The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-03-16

Within the past ten ycors tbo

| "i1hih Cho paSG ten years the cot
ton crop of the Southern States has
been sold for S3,391, ,1O5,354. Value
OF cotton exported to Europe has been
~, 2o7 ,927.976. 1SS9-90 7,3O7,2lSB
at the average price of 11.53 brought
$373,1G1, ,S31, in 1S9O.91 1852, ,597
bales at the average prico of 9O3
brought 1920, 1872 on, 1912 o,
O35,379 bales at the average prico Of
7.5O brought 1891 ,A24,715.
A little over soven million bales in
lS99-9O sold for nearly as much as q
crop OF nine million bales in 1891 90
and, but for the enormous oyer-pro.
ductlon during the past two wears,
the planters would have received hirh.
~ ronumeratiyo prices last year.
The South produced last year about
81 per cent. of the commercial cotton
OF tho world, and it has been in uni.
versal use by nearly all the inhab-
ltants OF the globe. The Southern
planters are in position to-day to
make the price of their great pro-
duct highly remunerativc to them
selves and without DISADVANTAGE to-
any one else. In fact, there is hard
~ any dealer in cotton or cotton
goods, or any mill throughout the
United States, who would not prefer
that cotton should sell at much hirh.
CT prices, for, should it do 50, all
kinds OF business, particularly in the
South, would be quickcned and
rendered moro profitable; while
Mt the same time it is o. fact
that, should reasonable advance in
cotton occur, it would scarcely be
1elt by the consumers who wear cot
ton goods.
The foregoing arc simple facts-
they have been stated repeatedly by
us and by other commcycin] mcn
everywhere. Now, Why IS it that low
prices for cotton prevail, and distress
and embarrassment of so many plan
tors IS so pronounced? The solution
OF this question is easy. The plan
tcrs Stake all they have on cotton,
ovcr.produce it, and do not diversity
tholr crops sufficiently. Cotton, IN.
der these circumstances, goes down,
and the plant2rs pay out annually
millions of dollars for males, pork,
hay, corn and other noccSsarics which
can be readily produced much cheap
or on the plantation than they can be
bought eisOwi1Cre.
Why will not planter stop fnr IL
day, or week, ii necessary, and think
over business proposition like this?
Tho whole financial welfare Of the
South depends upon cotton If the
planter can get ncarly y as much money
FOR the production OF a crop of 1900
! ON0 as he can for one of 1000. 600
bales, why should hccxpcnd 50 much
time and labor 20 produce the nrnat
cr quanity' Why will hc produce 500
bales OF GOTTEN, worth $2n, ,OOD, when
it costs him $25, ,000 to raise it? If he
had to work as Il day laborcr he might
make some money and keep out Of
debt, but Just SO long as he ovcrpro
duces cotton i've will keep continually
jn debt, and The interest alone mDon
his Indebtedness VIII sCQncr or later
! / in him.
H. ,"oud be far better to decrease
Il cotton. crop OF average size 1.GON,-
600 bales than to Increase it 100000
bales.
The statement e. snch facts cannot
be questioned. At .t''e aamo timo il
IS natural for the farm,."s to ask how
the present situation can b. changed
tor the better! In answer to this
question we would say: Abandon or
ever the one crop idet-cotton. AIoD, !
new methods and new things. The
planters present mode of doing bus
mess Is wrong --eNpcricnce shows it.
Change it Immediately. Ov.canizc
iHrnorS' clubs, associations and meet
ings and discuss cotton, particularly
before the planting time. Kccpvour
organizations entirely free from poll
ties; 10 not rcly upon the Government
to grant your assistance. If it civ
"s You aid It must grant every other
citizen assistance. Tho people sup
pert the Government, but the Coy
crnmcnt does not support the people.
Avold all schemes that politicians Get
up to catch votes. Rely upon your
opinions and do not run after imprac-
tlcable IDEAS. Consult your Congress
man or write letters to them urging I
that the functions of the Agricultural |
Department ut Washington be enlar-
@ca, and that liberal appropriations
DC made for this purpose, in order to
enable that department to keep the
planters Frequently and fully advised |
about the production and consump-
ton OF the cotton. Have the Cover
nora OF your State impress upon the
Legislatures the necessity Of incrcas.
ing the scope of the State Agricultu-
lnlDoEG, tment, and have distributed |
to every county, town, precinct and |
Information touching
the future prospects of supply and |
demand for cotton. With proper en-
crGy and vim, these DEPARTMENTS |
could distribute information to every
planter IN the South, which would on !