\ man Will walk up and without saying
Hoe do you 10. Nr. Farmer2'' ut.
into his cotton, and pulls out about a
pound, which, after glancing at it, he
throws down in the dirt, or mud. Then
perhap. pulls out another pound, and
makes his offer. If the farmer does not
accept, he will have 10 undergo the same
eours with another buyer; and so on
until he sells. Then he has to haul his
load to the depot. nearly Il mile, and
have it weighed, and pay for the weigh
ing. and it is sometimes the case that
he has to wait for an hour or two before
he can have it weighed. Then he must
carry the weights to the buyer, and get
. check for the money; and it is often
the case that the banks are closed be-
fore he can get his money. 80 that he
has To wait until ext day before he gets
the cash for his check thereby losing
both time and expenses.
Now this was unknown before the
Board of Trade was established. Il. Il.
Baruum says People like to be hum
buged." That may be SO but the far
mers of this section do not like to be put
under so many annoying regulations by
the Board of Trade of Raleigh. And
they show it by going elsewhere. Raj
eigh may offer better rates than some
places, but i'll consequence of the above
stated treatment, the farmers are carry
ing their cotton To other markets. Not
ieSs than 5000 bales of cotton have been
driven from this market this season by
the oppressive laws of this Board OF
Trade. The greater part of the money
for the 5000 bales of cotton thus driven
from our city would have been spent
~, 80 ~ l.ozt 5000 900 l. - ~,
wonder we are having frequent failures :
The Legislature has given the Board
of TIade the power to Cypress the hon
est hard working farmers of this Sec
ton. They should repeal the act at
once.
There are 4 number of good store.
vacaut in the business portion of the
town ought to do a good business, and
would if it were not for the oppressive
acts Of the Board. There arc others
that are occupied that are hot paying
expenses. all due to the same cause,
There are just rs many people to be
fed aud clothed in this section as there
were 5 years ago. Then why should
not trade be rs good as wa. then? The
answer is because the farmer. are going
to the small towns all around Raleigh
for they would rather lose a dollar OF
the bale than have to De worried i'll sell
ing.
Ii were generally known that one o
the merchants here wds buyinE cotton
iustas they used to do before the Board o
Trade was established. lie would have
such a rush of custom that it would re-
mind him of 10 years ago. Cotton il
sold in other markets before 10 o clocl
a. M, why should it not be sold here
There i. no good reason why it should
not.