The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-03-29
JACKSON BROWN, FARMER.
He Says There is No Business Like Farm
inc-Neither Til1,nan Nor Leeislation
Nor War Can Make
Farmer Poor.
From the Greenville News.

From the Greenville News.
jackson Brown was in the Greenville
News business office yesterday, having
come for bis copy of the seml-weekly,
which be calls for about as regularly as
clock work. Jackson Brown is seventy
six years old, and nearly everybody in
Greenville knows him. \ few ques-
tions led him to talk about farming.
He has been farmer for about sixty
years. When he began work here in
GreenvilleCounty on his fathers farm,
cotton was five cents pound and corn
thirty cents a bushel, and the market
place was Hamburg, l2) miles away.
When Jackson Brown was 81 years old
those were the prices and conditions
and he wei to work for his father as
manager for fifth Of the yield of The
fields. Later on he received a third.
When he married few years later he
had thousand dollars in cash made
and saved by working for the fifth and
the third. He has supported comfort
ably a large family, and all his sons
and daughters are now taking care of
themselves. He owus 240 acres Of land
five miles out of town and does Ut owe
a dollar in the world.
He says there is no business like
farming and no better place for farm
ing than right here. He has tried it
sixty years and ought to know. He
has never asked anybody to endor for
him, has never been harassed by debts
or creditors, and is always the first
map to hand in bis property for taxa
ton to the auditor and to pay his taxes
to the treasurer.
His face is ruddy and strong; he
walks into town five miles and out Of
town five miles, and hopes to live to S.
years. Age has made him distrustful
of horse, riding or driving, but be
trusts his own legs, although he COM
plains that at 76 his knees are getting
a little stiff.
There are two or three reasons why
he thinks farming here is the best busi-
ness man can be in, giving the surest
profit and the most comfortable life.
He began, under his fathers advice,
with the rule always to make living
at home and to depend on cotton only
as surplus. He has sold cotton at
five cents pound and at twenty cents
a pound, but no matter what cotton
was selling at be never planted an acre
until he had provided for meat and
bread and feed for his stock for the
year. When that was secured, so far as
human foresight could secure it, he
gave some land and labor to cotton,
and every pound he sold Of it was
profit. The thousands of pag S in
which liens are recorded have never
had Jackson Browns name written
on them as lien giver.
He does not believe that Tillman, or
national legislation, or war or any
thing else can make a farmer poor. He
has been through them all, has abund-
ance for his simple needs and lives
comfortably. Raising cotton to buy
food and pay liens will, be thinks, ruin
any farm and any farmer, and he has
observed scores and generations of them
and in his hard and common sense way
has traced out cause and effect. He has
sixteen sheep and he dresses in home
spun woven from the wool Of his own
sheep. 1t does not wear out, it keeps
him warm, and the big double blue
Jeans overcoat he wears, spun, woven,
cut and sewed by his wife, turns rain like
rubber, and he hardly paid out dollar
for it. Plenty of clothes, plenty to eat,
plenty of good land, some money, good
health, and no debts, is the condition
of Jackson Brown at seventy-six and
he asks no odds of anybody and what
ever happens be is safe.
Jay Gould died between fifty and
sixty years of age. He amassed between
Que and two hundred millions of dol
lars. He probably never had COM
Portable or happy day from the time be
began to be rich. He hated and feared
and was hated and feared, and lies dead
in a big marble tomb which cost half a
million dollars. Jackson Brown hates
and fears nobody. He enjoys his life.
He Gloves" tc plow, he says, because he
knows he plows well, and it is bappi'
ness to his heart to tramp between the
plow handles and watch the damp
earth turn up from the plow point just
at the right depth and in the right
way. He has all the pride of master
and an artist in it and is alive, strong
hearty, hopeful and happy.
| DeLesseps is eighty years old. He
dug the Suez canal, riches and decora
tions have been -heaped upon him by
all the kings of Europe and his name
was glorified around the world. Now
he is going to Jail to spend five years
term for bribery and is overwhelmed
with shame and ruin. James &. Blaine
narrowly missed being president of the
United States four times, but he died g
. young man in years compared to Jack
son Brown, but far older in fact
broken, disappointed, diseased, miser'
able old man leaving great reputation
and million dollars behind him. jim
Fisk, the Vanderbilts, Rufus Hatch
Grant, Sherman-scores and hundred:
of men in this country and in othel
countries have risen, rolled in richie:
and died ruined and unhappy and with
tarnished names, while Jackson Brown
has been tramping cheerily between
the plow handles, proud and happy il
the proper lining of his burrows ant