Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-03-10
TILI,MAN AT NEW BERRY,
HIS VIEWS ON AGRIeJdS B
TURAL DEPRESsION
THERE MUST BE A REDUCTION 70
COTTON ACREAGE. ss

THERE MUST BE A REDUCTION soF
COTTON ACREAGE. M 8
NEwBERRY, S. O., Feb. ~ Cow
ernor Tillman spoke here oday 70
a meeting called for the purpose
of discussing the agricult ultnralS SIT
1uation and the necessity Of re-
ducing the cotton acreage. The
opera house in which the meeting
was held was we'll filled by about
700 people, most Of whom came
from the country Governor Tills
man devoted himself almost sex-
clusively. to the subject in hand,
and although his recent illness had
left him weak and incapable Of
any extended effort, made an adj
dress full of sound sense, and
which highly commended itself to
the audience and evoked frequent
applause.
On the stage were DR.. Sampson
Pope, Col. J. L. Keitt, Rev. W. q.
Shafer, Hon. j. A. Sigh, Us
Hare, DR.. w. E. Lake and the in-.
evitable and indispensable news
paper men. Among the audience
were several prominent men of the
county.
The meeting was callod to order
by Hon. ]. A. Sigh, and prayer,
was offered by Rev. w. G. Shafer.
After few Introductory remarks,
Mr.. Sigh, president of the County.
Alliance, introduced Governor Till
man, who was greeted with loud
and enthusiastic applause, and
spoke substantially as follows
Mr.. Chairman, Fellow Citizens Of.
Newberry county:
am always glad to respond to-
any call from the citizens of any
county to confer with them onIanyi
topic affecting the public welfare.
Your invitation is to discuss the
agricultural outlook and the con-
dition of the farming interest and
kindred interests bearing onsit. &
Agriculture is the basis OF all
wealth, the foundation on which
society rests. Advice is sonnet thing
Of. which every one has q aaapsYs
s6IHdahce and is willing to give
IN all occasions, but which few
'ver take.
We are confronted by a condi-
ion which is blue, indeed. Never
in my recollection since 1865 have
we been face to face with a pros
pect so gloomy. Before the war
every plantation was selt-sustain-
ing. Our farmers bought very lit
lie of the necessaries of life, and
cotton was a surplus crop. From
causes which I will point out we
have reversed the order of things.
We have changed the economy of
the farm and in large measure de-
pend on one crop to buy everything
we are compelled to have. The
present condition of overproduc-
tion-too much cotton-was pre-
dicted by me seven years ago in a
speech at Bennettsvilte, and I set
to work to bring about some change
as far as discussion would do it.
What has produced this revolu-
ton? I say in soberness and truth
that by every measure in our power
we have driven our people to the
culture of cotton alone. How?
One of the greatest causes was the
enactment Of the lien law. The
of this law placed credit
on the crop before it is planted.
1t placed the man of character and
the man without it on the same
plane, The honest and dishonest,
the intelligent and ignorant, the
industrious and lazy, were all
placed on the same level. Itplaced
the value of the crop in the hands
ofsthose who did the buying, and
all went to planting cotton because
debts were payable in cotton. The
Legislature is largely responsible
for the condition of cotton.
The effect hos been to make cot
ton the crop to buy everything else
with. and this, together with the
rental system, brought about the
enactment of the stock law. The
people said we can't make money
out of stock, so why keep up the
fences, and SO the stock law came.
Stock raising disappeared and peo-
pie turned their attention more
and more to cotton.
Other ills have followed the cul-