The state chronicle., 1893-04-26
SOME ANSWERS.

"GDNGOOd1 L, Ar NIL 20, 1OS0
SOME ANSWERS.
We do not generally pay atten
ton to the Progressive Farmer, be
cause that paper appears to hav.
no fixed principle, and no rule o.
conduct, except to pitch into every
thing, without rhyme or reason, and
in utter disregard to facts known
to all the intelligent people of the
State. For instance, the following
is clipping from its last issue:
For some time it has been hard
to tell what party the News AND Or
SERVER repre- sents, or whether it had
any pronounced views on any subject
or not. but the two Australian bank
failures, involving over one hundred
million dollars, and having many
branch banks, has caused it to de-
clare that English fnanciers ought
TO see that gold is too scarce to
form the only basis for none" It
further declares that that this will
sometimes "cause q terrible crash,
and wipe out all the smaller fnan-
clal institutions in Europe"
As the News AND OBSERVER has
used those very words, chat gold
is too scarce to form the only basis
OF money" probably five hundred
times in the last fourteen years, and
as that idea has been the basis of
the views of the editor of the News
AND OBSERVER for twenty years, the
Progressive Farmer is rather late
in making his discovery.
The News AND OBSERVER would not
like to take the contract to enlighten
the Progressive Farmer on the sub
'lect OF the fluctuations of prices.
Ihere are many fluctuations that no.
BODY can trace to any particular
cause. Yet they come Great changes
IN prices, however, generally have
such substantial basis that the pub
lie can measurably understand the
matter. Our contemporary says:
1--WE want the News AND OBSERVER
TO answer a few questions. Wby
doesn't the low price of cotton hurt
the owners OF cotton mills and the
dealers generally? Why everybody
else get rich in the cotton business
except the farmers who raise it
how is it that the mills clear from
~ to 4O per cent annually spinning
cotton while the man who raises i}
gets poorer Why is it that cotton
statistics of fifty years show that |
there has been marked fuctuation
in the price of cotton without re-
gard to the crops raised. Some.
Sines the price is high, when ac-
cordlng to supply and demand it
should be low. The past history of
cotton shows that 1000 900 bale
crop is worth no more per pound
than an 100000 bale crop, unless
the spectators and manufacturers
see proper to raise the price. The
farmers are absolutely helpless 80
far as prices are concerned. They
have tried to stem the tide by work
ing little harder each year, but il
is not remedied that way. Manv
have got in such a condition that
they think they must raise more
cotton to get out and still
they fail. There is no lack
Of cotton, tobacco, wheat, corn,
pats, meat, sorghum, peanuts,
rice, vegetables, cattle, horses or
anything else. Plenty Of all these
things are raised even if some fail
10 diversity. There is no lack of
consumers, for the countless mil
ions are ready to consume it all
md they pay good prices for it be-
'ore they consume a pound or
oushel of anything, but the farmers
ion't get the good prices. He sells
1ls cotton at Z or 8 cents Those
handling the cotton make as much
commission as if the farmer got 20
'ents for it. The railroad makes a ,
good profit on the freight charges.
The cotton mill makes 80 or 40 per
'ent clear. The merchants who ;
handle the yarn or cloth make their
profit; the railroads haul it back
md forth again and declare some
more big dividens. By the time it ]
'ets to the consumer he pays big !
'rice and the poor farmer is won. {
lerlng "where am at?" If he :
'uys some calico, domestic or a I
olt OF clothes he has to pay from 5
10 to 30 cents for the very cotton r
le sold at Z or 8 cents. The News
ND OBSERVER would say: "Why all
hese people are entitled to profit:
hey cannot afford to work and in :
est their capital for nothing" OF I
curse they can't, and the farmer E
ant afford it either, but by the t
ricks that are now being played he !
oes work and dosen't get cent of !,
rofit. q
Here is whole batch of errors
I statement. Everybody does not
ct rich In the cotton business az. <