The Forrest City times., 1890-03-22
INDErENDENCEOr SOUTHERN FARM
 EkS.

pttduSt titS up itok ift. IiluuSH sthtis- tical matter in u newspaper is cold, dry and uninviting of itself, sensible men like to read and rely upon it, because it carries important truths to the mind, and enables it to oformanintelligent iudg- ment. From mercantile statistics the fact is easily gathered that the envi- ronments of the Southern farmer of the present day, aie of d character .ist render him more sustaining
 less dependent than the farmers of any other section of the Union. This is all astonishing statement, bat the facts and figures proving it's correctness arc readily accessible, and we purpose to gather and submit them from time to to time our readers. and through them to 1 the world, until the great truth that the South is the farmers paradise, is her aided the universe around. Our re- but Gnproclaimed. We are anxious to sec every patriotic editor in the South fall in line, and begin to gather and publish the abstract and concrete truths so plentiful in the South. in proof of its 1 superior advantages for that most | necessary agricultural factor of society, the farmer The advantages of the | South to the farmer are of kind and | character which render him absolutely independent. No monopoly, no trust, no combination, no earthly power can detract one io.a from his independency If he wills to brush such power aside and move on in the prosperous channels acme of human achievement in the heaven-sanelioned vocation of farming the soil. In partial proof of what we say let us submit a few facts to a think ing public. Fold-up and place away in the dungeon of oblivion every spark of pre- judice and hate that may still turk alism, and you will exclaim with us that the South is the fla mer $ garden spot" and earthly haven of unlinited prosperity. We need produce no elab- crate array of wordy augmentation to eonyiuce our readers the Soutli-the Southern farmer has God permitted monopoly in the growing of the great staple, cotton. The world has been ex- plored and it's soils analyzed and it is an admitted fact that our own beloved sunny south must supply mankind with cotton, and hence the manifold fabrics and other articles of prime necessity, manufactured from the heeey product of the field. The uses of cot ton are increasing at surprising rate, and must do so for years, which eausei a very great increase in the demand. while the amount of yield has been at a stand still the three consecutive years just past, and as the causes uf this stand-still are likely to continue operat ing for many years, the yield Will not materially increase. With no increase in the yield, and great increase in the demand, tho price Of cotton must gu gradually up as the years ga gently by, t.ll il touches the maximum of uueN- ,,npled prosperity. That there will be uo increase in the yield uf cotton k evidenced from the fact that the DIT yious three years, has brought no iu- crease and from the further fact that the tendency el the south tx to diveysl- fed farming. aad the decrease rather than Inc increase of tl,e acreage planted; so that there is but one logical conelu- sion, the growing demand of each year must. bs an ineNurahle law of political economy, bring about better prices, untii the farmers purse becomes inde- pendently plethoric, and his children better educated. and the whole country happy and contented.
 That the farmer of the south is en- loylng greater blessings than the farmer of any other portion of the country, is yet farther evidenced from the com mercial facts recorded on the business journals of the leading retail melcan- tie houses of the south. ln proof of this statement We invite any farmer, oi other interested person, from any part ot the country, tn visit or correspond with any one of our Southern mer- chants, and learn from the cotton and produce record books that ten years ago the farmer sold his cotton at from 6 to [ cents pound, and paid s to 10 cents a pound for meat while now he is selling cotton at from 9i to If cents pound, and buying meat st 5 and 6 cents pound. The fact is the Southern farmer can buy at present those necessaries which he must purchase in other attitudes ut about 100 per cent. below the prices he paid ten years ago, while he gets 20 per ceut. more for his cotton.
 The difference in the positive condi- tions of the Western and Northwestern. and Southern farmers, shows beyond dispute, that the Southern farmer occu- pies the vantage ground in multifarious ways. If the Southern farmer has d surplus of corn at present, he can sell 1t for cash at 6o cents bushel tho Kansas farmer can get only about l3 cents for his corn, and many of them are using 1t for fuel, as coal is very high, and no market for much of their corn, even at lS cents. What may be said of hominy, may, also, be said of hog and wheat, The vast prairies of the West and the Northwest, teeming with their annual harvests of wheat, corn, and pork products, arc finding a vast deal of them on their hands use less, because priceless, and priceless be- cause there is no market to which they