The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-11-25

its teeming, striving population; the
commerce Of the nations riding iu majes-
tic ships, on all waters, or passing with
lightning speed along its steeled high.
ways; the whirling, Gathering song of
all manufactures; its quiet strife of all
professions. Ceres, the goddess Of agri.
culture, as she stood by our side would
stretch forth her wand and truthfully
say, all these arts, trades, industry and
busy life owe their existence and being
TO my smiles-they are the transmulations
of my skill and labor. Then, while
agriculture does not prosper to its full
measure, can we look for any permanent
prosperity? Until there is true wide.
awake reaction will not our development,
no matter in what direction, be only
spasmodic? 1t may we'll be asked why,
ii 1 see so plainly this great evil that
oppresses US, do not suggest suitable
antidote? Could / offer panacea that
would be agreeable to all, I would, indeed,
be famous. My humble name would 60
sounding down the ages along side of
public benefactors like Agassiz, Leebig
and Pasteur and others. The future
historian would speak of ME as a verita'
Bile Agricultural Moses, or perhaps he
might term me the Agricultural Colum.
bus, who had tapped the agricultural egg,
and now the humblest farmer in all the
land could sit on its end. But, alas if
1 had entertained any such aspirations,
they were dashed to earth at our late
Farmers Convention. When called
upon to express my views on the situa.
tion, l said, among other things, that I
thought the depressions we were laboring
under were mainly due to the want of
practicing true lessons of economy, and
living within our means, that our whole
agriculture was speculative life-gam.
bling on a cotton crop. / went so far as
to say that there was one thing l did not
understand, and that was how brave and
resolute men-men who could 60 through
the priyatious and deprivations of long
and bloody war-they and their families
practicing economies that will live in
song and story as long as the English
language is spoken-men who could
storm masked batleries-men who could
lead a forlorn hope-men who could
charge rifle pits and fight three to one
until the last ditch was reached. Yet it
seemed they could not deny themselves
and families sufficiently to get out of debt.
1 made this opposition: That if we
would go back to the economies practiced
during the days of frye coffee and sor:
ghum sweetening," that in three years
time our farmers would be out Of debt
and YOU would no longer hear the cry of
hard times in the land. was told by
some of my friends that it was a very
iupolitic speech-true, very true, but
very unpopular, and home correspon;;
dent of my County paper said l wanted
10 order the farmers back to rye coffee as
good enough for them. | have no apollo.
gy to make, it is still as true fact as it
ma may be unpopular to advocate. But at
the same time, believe l can show by
the record that the advancement of the
farmers avocation has been one OF my
chief objects in life. In my essay at our
Joint meeting at Darlington six years ago,
Speaking of our future farmer, 1 said: l
want you to help me tone up the agricul-
tural pulse to elevate the plane upon
which our farmers are to live, so that no
position in life shall be too high or too
responsible, loo eminent or too learned,
too distinguished or too honorable, for
our future farmer to occupy. lwantyou
to help me educate and elevate him so
he shall be the peer and equal of the
proudest and most honored in all the
land, and this is part of the agricultural
litany of this farmer, and you can never
rub il out. I have spoken from this text
ever since I came to mans estate, and
shall continue 10 do so until this poor
lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in
the grave.
Debt is the incubus that causes great
deal, If not all, of our agricultural
blight. believe the Southern farmer
has paid more in interest in the last 20
years than the principle of all our debts.
/ Judge others by myself; [ know some
thing about farmers debts, and I must
beg that you excuse me from speaking so
often about myself, but il l understand
right this is 10 certain extent our
experience meeting. ] cannot speak of
YOUR experience, neither you of mine,
but each and every one for himself, we
draw our comparisons and something can
be learned, for have long since arrived
at the conclusion that it is only by line
upon line and precert upon precept that
our agricultural reformation is to come.
Eighteen years ago purchased tract
of land-S4 500 was the price-with the
usual one, two and three annual pay.
ments. Cotton was booming and paid
the first two payments without any trou,
BILE then the bottom began to fall out
and cotton to tumble. borrowed 81 500
to make the third payment, and, by the
way, I got it from farmer who told me
he never bought anything before he was
ready to pay cash for it, and that he had
never bought bushel Of corn or barrel
of flour since he had been farming.
Well, l borrowed the 81 500 and gave a
mortgage on the land. Through heat
and cold, through sunshine and cloud,
that mortgage stood by me; it never left
or deserted me; morning, noon and
night it was always there, counting its
interest rs the records rolled by, never
ceasiug, when 1 could not sleep at night
that mortgage was there to comfort me.
Well, l payed little on it year by year
until eight long years had rolled By and
I said to my friend, I want to settle our
note to day, and just for curiosity lets see
how much have paid, and the sum total
was something over $1,000, and at that
time | could have bought the land for
the $1,000, and doubt if it would bring
more than that to night, and yet you see
it had cost me over $500. But the
trouble was I could not bide my time, l
wanted 10 be spreading out, cottou was
high, everybody said you never can make
four millions bales Of cotton with free
labor, and 1 thought I had the world in
a swing, and you see how l paid for my
whistle.
l hope au not telling tales out of
school, and that no farmer here has had
a similar experience, but if l hear of
your abusing me for speaking of this
unpleasant and unpopular monster debt
this blighting curse that hangs over
too many cotton farms in South Carolina
to night-this curse that has withered
many crops before the crop was made or
even before it was planted. I tell you |
candidly don't believe, as rule, cotton
can be grown successfully under the
shadow of mortgage, any more than
South Carolina mule can be kept fat on
illinois corn. Well, 1 say if l hear Of
al II