The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-07-02


: Our motto for the north and south
| rail- road, 1.-The friend of justice. the foe
| of oppression, the peoples aid, pledged
to the best interest of the niillions.''
Why should we as a free people permit
a discount Of at least sixdollars on each
bale of cotton before the seed is put in
the ground, caused for the want of an
overland transportation. We wish to ex-
plain thus: That owing to our exhaust
ed financial circumstances wesare forced
to apply to our neIghbor merchant as
early as February or March for necessary
supplies; he consents to furnish us to
slc0. 90. or the worth of bales of cot
ton at present prices; but in connection
Herewith, he calculates to himself, that
when the cotton is presented he has to
accept 1t rs tender, then the hauling.
storage, shipping, rver expenses, dray-
age, weighing, insurance, loss and COM
mission, at least s6.C0 expenses from his
receipt until sold. So he says, II can not
afford to lose 5000 on each bale of cot
ton l buy; must put the $500 on The
goods, consumed by the cotton producer.
and so it is done, $500 discounted on 3
bales of cotton before the seed are put in
the ground; or instead of owing $4,000,
I.justly owe but ss2.G0, and had the
$500 discount, could pay up the tax
receipts in the hands of my merchant,
pay my rail road tax and have some
left. -
l had rather pay any rail road Co.,
fifty cents on $4,000 of taxable prop
erty, than pay my merchant $500 a
year. because we have no overland trans
portation, Hadn't yon.. l know the
rail road viii not take cotton and freight
free of Charge. but do know that cotton
factory agents viii buy our cotton at
Crescent City prices at our nearest sta
,ion, aswell as they do elsewhere, and
then the cotton is at their expense.
So viii goods and groceries be cheaper
with one freight, than they will with
or 4 frcighis, aud having to haul it from
80 to 30 miles. or as it Is now, We pay
our merchant $4,000 on every 100000
worth of supplies we buy during the year,
while the rail road Co., say, they viii
build an overland transportation for $500
on the $1,000 90 worth oftaxable property,
in ten years you will pay only $1,000
on 100000 worth of properly, while
without the rail- road, yoh VIII pay the
merchant sls00.O0 by buying 100000
worth of supplies, each pear for 10 years.
Now which is the easiest to pay $4,000,
or fls00.oO in 10 years.
'rhis $500 discount is indisputable,
for our merchant says, that it is not a
matter to concern him, that he makes
Us pay that, we know we pay it and 400
per cent besides, but our merchant ought
not refer US 10 tax sales in the SOUTHERN
SENTINEL, and the big stack Of tax re-
ceipts he has taken up for us, when he Is
willing to admit Of this s6.0O discount;
he should tell us that we are the ones,
needing the rail road, but instead of bis
influence being for this landable enter
prise, he comes at us thus: ANY man
is fool that will not seek his own inter-
est, and thai every man ought to do ey-
cry thing he ca : to bis own advantage,
aud let other people do the same"
Now in rebuttai to that we present the
following: s.Let Io man seek his own.
nut every man another's wealth." ca
I0-chapter lst, Corr Now why should
he dispute the word he has enlisted un-
der rs christian, when he knows that
the same word says. thet, sif you reject
one word, you have rejTtsd the whole.
Now he has disputed = whole verse. his
argument i reverse to that, which be
has avoved 10 God and man he would
take as his guide.
We sre panied to think that any one