The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-07
SOME PLAIN TALK.
'sSaludR" Just Strikes Square At our
FolIy and1Ne"1ect OF Duty.
NInety.Six, s. C., Feb. 2G, 1894.

Nlnety.Six, :. G., Feb. 20. 1894.
While every man has or ought to have
some particularly profession or business sS
NJ they furnish themselves 10 make his busi
ness success, which can only be done by
| frugality. industry and proper economy not
| lew IN our days are continually complain.
| Ing and croaking about the hard times ana
| scarcity OF money, and the high prices they
nave To pay the merchant for the corn and
time but faIl to attach the blame 10 where
| IL properly belongs. IL has been the history
Of the human family from time ilnmemoriai
| 10 blame somebody else for our short coiE-
ings and III stakes, and thus Try 10 lay our
sins at the door of some one else. We lind
this trIe In almost every department OF bus
inesSs life.
But what desire to do is not to write an
essay On religion nor politics, but to endeaV-
or 10 point out u lew Of the evils we hear so
much talk about and say To my fellow farm
ers, TOR IL is to them desire TO speak, that we
as farmers are more TO blame Tor the tlghl
times than all other classes and professions
com bined. This Is broad asser tion but ney-
ertheless u true one which we think can be
proven 10 any fair minded unprejudiced
man.
In the first place no farmer who deserves the
title Of tanner can give any good and sub
stantial reason for buying corn. meat, Hour
and almost everything else u.ed on tne 1arm
pect any thing else but hard times when we
10 very large extent buy western mules and
horses, corn and huy to feed them with. all
of which can be and should be raised at home
ON the farm. Suppose the money which has
been paid out for mules, horses, corn, meat
and hay had been kept at home for The past
ten years. what would be the condition OF
the country to-day? 1t would be hard to even
Imagine, but one thing we can say with
safety and that Is we would have had more
money, more 10 eat and more peace, harino-
ny and good will toward our fellowman OF
ali classes and professions. But some one
may say if we had commenced on that plan
ten years ago 1t Is true we might have been
In better shape, but IL is too late now to adopt
any such system and In fact am in debt and
cotton is the only thing can sell fof the cash
and about The ouly thing l can live on with
which to buy western corn and meat. and
hence am compelled 10 make cotton. !
the same time will tell you they are getting
deeper In debt evey year, then can IT. be 9TH
erwise when IL cost as much or little more
10 grow bale or cotton than You can sell 1t
for?
It matters not how cheap corn, meat,
lard hay, mules and horses can be bought.
IL is cheaper In the long run to raise all
these things on The farm and then all the
cotton you can grow is q surplus crop.
I know OF farm upon viii there Is
stallion, Jack. twelve brood mares, and
eight colts, all OF which are home bred ex.
cept three mares, aud home raised corn and
hay TO feed them, all OF which has been raised
al u far less cost than the present cash value.
But says one / AIN not fixed up for raising
StOck ana my lduQ Is UOG dudpteu W TdlSluB
corn, oats and other grain crops, and there
fore must rpise cotton with which TO buy
all these things. Well, nelghbor what do
you usually have al The end OF the year on
the all cotton system? leave the question
for you to answer but will make ons little |
guess. that Is: you have. empty cribs, empty
smokehouses, and learn mules and cattle, |
ard q balance due the merchant for the past
years supplies 10 be carried over 70 the next
years account. We would say that this is
very kind and clever In the merchant.
Viewing 1t from common seGse stand point.
we think 1t is altogether wrong 10 be
saying 10 many hard things about the very |
men who by their kindness and accommoda.
tion enable you to "eat driuk and be merry"
and work ouly SIX months Out OF twelve,
thus giving you six months out OF the year To |
poke youf nose and mouth into other peo-
pies business and peddle in cheap scandles
and street corner gossips. Many OF US are
great thinkers and takers, but few good
workers and managers, and whyP Because we
give 90 much time TO other peoples business
aud too little 10 our own. Because We
ind 80 much good in ourse!V es and so
much meanness In our neighbors. Now II
we could only get to the point where we
could see more goodness In Others and more
meanness In ourselves, and devote more
time and attention to our own business, and
less 10 that Of our nelghbors before the elo-
ouent appeals Of the next crop Of Office seek
ers shall oe heard ringing from every stump |
In the State depicting and ma2nifying the
misery, woes aud oppression VI the poor
down-trodden farmers we shall witness
politically and morally. Try it. Saluda.