Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-04-09
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE LABOR PROBLEM.
Something Must he Done to Meet the n
flclencV In tho ahnr Murb.t


ilciency In the Labor Market.
II there is deficiency of labor, there
are but two ways of remedying It. One
is to supply the deficiency by importing
labor; and If this can not be done. the
next Is to curtail our crops to the guam
tlty OF labor we can secure. If we can
only have laborers enough to cultivate
one hundred acres, the crop must be re-
duced to one hundred acres, That is a
settled problem. There is labor enough
IN the country If it could be procured,
but lare amount of that labor
is lost to the farmers; they have
branched out and are employed at
other occupations, and where highest
paid for their labor, there is where they
will work. That is but natural, and it
is what the farmers must count on. The
farmers are now brought in competition
with other pursuits, and if they can not
afford TO pay the same prices that others
pay, they must expect to be short of
hands. Heretofore no class of men
have ever procured labor as cheap as
the farmers have, hence when brought
in competition with other pursuits, and
the price of labor is raised upon them,
they think they can not pay such prices.
AS such, the farmers must calculate on
having to pay higher wages in future
and consequently they had best begin
to arrange the mode of farming to meet
those conditions.
shall make no suggestions to the
changes that must be made, for that is
matter that every farmer must study
out, and make his plans to suit his own
circumstances; but this / will say, high
priced labor demands intensive farming,
and diversity of crops that can be cul-
tivated and harvested with machinery.
With the young men of the country,
both white and black, the tendency is 90
leave the farms and seek other occupa-
tions. They seem to have an aversion
to farming, and will accept employment
where the work is harder. the situation
less independent and more combining,
and monotony and drudgery is the dai-
ly routine. And why SO? Because
the wages they are offered dc
not compensate for the labor per
formed. Thus, they can live on less
and dress as well as the boys employed
in the cities, but six and eight and even
ten dollars month seems very small,
and lessons his occupation in his own
estimation when he hears of the city
boys getting ten, fifteen to twenty dol.
lars month that work no harder thar
he does, and less exposed to the weather
The pride of youth, when he starts out
ito work for himself, is the expectancy
to make something for himself, and be
come enabled to make as good an ap
| pearance in the world as other youths
do who are also at work for themselves
Seeing others more prosperous tina
work at other pursuits than himself
he becomes discouraged at farming anC
is for change that will better his con
dition.
The time is fast approaching that
TO great extent, negro labor for tn,
farms will have to be substituted BY
white labor. 1t is now being done il
some of our oldest southern states, ant
it will also be done in Georgia. TIL
system adopted by the government, a
well as by our own southern states
which has reached state of fanaticisn
in educating the negroes will incapaci
tate the negroes as farm laborers
They are being taught that they ar
educated to reach higher spher
than that of common farm la
borer, and after their schooling
they will look upon farm work a
beneath their calling, and even if tn
necessities of some will drive them t
the farm to keep them from starvin
they will be apt to make the mos
worthless of laborers, merely creature
of discomfort and ripe for strife. A
their educators are teaching them, the
are being educated to elevate them an
not to make laborers of them. 1t ha
been said: "a little learning is dar
gerous thing" and / apprehend it wi
prove SO to this negro race.
There is great evolution going o
in all temporal matters just nov
What the end will be there
no prophet among us to make rev
lation, but changes must take plac
from what now exists, and tn
farmers of the south will also experienc
IT, Would it not be best for more of OF
farmers to encourage their sons to b.
come farmers, and choose farming fC
their occupation? We are writing farm
ing up, speak of it as noble pursui
and say it affords us one of the best an
most Independent homes, and pointin
to the happiness and surroundings (
farm life. and at the same time we al
educating our sons for other pursuit
There seems to be some inconsistent
in such, as we are not carrying out VIII;
we preach.-Jno. II. Dent, in Southel