The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-12-24
How He Succeeded.

The following letter to the Birming-
ham Age. Herald is very sensible one.
There is not a farmer in the South who
will not be benefited by reading it, and
who cannot, if necessary, achieve the
same success.
every one you meet, with few ex.
ceptions, has something to say about
hard times, tight money, etc., and ifyou
were to catch on to the complaint you
would be about as gloomy as the most
of the people appear to be. I have
short, faithful story to tell in your paper
and hope it may aid the wise men of our
State to arrive at the cause and the rem
edy for hard times among the farmers of
the South.
"In 1867 I found myself on fair aver.
age farm, just where I am writing to you,
with one good mule, a broken down
army horse, fair set of farming imple.
ments, mostly secondhand but without
dollar of credit and just S6.75 in cash.
1t was the last week in January, and
the time had come for us to "pitch our
crops" for the year. had small
quantity of corn: about enough, with
economy, to feed my stock and give my
family meal for four or FIVE months.
Times were hard with me then sure
enough.
NV near neiehbor WAS little better
off, BIT not as much as ] thought BIN to
at the time. We were talking over the
matter when he informed me that he
was going to Gadsden the next day to
make some arrangement for credit to en-.
able him to make his crop, and asked me
to go with him and see what could do.
We went to town. 1t wasn't long before
my neighbor had secured his credit with
a note and mortgage, which he was to
trade out duriag the year.
81 tried to do the sane, but it was no
go. The merchants did not know me and
I couldn't give the security they demand.
ed. Well, We went back home together,
my neighbor with smart load Of bacon,
coffee, dry goods and shoes for the chill
dren, with dress for his wife and Sunday
coat for himself My wagon was empty
and disconaoate, with nothing TO take
to My ireside but heavy heart and
will to work. told my wife about my
failure to get credit and we talked the
matter over until midnight: Well
said she, Tom, we have got two good
cows, some hens, and q few pigs, good
garden, and the best of health. So we
will stay at home and get our living from
our work. Bless her sorl, she was the
wisest woman, I think, that ever lived on
earth, and among the best that went to
heaven. I took her advice, and at the
end of the year l had seven good bales
of cotton, 240 bushels of corn, and saved
200 pounds of bacon, banked snugly
100 bushels of sweet potatoes, while my
good wife had SIS IS made from her eggs,
chickens, butter and honey, and had
bought herself o new summer dress and
bonnet nd cloth enough 10 make the un-
dergalulcpts for all the children. And
best of all, l didn't owe man on earth a
cent
"N1y re'ghbor, who had the credi, 1
could not get, mace eleven bales OF cot
ton, small corn crop, no meat, snd had
his credit Until he WAS several hundred
dollars in debt met him in Gadsden
during the month of January, 1865, after
he had settled with the merchants and
had sold his cotton. All he had to
show for his years work WAS a new bug.
gy that he really did rot need and about
$50 in cash. In 1872 my neighbor sold
out to pay his debts..and keep the Sheriff
away and moved to Texas, where he
came to want. This same year [ had
1920 !o.ned cut and drawing q coed
interest, we'll secured aud have never