The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-07-19
4 Plain Talk.

The Wilmington Messenger states
the leading causes Southern poverty as
follows:
/. The great war, its losses, itc de-
vastations.. 1t bankrupted the rich
south, deprived it of tens of thousands
of it's best citizens and robbed it of its
entire basis of credit. The South had
to start afresh in the business Of life.
Everything was waste and poverty
stalked abroad.
>. Then came the savage, oppressive,
ruinious reconstruction era, with al of
its stealings, mountain debts, foolish
sectional legislation.
8. The high tariff tax laws Of the re-
publican party that made the rich
North richer, and robbed the poor for
the benefit of plutocracy. The money
devil has had a vast deal to do with
the poverty and prostration of the
South.
4. Then there is the wicked and un-
fortunate demonstration Of silver in
1878.
S. Now come other agents of injury.
First in the long continued policy of
growing one market crop and buying
everything. The South has clung to
cotton and tobacco and bought hay
and corn and wheat and bacon and
lard and vegetables and fruits. 1t has
acted like an overgrown simpleton in
this matter. 1t has played the part Of
a gambler, risk!ng all on one doubtful
card. The world is over-stocked with
cotton and still the South has tried to
over-do the business Of cotton produc-
ton and has made a splendid sue
cess. 1t. has literally, in the language
Of the scriptures of inspiration, been
newer Of wood and drawer Of water
for the rich, dominant, progressive
North. So long as the foolishness is
persisted in there will be scarcity Of
money in the South.
Then our sensible contemporary pro-
ceeds to give its readers plain talk.
1t says that the South buys nearly
everything it consumes of the north
utensils, machinery, furniture, musical
instruments. medicines-all that is
made in workshops--all that is produced
by the loom or anvil, or even in the
fields. All the money we get for our
farm products must 60 north to pay
for merchandise. All this is so noto-
rious that New York paper recently
said that the South always has a
money famine because she has so little
to sell. She needs more shops aud
more pay rolls. If a million gold dol
lars were scattered right and left in
this region to-day they would all start
northward by the end of the week.
Admitting the full force of this state
ment, The Messenger says:
Where is the cure? Not in simply
making more cotton and tobacco? It
is in diversifying the crops-in multi
plying the smaller industries-in rails
ing all consumed at home-in manu-
featuring everything used in the South
liz keeping the money at home.
But there is still another factor of re-
cuperation, independence and safety
not to be overlooked in this hurried re-
view of causes. It is this. The South
must be more industrious. Fact. There
must be less idling. Men must work
more. Let US illustrate. We use one
used aforetime:
In the great war between the States
the South had upon an average 100000
of its chief white laborers and man
sgeTs in the armies. The negroes, the
white boys and old men at home made
ample supplies for those at home and
fed their own armies, also often the
yankee armies, and that, too, after large
sections had been oveI-un and ravaged
by ruthless invaders. Now, if this could
be done in 1S6l-65, and in great abund-
ance, why is it with peace for twenty
eight years, and all the men at home,
the South cannot raise all it consumes
all it eats, wears, etc? The one an
swer is-it does not try 10 do tit does
not work enough to do it. More in
dustry-more we'll directed industry is
what is chiefly needed. Think on
these things.
There is nothing new in this view Of
the situation. Thousands of thought
full southerners have been writing and
talking on this line for the past forty
years, but our people are slow to make
the needed change in their individual
conditions. 1t is change, however,
that must be made if We would enjoy
genuine progress and prosperity. We
must revive the energy and enterprise
of the war period and diversity our in
dustries so that this will become self
supporting section, selling great deal
and buying very little. Our watch
word should be: More products, more
shops and more pay rolls!
How Manners Deteriorate.