Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-03-10

But the lemon Is now squeezed almost dry, and
they find themselves troubled with an embar
rassment OF riches In the shape Of realty which
can not be made available to meet their current
obligations. Most Of them have on their books
balances against customers who may never pay,
but whom they must either continue TO carry in
the hope Of better times or sell out under mort
gage and thereby increase their store OF unsal-
able property.
Such business as the city commission firms do
not transact with the planter direct they do
with the country merchant, who can not settle
with them unless his customers pay him. II is
with the latter class of "furnishersN that the
petty white farmers and the negroes have 10
deal Being bound TO pay the city firm an ad-
vance ON cash prices, and interest besides the
country merchant is compelled to add the extra
charges in his own prices, and hence the
small-fry cotton producers must support
two classes of middle-men. Were it not
for the few dollars that these petty
producers receive from the sale of their
cotton seed they would be suffering for
the bare necessities of lie this winter. Fortu-
nately, also, for them, they raised more corn
last season than usual But in selling their cot
ton seed they discount the next crop, for nature
demands that the seed be returned to the land
as fertilizer, containing as ii does the chemical
properties Of the soil which are taxed to feed
the plant.
The condition of the white farmers of the val
ley is discOuraging enough, but that of the ne
groes is positively pitiable They have never
before so entirely lacked present means or hope
for the future. They rent land and farm 1t on
their own account, or work on shares with the
landlord. In the one case they pay from six
dollars to eight dollars an acre for ground
which in very favorable season will
produce about three fourths Of a bale of cot
ton the acre, worth at current prices
S225O Out of this sum they must pay their
rent and extra labor in the picking season.
and meet their store accounts, blacksmth's
bills and other necessary expenses. An average
hand will till dozen acres in cotton and three
to Ave in corn. He should raise in an ordinary
season six bales, worth In the aggregate some
| thing less than $500 At least 800 goes for the
rent, leaving him the other 500 ON which to
keep himself and probably several others. Man.
testify, he must come out in debt, and he can get
no credit until cropping time comes again.
Heretofore the large planters have had fences
to repair, bitches to dig or other preparations to
make during the winter, which afforded employ
ment to the laboring class and enabled them to
keep the wolf from the door between the end of
December and the last of February or there was
levee orraroad building to be done at fair wages.
| ms NllttT l0ey HdNe ITO SUCH resource. Inc
planters have nothing TO pay anybody with, and
no railroad or ieyee work is in progress. To cap
the climax Of the poor negro's woes, obdurate
creditors in too many instances are Selling his
corn for their debt, thereby leaving him and his
| family, and his mule. IL he has one, to suffer
from hunger. His white neighbors can not help
him. being almost in the same box. He will
pull through somehow-that is, he will not
starve to death; but under present conditions
there is nothing in life for him but toll and pow
erty.
One of the best speeches made in the Cotton
Planters convention was that of r. Gleed, a
venerable. colored man, who formerly served
several terms in the Mississippi legislature
as senator from Washington county-a
county which produces more cotton than any
other like area in the world There, IL any
where, the negro who will work should get
ahead The soil is as fertile as the valley Of
the Nile. 1t is situated In that latitude where
the cotton plant Is most likely to reach full ma
turity, unswept by destructive equinoctial
storms and unframed by the dreaded army
worm The quality of the staple is the best,
and brings the highest market prices.
Yet the picture that this intelligent and ex.
perienced old negro farmer drew of the state of
his people there was one that bodies no good to
that section of the delta, because it was por-
trait from life. He told of cases coming un-
der his own observation that showed how far
the promise Of nature has been broken
to the hope of the black laborer. He
mentioned among others, man who
with the assistance of his wife and two half
grown daughters made twenty six bales of cot
ton last season. They got just six dollars out
of the crop after paying expenses scarcely
| enough to buy them a pair of coarse shoes
apiece And this family he knew to be as eco
nomical as they were Industrious.
The speaker was engaged in lecturing tour
among the negroes of his district with the OBJ
ject of dissuading them from leaving for Okla
homa, as many were inclined TO do. The Mis-
sissippi valley, he told them, was intended by
the Almighty to be their home; He had done
everything that heart could wish for in the
way of soil and climate, and 1t only remained
for man to use the opportunities offered.
But what does all this come to, 2 said the ex.
senator to the convention, '.as long as there /:
no common bond of sympathy between the two
races--while the stronger despises and neglects
and the weaker fears and distrustsf I'll b.
plain with You, gentlemen; the negroes DOM
trust you. They are ignorant; they can't fig.
ure long accounts, and they don't understand
how cotton can be worth less and less every
year, while the things they have to buy are as
dear as ever They only know that after year,
of hard labor and harder living they have les.
than when they started, and they can't helI
thinking that there is something wrong. You
must convince them Of their mistake by giving
them chance to better themselves, They cam
make any money raising cotton to sell at si1
cents which cost them that much to raise bu
they may get decent living if you will show
them the way.
You have adopted resolutions here calling OF
the farming people to raise less cotton and NOR,
food crops, SO as to put up the price Of cottol
and have their smoke houses and corn cribs OF
the farm, instead of 1000 miles away. You sa,
the south makes too much cotton. So 1t does
but how are you going to change this unless tn,
negro helps you to do it? And how can he hell
you when you force him to raise all ccston by
charging him eight dollars an acre for the lane
he works. You know that no man can afford t,
pay that much for ground to raise corn on, ant
how can he fatten any hogs or keep his worl
stock in good condition without corn to feet
them ony Charge him eight dollars an acre TO
his cotton land if you will but let him hav
e his corn land at four dollars an acre
That will encourage him to becom
self-supporting, and help you to be
come so. Gentlemen, something mus
be done for my people. To old folk
; like me it don't matter much on our owl
d account Our days are nearly spent. But w
have young men and women and little childre
9 among us. We don't want to leave them t
y live out their days in ignorance and want O
y may be, in crime. The negroes can't get ava
from you. and you can't get away from then
e You can't hurt them without hurting your
selves, and whatever good you may do ther
u will benefit you, too. know that, till the val
9 ley becomes self supporting, there will be N
/ future here for either white people or black PEG
q Pile. Make less cotton and more to live on a
IL home. That's the right doctrine, and until W
! follow it we'll all be broke together But
u can't be done while the two races stand apar
> as they do now"
) Now for the question to be determined
IL What shall the people of the valley do to b
n saved from this hand to mouth existence'
q Theoretically the planters convention CAV
y the answer when it recommended reductio
of 20 per cent: in cotton acreage the coming sea
son and increased production of articles Of cor
70 sumption such as may be raised in this eli
=, mate. No doubt that is the solution of tn
40 problem The world needs $50 900 bales
!. American cotton, but it does not require 5000
V 900 b ales and if the south persists in turnin
- out surplus of 100000 year it can not e,
!, pect to get more for its crop than the cost {