The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-22
ATLANTA Constitution ]

Sarge Plunkett's Good Advice.
Atlanta Constitutional
Everybody has theory for the hard
times-I have a right to my opinion.
J am sure that not more than one
third of the land in Georgia is IN cuti-
vation. Place yourself upon any high
point where you eau overlook the sur
rounding farms, aud the sight that
greets your eyes is distressing. Sedge,
brisrs, sassafras bushes, ruts and
washes are turning the old bills OF
Georgia into waste places. Thousands
upon thousands of acres of land any
where in Georgia are lying idle, going
10 waste, unsightly to the eye, and dis
tressing to contem plate, while from the
towns comes the wall of hard times,
and thousands of men pretend to Won
der why the times are SO out OF joInt.
There is not enough folks making
bread and meat. No use to howl
about silver, nor tariff, nor parties;
the cause is in the idle hands. Inven-
ton has overdone itself. Every genius
is strained and has been strained for
years 10 lessen the labors of man and
flood the land with luXuries. The
carpenters jac&plane is laid away to
rest; the fire at the blacksrnith's forge
has died out, the shoe and the boot
maker is a common, cobbl!ng patcher
and half-soler; ali the trades have been
revolutionized by the inventive genius
and the men turned out of work by the
easy plans find it hard to accept the
changed conditions.
Agriculture, the only thing that the
inventive genius has Jagged in, is the
very thing all else depends upon. Agri-
culture has not at all advanced in pro-
portion with other things, and sad it is
that ali the time the people have been
fleeing from the pursuits. The climax
is upon us. Out from the towns the
tides must turn. No use to wait, there
is no other relief, no other hope. The
Door town man need MOI delude himself
with the notion that any kind of
financial legislation will bring him re-
lief. The production of more bread
and meat, the reclaiming of the waste
places, the training up of all the house
hold to produce something, help the
old man, and save in erything-this
is what is wanted in Georgia and it
must come.
Any sensible white farmer should see
that the towns are to be left to only the
very rich and the negro-this as rule.
No use to discuss previous conditions
nor inferiority. The negroes will get
the work and the workers will be the
survivors. It is u painful truth that
right now four negroes are at work to
one white man. If you don't believe
it, walk about the towns and count the
workmen-four to one isshort, think.
The negro is just as natural to the
towns as the English sparrow. He is
the town laborer. II rents pinch them
they will live three and four families
together. IF they can't get new clothes
they viii seek for old castaway gar
ments. If the man can't get dollar
q day for his labor he will accom- modate
himself for so cents. The women will
cook for some white family and feed
her own household from the scraps she
picks up rs waste. I say not this in
disparagement to the negroes, nor do /
intend to reflect upon them. 1t is plain
truth. It is the thing that makes him
SO formidable as competitor that the
white man cannot compete, and all
sensible white men should heed the
handwriting on the wall, and as right
now is the time to procure farms for
another year they should stir themselves
to do it.
Within the next two months all the
land will be rented for another year.
The land owners must dotheir part in
this matter. The town people are too
poor to get to the country without some
help and sympathy-ye owners of
thousands must help them. Immigra-
ton is invited from foreign countries.
The money it would take to bring over
a ship load of immigrants would start
many a poor town fellow on toward
making crop. The disposition ohold
great bodies of land idle must be gotten
over. Land owners must turn it loose
or rent it out. It makes old Georgia
too unsightly: and, then, even now, the
question is asked as to whether one
man has the right to bold so many
acres while his fellow man begs for
home to shelter his little ones.
This might get to be q great problem
some day and disturb the country, q
thing we would never see ifthese waste
acres were blooming with tounteous
crops and dotted with happy homes.
Mr.. Grady said mighty pretty thing
as well as q mighty truthful thing when
he said: "Every man who kindles a
fire upon his own hearthstone burns
incense to liberty"
While the land owners must be
generous and charitable town people
must be sensible. A false pride will
keep many poor town family from
moving to the country. They hate to
humble themselves and acknowledge
their poverty. There must be a sight
of humility and hard living, and above
all things, the females in the poor fami-
lies must enter into the spirit Of the
thing. The old man and the boys pull
ling one way and the old 'oman and
the girls pulling another will cause any
effort to fall fat. Industry, economy
live hard and work hard, is the near
est way to the solving of these hard
times that are upon us.
The poor whites have not had the
consideration they should have had
throughout the South. Everything
has been crowded on the "poor nigger.'
/ tell you that your anxiety about the
.spoor nigger" is not needed. He will
take care of himself-but be will ac-
cept every advantage you thrust upon