The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-05-09
THE ALLIANCE DEPARTMENT.
N. @. LlTTLEJOHN, EpIron.
AsBURY. 6. q.
COTTON VS.. HoNKY.

All wealth Is but the product Of labor
All money Is but the product Of law. Let
us take little view Of the situation Of the
Southern farmer: Cotton in the South Is the
chief wealth Of the South. From the profits
Of handling il and the articles consumSiin
its pseduction. x1l ~ siss 80 - -
supported. Hundred or raiffS5ds and
steamboats, and coal and iron mines are do
pendent upon its production, and many
hundreds Of thousands of laborers are en-
pIoyed to handle this cotton after it is pro-
duced. All Of these get their living from
the margins, and thousands accumulate vast
fortunes therefrom. Thus, you see that after
cotton is produced, there are millions en-
gagel in its manufacture and in handling
the manufactured articles. The single item
of cotton, cuts n considerable figure in the
wealth of the world. Let us look . little
further and see the effect, Of making cotton
the chief source of the wealth of the South:
A few men in Liverpool or New York can
meet and in ten minutes dictate to ninety
out Of every hundred farmers throughout
the South whether they shall have any Of
the lu1uries Of life on their tables next
Spring or not, and whether their children
shall have sufficient clothing to protect them
from the cold Of winter.
Aud why 10 this? Because the producers,
AZ rule, depend upon their cotton to fur
nish a living for themselves and. families
and, OF necessity, must part with the ma
jority of the wealth they create before its
creation.
They deal directly in futures" They
promise to pay out of their crops for goods
or money before those crops are grown
The merchants to whom the cotton farmers
pledge or mortgage their cotton have n
sufficieucy of capital themselves and borrow
of commission merchants, bankers, ETC., and
10 turn deliver the control of tho cotton to
them; and probably these are under obliga-
tions to others, and 81 on, till the majority
of the cropi under the control Of class
of men whose whole interest and aim is t,
keep the cotton farmer posr and appropriate
to their own use all the wealth he creates.
Now, what is the solution Of the diff.
cslty? Let the farmor diversity his crops,
| (or wealthy so as to retain control Of his
own products. Let all the farmers of tho
South organize, and they can get control Of
their cotton aud reap o reasonable share Of
the margin Of profits. T.
1t is your duty, my Alliance brother, to
be true to the aims Of our orler. or course
| wealth is not happiness, but n certain amount
of it is necessary before we can do our duty.
We cannot expect to be happy and contentel
white We neglect our du'ies to our families.
Our patient and sympathetic wives and chill.
| dren justly claim that we use every honor
| able and legitimate means to retain for eur
| own use the wealth we produce. We cannot
| expect our children to be happy and free. II
we bring them up in ignorance and leave
them 10 prospective serfdom and tho man
who perceives our present situation and 10
not using his energies to remedy our condi-
ton is unworthy the respect of hi, fellow
| men. We must change tho conditions that
| now surround us, or we can never hope Tor
| prosperity, and the principal means of relief
| for us is to assume the control Of the pro-
ducts of our labor.