Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-14


Men are prone to buy where they can get
the goods cheapest. II England sells brosS
cloth cheaper than Massachusetts thev sav
let Us buv OF England. and save the moner
The policy is q short-sighted one While y
may be true that on one trade we NAV saw
s. or $40 by getting the article cheaper vef
TO do SO we have sent the price OF the article
out of the country. and we may lose ty a.
what we made on that sale when we come Il,
sell our own produce next time, out Of which
we reailze our income. The money that we
paid for the goods, with all its intrinsic value
and purchasing qualities, has gone, and We
have aided to retard our c0untrr's
progress, and brought nearer 10 our door she
DAYS Of depression. hard times, and financial
ruin. 10 Is only necessary that sufficient
number follow our example 10 bring this 20
pass at once. Here lies the cause Of q Z our
present troubles. our agricultural products
have been worth almost twice as much as be-
fore the war. l believe the gross income or
Southern planters from their farms is nearly
double what il was under the old regime. tur
the profit on production mas gone 10 enrich
other communities.
An examination OF the export values Of .he
+ country shows that the farmers of GeOreia
and Of the South are absolutely paying the
war debt. Your cotton crops since the war
have supported the government, fed the
I hungry OF the North, clothed its naked. driven
+ the engines OF commerce, fOated your dag on
: the seas, paid the rich dividends of the bond
+ holders, and made possible the YanderbiIts
/ AstOrs and GOulds-mOney kings Of the world
+ The nation is supported by your eotton-the
/ balance OF its trade preserved. Only the men
/ who make II grow poorer from year to year
! Where is your prOfit2 \ steady stream goes
North and West for food, for clothes. for
necessaries-yea, for the very sugar which
would grow in your fields, and the corn that
is almost indigenous to your valleys. These
are all consumed ia the using, and add
nothing to the permanent wealth OF the land
The time has come for a change. YOur
wasted lands. your discouraged husbandrv
your burdens Of debt, your discOntented pOpu-
latiOn, Sonr waning commercial importance,
warn You that the old system IS failure, and
3 new system Is necessary 10 save from the
hammer of the Sheriff the little that remain,
of your former opulence. What is yOur
remedy2 Your cotton crop is very valuable
1t was worth nearly S2s0,000,O00 last year
Suppose il were possible to keep the entire
crop of one year, with all its possibilities OF
expansion. at home for distribution. Yo1
I would scatter $3.50. 600 900 through the country
suppose you could spin that cotton crop iria
yarn. on have almost doubled its Vai-a
and left the money that did 1t in the pockets
of your people. You have now nearly $3.50
100000 worth OF property. suppose You weave
it into cloth and knit it into hose. You h8ue
again nearly doubled its value, and the money
IS still IN the country. on have now almost
enough property in your possession to nav tta
national debt. If the money which mads II
and the money for which il sells could remain
in your country you could discount he
loss Of your slaves and the destruction of
your property by the war, and vet have a
margin to commence business on a lOftier scale
than any nation on earth. These are vour
mate them in that proportion viii you WIN
back your wealth and regain Your lost pre-.
tige as people. You may never be able in
one year to secure one cotton crOp in this Wog
but do you not think that with proper ami
ances the state might compass the twentieth
part OF this amount in one year. and That
with average success this might continue for
twenty years? 1t would make YOU the ric8-
est nation earth.
We talk about raising our own produce and
the political economist breaches this docfrira
firm fHa al.
form. still, the teaching IS unheeded and
our planters go on from year to year. RAISING
cotton, and relying upon their ability to pur-
chase necessary supplies in foreign market
Why Is it: Simply because they are in delft
Cotton Is money the world overt is like 50
much gold dug up from the fields, and the plan
ter,presscd by his factor and commission NOR
chant on the one hand and his dire necessitIes
on the other, plants every possible acre IN cot
ton. hoping from year to year to be able 10
lift the mortgage from his farm or his STOCK
and vet like the beWildered traveller Of tbe
desert in pursuit of the deceIful mirage finds
himself each year only further away from he
goal Of his hopes The system never can he
amended till there Is introduced into the Cou6-
try greater diversity of interests till there il
a greater supply of currency. till land appre-
clates, farming improves. and the people who
own real estate feel that they own properly
IN a progressive and growing country. des-
tined soon to lead in the elements of material
wealth and prosperity.
Toensure this result the countl.v's r. 4or1r,a.
must be developed.
The census OF 1850 makes some curious rere-
l&tions. The entire capital invested in farm
ing IN the United States, including lands,
fences, buildings and farming implements
amounts to $4,000, goo, 600. The value of the
entire farm products for 1873 was S2,2I3,0J9.-
600.
On the other hand. the amount Of canitsl
invested in manufacture is s.. $50. 600 600, The
value of the product for the same wear was
5000, 100000 Of this, ,025, 600 900 represents
profit over wages and the cost OF material
HunTpE Womb a Gh Z hot
featuring pays larger percentage on the
capital invested, and, therefore. adds more 10
the material property of the country than
agriculture. The figures further show thatthe
added value OF manufacture to raw material
Is nearly equal to the value Of the entire pro-
duct OF all the farming interests Of the country
1t seems, therefore, that mans handiwOrk on
raw material stores up values and adds to the
wealth OF the country, as well as the labor Of
him who makes two blades of grass grow
where only one grew before.
The census tables bear out the proposition
that people Is most prosperous when its
agricultural and manufacturing interests are
ment.
The three greatest farming States of the
Union are Illineis, Ohio and New York In
these States the farming capital is valued az
little over $1,000, 000, 600 in each State.
In New York 1914, 100000 is invested in
manufactures. This is larger than any other
State in the Union.
In Illinois the manufacturing capital is
Sal ,000, 900, and in Ohio $lS9, OOO, 600.
The farm products in New \ Ork in 1879 were
valued at $lIS,000,000, in Ohio at SIS, 10000,
and Illinois at S204, 600. 900. The latter was
the largest product of any State In the Union
The value of the manufactures of New York
for that year was ST. 0S0 900, 900. the largest in
the Union OF Ohio S34s 600 600 and III MI
nois, S4l5,0O0,000. The number of farms in
New Ork is pa 600, in Ohio "a, 900, and ID
Illinois 256, 600. The average value of improved
farming lands IN New York IS about $50 per
acre; IN Illinois about $40. and IN Ohio about
S62 per acre. These, taken as q whole, are
probably the most prosperous States M the
Union.
Compare their condition with that OF your
own State. The farming capital in Georgia
IS Sil2,000,0OO. The capital invested in manu-
features is S20000,G00. The farm products
were worth in 1873 SCI. OO0. 900. The mapnfac-
number of farms in Georgia is Sl3S,625 The
average value of improved land is about 8l4
In these four States the areas Of farm lands are
nearly the same. Illinois standing highest.
The populatlOn-leaving out New York lily
and Bro0klyn-is about double that Of Gc0r-
gia in each state.
These figures are sufficient to enable US to
deduce theory and make-a comparison. The
first thing we notice is the almost entire al
sence of manufactures in our state. compared
with the enormous capital invested IN tie
other States named; secondly, the low aver
age value of our farming lands, compared
with those of the States mentioned: thirdly
the small productive capacity Of our State 10
proportion to population; and fOurthly. the
singular ratio which our farming products
bear to the capital invested.
Looking at these facts. the last stated would
lead US to conclude that our farming paid
larger dividend than that of other States. were
1t not for the fact that we know from long and
bitter experience that the cost of cotton cul-
ture IS far in excess of that of other farm pro
ducts, and that there is very little margin for
profit. That the first fact stated is the neces-
sary cause OF the existence of the other Two,
no one acquainted with the facts ought seE-
0usly to dispute.
Take another illustration:
Michigan has nearly the same population
with that Of Georgia. The acreage Of I'M
proved lands in both States is the same
Though Georgia has double the number Oh
acres in farms) and the number of farms s
nearly the same. The value OF all farming
capital in Michigan is $499, 000, 600, against
Sll2,O00,O0O in Georgia.
The crop product in 1879 in Michigan was
81 .0OO, 900 against 81 900 goo in Georgia.
Here Is case where the population IS the
same, the number Of acres in improved !2ldt
the same, the number of farms nearly me
same, and yet the value of the product in
Michigan, Notwithstanding the rigor oil tne
climate, and the difficulty of living. is s24 CO.
600 greater than in Georgia, while the coss q
production Is more than double in the lattcI
State. What - the reason?
Michigan has SOS, O00. 900 invested in man
ufactures, and her annual product is Sl5i,et.-
coo. Her people have market near at han';
and her manufactures command capital ana
labor, and insure substantial pronl
IN every proper pursuit. The cost of iiTns
remains at home. The result is that her ldnds
are worth $50 per acrc-taking the average q