Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-03-06
Advice for the Farmers.

paper:
There was harvested last fall the
most abundant crop, both Of corn
and cotton, in the South, and cspc-
cially in the Piedmont region, that
has been for many years; the crop
was simply enormous for this region.
And now, it is interesting to con
slider what the practical benefit Of
this bountiful harvest has been and
is likely to be to the farmers. The
bulk of the cotton crop has already
gone upon the market ut prices
adjusted by the monopolists and
money kings, and SO adjusted as to
absorb all this wealth Of production
in paying the farmers debts, and
leave him barely enough to clothc
his family dccently. Will he, when
spring comes, and it is now at hand,
find himself in debt, and, as usual,
without money, and dependent on
the merchant to "run" him ? and
vii! he have 70 pay the usual profits
Of from so to rs per cent till fall :?
all for the poor privilege of working
for some body else.
The Southern farmers have
worked like slaves since the war.
They have dressed poorly, lived hard,
worked themselves and their chill
drcn, and, in many instances, the
brave women have gone to the field
and worked alongside their hus-
bands and children, and yet they
are still struggling with debt, and
many OF them have seen their
farms pass into the greedy, avari-
cious nav Of the money lender.
They struggle and borrow money on
the best terms they c:m-and that
not very casy-thc per cent high
and the requirements sburdcnsomc-or
by giving to some merchant lcin
on their crop for the privilege of
working for him and paying profit
OF from so to - per cent on his
goods, and in addition to the lcin on
hig crop, he is almost invariably
required to give a mortgage on his
stock. And right here let me sound a
warming, be caI1fW what kind of
papers you sign, rs you will find to
your sorrow and discontinue, when
fall comes and your lcin becomes due,
that you have given to the lcince
power to seize your goods and chat
tells "without process" and if he sees
fit, to enter your dwelling and make
seizure and turn you out of doors if
it suits his fancy to do so.
Through the labor of the farmer
the country has grown richer, while
the farmer, the producer, has appar-
entity grown poorer every year.
They arc the victims of Il great con-
spiracy that had its birth in Wall
Street, New York, and that is felt
in every hamlet in the South. Who
fixes the prices Of the cotton raised
in the South? The Board of Trade
Of New York. Even nom the future
price of your cotton, to be raised in
1890, is being discussed by said
board, which is now casting about
for information as to what will be
the probable crop this year. And
how is the information obtained p
Well, i think can tell you. Circulars
are sent ont by the Board Of Trade
to leading merchants all over the
South, arranged in convenient blank
form, asking information rs to the
probable acreage of cotton that will
DC planted in their ncighborhood,
md the merchant generally fills up
he blank with the desired informa-
ion and returns il to the Board Of
Trade in New York, and when the
ltlllIlS HIt ill III ~ DcCo1ncS I'LL
'asy matter to arrive 1T pretty close
estimate OF the number of bales
hat will be made, by comparison
with the productions of former
years.
If the merchants and others who
ire asked for the information referred
10 above, would refuse to give It,
hey would be doing but justice to
he farmers Of the South, for then
hey, Che tarmcrs,) would have
some chance of debating the price
of their cotton; but as it is, they have
none, but | think the signs of the
lines indicate that it will not always
DC thus. AS the matter now stands,
he farmer sells his produce for what
ever he can get. lie buys his sup
plies and has to pay whatever is
demanded Of him. lie has no voice
N fixing the price OF what he sells,
nor what he buys.