The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-03-11
GOV. rILLaAFs HEwBERRY SPEECH.

GOV. TILLaAHS NEWBERRY SPEECH.
As tho Governor came forward he looked
pale and feeble from his recout sickness, and
IL VA. evidently au. effort rs well as a risk he
made in filling his engagement to speak so
soon after getting cut of q sick bed. Feeling |
that he hal no strength to waste, he started |
into his subject without much preliminary |
and spoke ia q low and calm, but perfectly |
distinct voice. His appearance was greeted |
with considerable cheering. He spoke as
follows:
am just out of q sick bed Yesterday
was the first time i'm ten days 1 have been
out Of the house; aud but Dor fear that you
would have come he,e to hear me to-day
and gone home disappointed, would not
have come.
am always glad 10 respond 10 the call
Of the citizens Of auy county to confer
with them on any subject that concern
the public welfare. ! have heon invited
here to discuss the agricultural outlook, the
condition of the farming interests and other
kindred topics bearing on agriculture.
y couture is the basis of ell wealth; the
'ms:s on which all society rests. l am told
lbat 1 am net expected to touch on politics.
The subject for discussion is dry one, but
more important than politics, because it
affects every individual and household
Advice it superabundant. Every man is
ready TO give advice on any and all occa-
sions. But few take it. AS Shakespeare
says: 81 can easier tel twenty men what
is good to be done than to be one Of the
twenty to follow my own teaching"
We ore confronted with n gloomy cond-
tion. Never within my recollection-cer-
tainly never since 1S55-hns ther been
more gloomy prospect. l have heard often
that in 1S48 and lS49-wben was q baby
in tia crndlee-the>e-waSa sjniIar cnnSliGpa.
But other things were different then, aud
the people were more able to meet the low
price Of cotton. Then nearly every planta-
ii"n was self-sustaiuing We bought very
ntte necessaries-we produced them-all
except sugar, salt, shoes for the negroes and
one or two other articles. We have re-
versed the condition then existing, we have
changed the economy of farming, aud now
VIC devote our energies largely to producing
one crop, 10 buy nearly everything we are
compelled to have.
The present condition of over-production,
or tho raising of too much cot,on-more than
the world will or cln cocsume-was seen by
me scvon ycirs ago, and predicted by me in
aspecch at Bennettsvilie. And | then Sc,
about 10 effect change by public Discus
sion Of the subject.
What has produced this revolution There
are several causes that have fostered,
encouraged and almost driven us to the cu-
W,
which bases credit on q fu urc crop. 1t has
plsced the honest and tho dishonest on tho
same footing, the intelligent and indusri-
Gus alongside tho ignorant and lazy. aud
has compelled the raising of large cotton
crop. Formers and renters contract for so
much cotton. Our legislation is largely
resp .nsible for this condition.
The effort to make cotton to pay for every
thing else, ou The renting sys,em-especaliy
wheic the negroes predominate-br0uyht
about the demand for the stock law. 1t was
claimed that we could not make anything
out OF stock, and that the fences were too
expensive to encosc them. l was au advo-
ca'e II the no-fencs law, and believe it is =
messing. 1t did not necessitate doing away
with stock, but that was largely the pract.-
80! result; a:a therefore 1t caused moro
attention 10 be given to cotton culture. We
turned blessing into curse, because our
people do not know that by summer pasture
and by cotton s.e.l meal or cotton seed in
winter, we can produce beef rs cheap as the
West, You have read this many tune, but
gnsscs out of your mind and you forget it,
have raised hogs and kept u strict account
of their cost, and they cost me less than to
buy them,
Our system Of farming has brought m
inc' eased use Of commerce fertilizers. We
pay net cash over $4,000, 900 year for ferti-
lizers. Our lands are subjected to cotton
culture year after year. There is no rota-
ton OF crops, no preservation of the humus
OF the soil, and our hilly lands are washed
into thousand gullies. The production of
home manures has come to be almost o lost
art among US.
We kill grass nine months in the year
a:d then lots of us buy Northern hay.
don't propose to lecture you l don't
a'ways follow my own advice.
Forcseeing this condition of the farming
interests, and others have struggled to
bring The farmers 10 think, and to this end
have secured the establishment of a college
-Clcmson-where diversified industries may
DC taught. But the college being still ..in
the sweet bye and bye" what arc we to do
no~ The way appears to me to he plain.
IL needs no conventions and no mass meet
ings TO point out the road. We certainly
pro luce more cotton than the We rid will buy
al rcnunerative prices o us. Whether spccu-
ulation and financial depression have any
thing TO do with the prIce-snd | believe
they are partly responsible the price of
cotton LOW is less than 1t costs to raise it.
III we raise cotton at Il cost of cents and
sell it ate, and don't raise our own food
products, AMI then starvc, il is our own
..-ffn1t
But they say the people arc in debt: Will
~ pay uSotS " raise COtIOn at cent O pound
more than it can be sold for? 1t i, non
sen:e to expect il.
Credit Obtained too easily is partly re-
spons,h!c for the condition of affairs, hy
tempting farmers to go into debt. NoS
cre.,h is not so easy. People with money
Will trust only those who will pay it back
1! Tie copls don't raise their own proyi-
slons starvation is inevitable That is the
long and the short and The whole Of it.
his condition OF raising too much cotton
- caused by the lien law and the stock law
has brought half The land under control of
men too ignorant to run any plantation, and
has trnds our people forget that if they don't
work days in the week there can be no
surp'u'. The three montks between plant
ing and gathering, which should be spent
III mating manures and repairing aod can
ing mp are giveu up by half the people to
riotiug, foolishness and idleness. We have
got I, be more industrious aud make our
r.t:oRs at home. There i. no use talkinc