The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-10-18
From the Greenvills NeaOs.

The address to the farmers Of the cotton
belt by President Evans, Of the State
Alliance, came over the wires too late for
publication in the Greenville News Of
yesterday. 1t is thoroughly good and
sensible.
President Evans advises the farmers to
use the methods of sensible business men
of every other avocation. When factories
find they can not sell their product to
advantage they cease work. When mer-
chants think there will be light trade
they buy small stocks and cut down ex-
penses. Precisely the same course Is
open to the farmer. He Is at serious dis
advantage in the fact that he must look
year ahead, whereas the manufacturer
and merchant can act on notice of few
weeks. On the other hand he has the
great advantage over all other classes OF
being able to live on his plant. When 8
cotton factory or iron mill is closed the
owners can not eat or wear the machinery
and the merchant can not live from his
stock when he fails to sell 1t. The farmer
even when he makes little or nothing to
sell can always get food from his ground.
When ne has been prudent he is better
able to endure long season of dull times
and poor trade than any other man on
earth.
It will be observed that President
Evans saws nothing of "the creditor class"
being Shylocks demanding their pound
of flesh, remorseless usurers, harpies
preying on the vitals Of the people and
all that kind of thing OF which we hear so
much on the stump and lead so much in
some newspapers. He comes down to
the hard facts, which are that the credi-
tors of the farmer have direct interest
III promoting the farmers prosperity and
know it. he tells Alliance men to deal
fairly and frankly with people they owe
and that they will generally find creditors
equally fair and frank and ready to be as
easy as possible.
II the Alliance had been held to what
we understand to have been its original
purposes it WOULD have had control OF the
cotton business by now. Farmers bound
together in compact organization could
have established an understanding among
themselves by which they could have
regulated the planting of cotton by the
conditions at planting time, the worlds
supply, the prospects Of trade, the stocks
OF cloth on hand and the indications of
coming demand. AS 1t is now, the men
who make cotton know less Of the con-
ditions and prospects of the cotton mar
ket than anybody else. Brokers and
dealers know what acreage has been
planted by the time the seed is in the
ground and are informed day by day Of
the condition of the growing crops every
where, CT the whereabouts of every bale
in existence afloat or ashore, of che prices
in all the different markets and of the
demand for every grade of manufactured
goods. An organization such as the
Alliance was could carry the same infor-
nation and its meaning to every cotton
grower in the country.
Last Spring the newspapers did the
best they could. They printed column
after column of warning against big
cotton planting. When the reports Of
the acreage came in there was general
prediction of five cents for cotton this
fall and had there been full average
crop that prediction would probably
have been realized.
AS it is, it looks as If cotton must rise
in price, particularly If farmers are able
to hold it. The holding experiment gen.
orally failed year or two ago, although
some men who held on long enough
struck the top of the rise and cleared out
at ten cents. We are sure farmers who
have shown the disposition to maintain
their credit will find their creditors dis
posed to help them in every possible
manner. President Evans advice is
good and sound.
It seems rather strange In these times
for an Alliance man to be appealing with
evident confidence to the press to help in
the execution of an Alliance plan. The
political Alliance leaders tell us so much
Of the venal, hired, gold bug. bought and
slavish press. President Evans, how
ever, being business Alliance man,
knows and is man enough to say, in
effect. that the press has vital interest
In promoting ths prosperity of the people
and can be relied on to support any sug-
Restions or schemes to that end.
Amid all the nonsense and blood and
thunder stuff intended to divide and
embitter the people against each other It
is refreshing to find man In Mr.. Evans
position quietly recognizing facts as they
are and taking sensible, conservative
and business-like course.