Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-03-26
CANT DO IT.
Some Practical Thoughts on Farming and
Politics by a Practical Lincoln
County Farmer.

Politics by a Practical Lincoln
County Farmer.
The Home and Farm of few weeks
ago contained the following from one
of Lincoln county's best citizens and
farmers, which is we'll worthy of
emphasis at this time:
The present low price. of cotton is
ruinous to the cotton farmers; also to
to the kind merchants that help us in
the way of plantation supplies. There
fore something must be done. know
of nothing better than to reduce the
acreage in cotton, and to do this every
cotton farmer must give his own con-
sent to reduce his acreage. Let us get
up a system and all act in concert. The
great cry is overproduction. That / do
not believe in the strict sense of the
word, for the increase of population is
as great or greater than the increase of
bales of cotton. So, as I think it is in
order, l will make move, if l can get
a second, that We reduce not only the
acreage, but the actual production of
cotton one-half. If overproduction
makes cotton low in price, underpro-
duction will make it high in price.
Cotton is down to stay as long as it
is raised SO extensively, and those who
are in debt will never get out by rails
ing AZ and cent cotton and buy ten
cent bacon.
think the production of cotton can
be reduced nearly one half in this way
Let every cotton farmer make an
abundant supply of corn, oats, field
peas, potatoes, both sweet and Irish,
pinders, sugar cane, garden vegetables,
etc. Get rid of our scrub stock of
horses, cattle, hogs; have less and bet
ter and finer stock. Then we will have
more time to devote to the education
of our sons and daughters, and to read
up and post ourselves on all matters
that interest and affect us.
1t is hard; yes, even wrong, to keep a
boy ten months In year at work in a
cotton field. Generally when a boy
thus worked in cotton field gets to
can be said of him is he is "good cot
ton picker" Thus we see history re-
peating itself-that boy starts in life
to do as daddy did, and makes great,
er failure than daddy This is enough
to make any father that has the right
feelings for his son feel real mean; also
nine times in ten he will have that
kind of son-in-law.
wish to emphasize the fact that we
can't farm ourselves out of this awful
condition our country is in. There are
many things to be considered and done
] think "Old Cotton Planter" made a
mistake and gave wrong counsel when
he said stick to the old Democratic
party That may do in Texas, but it
will not do in Mississippi. The old
Democratic party has been tried in
Mississippi and found wanting. A Re-
publican told me the other day the old
Democratic party had stole all it could
get its hands on. had no way to de-
fend myself, for he at once referred to
the many Democratic sheriffs in Mis-
sissippi as defaulters and w. L. Hem.
ingway, State treasurer, who stole $685.
600, the biggest thief Mississippi ever
convicted, and on petition was par
doned out of State prison by Governor
j. M. Stone, Democratic governor
without the least evidence of his limo
cence. There is old "Honest Dick" OF
Kentucky, State treasurer about TWEEN
ty years. and many other Southern
State treasurers pocketed the peoples
monsy-all Democrats. In the face OF
all this "Old Cotton Planter" says stick
to the old Democratic party. No; we
can't do it. JOE S. BURNS.
Fair River, Miss.