The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-11-18

ing interest in the permanency OF her
citizens homes In order that they shall
not emigrate, or turn tramps In sudden
financial straits. she has secured to
each head of a family a home as
long as it is occupied, with neces-
sarv household and kitchen fnrni
tnre, all of which she exempts from
seizure for debt. These exemptions, in
fact, are now so large that but few OF
these poor farmers and tenants have halt
as much, in plain parlance, as the law
allows" So nothing is in sight, ID the
way Of tangible and accessible property
among these classes that the merchant
can seize for debt, except what IS grow
ing or will be grown on the soil, which
is another good reason why the growing
crop lien law should stand. But repeal
the law-pinched by hunger and stung
with pride, these classes will continue to
mortgage their crops. for if that power
is not positively inhibited in the repeal
ing act, the mortgage, the lawyers say,
can be enforced in equity; and should
the merchant refuse such mortgage,
on account of the trouble and expense
of foreciosing it, the poor farmer and
tenant would be forced to suffer for
supplies, else mortgage his land and
stock. Then surely the last evil would
be worse than the first Then could the
landlord, with his paramount liens for
rent ard supplies, issue the poor farmer
and tenant their rations; in fine, do a
large share of the furnishing business
himself, and gobble up the fat profits
be now sees going in to the merchant
Golfers If he failed to do this, it would
human nature with landlords is very
much the same stuff we see sticking out
in merchants. In other words, the land
lord has just about as much sympathy
for the poor tenant as the merchant. But
| am met at this point with the assertion
that the farmer and merchant should not
deal with each other at arms length
but that the merchant ought to trust
the farmer purely upon his honor and
industry, and then there would be no
necessity for the secured credit system: |
Well this certainly would entail
sudden ana wonderful stretch |
of confidence, something like 1t
was right after the war; but j have just !
shown that the merchant cannot afford |
to do this, for his experience does not
Justify it so far at least as many Gus
toners are concerned. If the thrift and |
wealth of the poorer farming classes, for
whose benefit the growing crop lien law
ought to stand, was commensurate with
the wealth and thrift Of the same classes
in the North or West, or even In some |
parts of the South, such an argument
might hold good. The system of farm
ing here, however, is confessedly reck-
less and extravagant, devoid of the best
results, and altogether unlike in fact
what it should be. Again, the poorer
classes of farmers in this State move
about a great deal; cropping here this
year and some where else next. These
facts, together with the secret know
ledge merchants have of the character
and ability to pay off their respective
customers, have made them alert and
suspicious, and accounts largely for the
status of the credit system in Missis-
sippi. The burnt child breads the fire.
The merchant has been burnt. Is it
strange then he demands collateral
before trusting? This argument, of
course, does not apply to all the rner
chants and farmers in the State; but 1t
does apply to the great bulk of them in
the hill and pine-weod counties who
would be mostly affected by the repeal.
Nor is this to be regarded as an unfavor
able sign; it shows a new order of
things setting in, and that mer-
chants know their customers better,
while the customers in turn have learned
what to depend on. Those VINO will and
are able to pay can get credit as a
general thing without giving security
but the black sheep-whether of this
color from poverty or dishonesty-mustl
furnish collateral or go without credit.
Let all the agricultural lien laws, there
fore, stand. Under them the poor
farmer and tenant will not be driven to
the necessity of giving mortgages on
their homes and chattels; the credit
system will be purged, farmers will
gradually change their reckless system
of rarming and buying and work harder,
and finally triumph over the grim
necessities that gave birth to the growing
crop lien law. CONSERVATIVE.