The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-20
THE PROSPERITY DEBATE.
= Lively Co!loQuy Betwccn AN Alliance
Man, u Master Machinist, Physician
and a Preaclier-Senator Butler's
Views About supply and
Demand"

discussion cannot just SeI oe i|sCei
tanned. The effect of it upon the au-
dience may be conjectured from the
after-comments Of the hearers. These
animadversions. if they could all be
Gathered up, would make a book OF
mighty interesting reading. Here are
q few remarks on the road home:
"W,hat do you think Of the speaking
to-day, Doc?" asked Jim B., an Alliance
man.
- attended the meeting,' replied tue
Doctor, ITO learn something OF the
movement but the great Cryptoiogls{G
did not disclose anything Of 1t to me.
was disappointed"
Stokes is 4 mighty smart man,
Doc" persisted Jim, ''but he has poor
delivery"
"I thought" retorted the Doctor,
"he would be delivered in his reply;
but Taibert took it away from hlnl'
jim, you are al Alliance man, tell ME
Of the PLAN
"That's lust what 7 want to know,
Doc. I'm for it, or for anything 10
help the Gown-trodden farmer. Long
ago undertook scheme for my own
relief. Change of crop was my hrst:
One wear, before the war, planted
most Of my ground in pinGars. Nhen
thew was gathered l took wagon load
of 'em to Columbia and glutted the
market with seven bushels-the Legls-
lature was a-settin' at the time, too. !
then tried sca'city of crops, and one
wear planted altogether corn. My crop
was about 4 mess Of roas' in ears, lack
inc nine nubbins-anG the only de-
mand was from myself. Butter mlghC
have saved his breath. He needn't tell
me aboutsupply and demand, [ knowed
it already"
That's true, Jin," rejoined Dan T.,
q master machinist, mot only with
crops. but in all business. Here's Doc,
now. He's got enough pills and things
in them old medical bags of his to sup
ply the whole crowd to-day. But II $
powerful healthy hereabouts, AID III
bet be haint give a pill to man, woman
or child this month"
II should smile," replied the Doctor;
"and here by my side is my old TREND
S., who belongs to the only profession
or trade whose fees are limited by
statute; who knows enough law to
satisfy Lycurgus, and when he does
oct a case can soc with Socrates, rip
With RipiGes and cant with old Can
tharides. He doesn't get business
enough to warrant him III buying a
box Of my pills. His knowledge OF
| plants is so meagre 1t he can tell
mint from pot-margery, even IN
julep."
'Ha. han laughed Ben J.. Both Doc
n ware
house to put away their things untll
the demand comes. l have always
| believed, though, that when mans
business don't pay, nobody can hinder
| him from going tsometElng else"
"Bully for you, Ben," retorted JIM;
':vou never cid any work in your life,
| that know OF, only to sell few water.
melons at this season OF the year, ano
| YOUR warehouse is your wlfe's estate"
"Ahemi we are becoming too perso-
nal,n said the Parson, 4" ad straylng
! from the subject. I think the farmer
has his grievances, aud 1t strikes me
| the remedy is in his own hands. ST.
Paul directs US to magnify our othoes-
and by no means to undeEate them.
The true remedy then IS to dignity
labor, instead Of which the cry Is that
farmers are 6own-trodden, oppressed
| people. Demagogues tell them that tne
| shorny-handed sons of TOLL who feed
and clothe the world and should bethe
most independent class, are desplsed by
| the other classes, who are not only uh-
grateful, but scorntul. The sons OF tar
Dlers hearing this, and being persuaded
| that their fathers believe 1t, betake
| themselves to the professions, already
| crowded, or 60 to some town ana pe-
come counter-hoppers OF low salaries.
| Some few succeed, and may amasS tor
| tunes-fully nine-tenths are failures.
| The failures are not renembered-but
| the few who succeed are the envy OF the
Govetous. BY the Introduction OF steam
| IS our great mechanical agent we are
entering the period Of large towns ana
cities, and the markets are brOugnt
almost to the farmers door. this influx
| to cities decreases the number OF pro-
| ducers and increases that Of consumers.
So that if supply and demand are I'M
portant factors in this problem, 1t seems
to me the producers have not-seen thelr
best days. l beg pardon, my dlscourses
are generally Oh Sundays. Jim, give
us your further experience as farmer.
| believe you were Granger"
That's a fact, Parson," replied Jim.
"Iy individual efforts seemed like they
We're no account. I thought co-opera--
ton was the thing. The Grange seemed
all right: lit found out that L could
sell to better advantage to the specu!a-
tor than the Grange agent could, who
had himself to sell to the Spectator,
| and took his commissions for selling
| besides"
"But how about this Alliance plan,
JIM" Queried the Doctor.
"Well you see, Doc, don't know
exactly what it is. l went in for any
thing that would help the farmer: SO
little over year ago | Jumped into
the Farmers Movement as it was
called, but when the election of State
officers was declared I found.that about
three of the candidates elected was said
TO be farmers-the balance Of them was
mostly lawyers aid such like. That was
reform with vengeance"
"Reforms are of slow progress" re-
marked the Parson. "Over eighteen
hundred years ago Christ proclaimed
the new social systems. Christianity
has already potentially reconstructed
society; what it needs is not revolution,
but Development. The Christian pro-
cess of reconstruction is still imperfect,
though in the right direction. But pro-
ceed, jim"
"Well, sir, I went in for county ware
houses, and kept back my cotton. -
day I heard that if | had sold it year
AGO this cotton would have fetched y
cents, and would now bring only about
S cents-and no ware house yet. The
wagner lButler) in his great sixteen
horse act, es the circus bills say, told
heap OF truth t1-1ay, SIS know by en-
per;ence. And I lowed he was just
about right when he spoke Of the
scarcity of money-speciaIy with me
and him. l was glad when he touched
on the sub-treasury bill, (which Mr..