The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1883-10-25
agricultural.
SOUTHERN CROP MORTGAGES.

SOUTHERN CROP MORTGAGES.
St Louis Republican,
The man who shall persuade the
people of the South to abandon the
crop mortgage system of agriculture
and adopt the better practice of pay
lug the expenses of one yeariwith the
proceeds of the previous years crop
will entitle himself to the honor OF
life size statue in every southern cap
itol. Ii matters little whether this
mortgage system is one of the lnsep'
arabic accomplishments of exclusive
cotton growing or the result OF Ger
tain traits in the southern character
il is vicious and destructive, and
ought to be got rid of at any cost
or Inconvenience, and even of suf.
fering. The abolition of it would
be cheaply purchased even by the
sudden and absolute destruction OF
all individual and corporate credit
in the south and the forcing OF every
planter to pay cash down for every
article he bought or do without it.
Such q destruction of credit would
insolve great hardship and poor liv-
ing for che year; but it would be
followed by a blessing which the
mass Of southern people have never
enioyed-personai independence.
The practice ofmortgaging crop
before it is planted for the necessary
supplies for the planters family
keeps him forever one year behind,
even under the most favorable con-
ditions. And this is not all, nor the
worst; it costs him 10 to 20 per
cent. on the amount of the loan inN
creased price charged for the sup'
plies furnished it subjects his cot
ton to which he is powerIess to pro-
test against, and it makes him the
life,long servant of his factor.
Cotton is the most important COM
mercial crop raised in tho country
and it has greater market value
even than it usually commands but
while it enricheq all through whose
hands it successfully passes from the
time it leaves the gin house it leaves
little profit to those who raise 1t or
the section that yields it. The
charges and exactions levied on
bale of cotton from first to last ag'
gregate one cent pound or 81. 90
bale and this on the crop of last
year (7.O00,O00 bales, is $4,000,
600 Western grain and stock far
mers would make the world ring
with their complaints if they were
subject to such a toll on their crops
for a single year. But southern
planters submit to it without MUIR
muir, because they cannot help them
selves they are dependent borrow
erS and have no coutro. c@o~ what
they call their own crop; but which
is really not their own.
1t is a matter for surprise that the
planters of the south do not organize
to demand and secure large share
Of control over their chief product.
They have a common interest, and
this interest dictates common meas
ures Of self defence. II is said that
cotton raising in the south is more
profitable to the acre than grain rals'
ing in the west, and yet the west
grows rich raising grain and hay at
SIS to $50 an acre, while southern
planters do not get out of debt rals-
ing cotton At $50 to $40 per acre
The explanation must be found in
the milestone they carry round their
necks in the perpetually renewed
mortgage on their crop. The plan
ter has no choice in buying his sup
plies or selling his cotton he must
buy from the man who furnished the
supplies and pay whatever price he
charges and ten per cent besides