The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-06-21

an IMPoRTANT QUESTION.

~shan the south Abandon the Culture of
Cotton9 or How Shall We Make It More
Remunerative7"
No question is more important than
this To the south, the proper an
swer involves every interest. The
culture of cotton has been for many
years the principal industry Of this
section
Upon Il was based not only the sue
cess or failure of the farmer, but, in
large measure, our entire financial pol
icy. Merchandise, banking and trans
portatiOn were largely modified by this
crop.
THE MONEY INVOLVED.
The lint sold, the seed products and
the manufactured goods, annually
brought into circulation among us
over four hundred millions of dollars.
This gave life to every artery of trade.
This of itself was a circulating medi-
um of nearly or quite twenty dollars
per capitol added every year.
WE CAN NOT ABANDON IT.
1t would seem evident to the most
casual thinker that the abandonment
of such a money-producing crop would
paralyize every branch of industry in
the land.
The immediate effect would be a
general cutting down of values. Every
acre of farm land would be worth less.
Every species of real estate would de-
preciate. Merchants would have to
give mp their merchandise, and the
railroads would run empty trains.
Lawyers would be without clients
Schools would rapidly fall into decay,
and general collapse, if not universal
bankruptcy, would ensue.
PRovIDENTIAL CAUSES.
We have the climate, the soil and
the labor to grow cotton, to a greater
advantage than any other portion of
the globe can produce similar grade.
It would not be wise to fail to utilize
all these.
THE CONSEQUENCES.
If we abandon the culture of cotton,
we have in our midst vast contingent
of unemployed labor, idle, shiftless and
homeless. The negro does not know
how to support himself in any other
branch of agriculture.
We must plant all the lands now
used in growing cotton in some kind
of fOod-producing crops. This would
soon glut the market with all that line
of produce. 1t would ruin the north
west, cut off the largest source of in
come to the railroads, break all the
commission men and provision dealers,
reduce the price of provisions of all
sorts so low that it would be a losing
business to grow them, and the farmer
would be in a worse condition than
now, with cotton at five cents.
WHAT SHALL WE DO THEN?
There is a much better way out of
this trouble. We can cheaper the pro-
duction of cotton by growing all our
home supplies upon the farm. Then,
plant smaller areas in cotton, and
manure and cultivate better, so as to
increase the yield per acre. Make no
accounts, pay as you go, so that the
cotton when grown will belong to the
grower. Quit forcing the entire crop
upon the market in three months.
Distribute the sale over the whole
twelve months, only selling as the fac
tories need it for consumption; this
will greatly improve the price.
We gin cotton because it brings a
higher price in lint and is easier han
died; for the same reasons, let us spin
the cotton and sell thread and cloth.
Lint cotton is worth three times as
much as seed cotton. Thread is worth
three times as much as lint. Cloth, or
woven cotton, about three times as
much as thread, or six times as much
as lint.
The increased value of one or two
crops will pay for all the machinery
necessary for the manufacture of the
entire crop. A little concert of action
will enable us to regulate this matter.
We can inaugurate this movement
easier than we can give up the Gull
ture of cotton and adapt ourselves to
a new system of farming and a new
set of crops and hunt up new markets
We only need a little more common
sense economy.
RECAPITULATION.
]. Grow crops that belong to us,
and thus cheaper the cost of produc-
tion.
.. Sell only rs consumption de-
mands.
8. Manufacture all or nearly all the
crop here in the south.
4. Inaugurate these reforms by
economy and concert of action.
8. Thus the cotton crop viii bring
us annually 500, OOO 900.
The above is not intended to be ex-
haustive, but only suggestive. The
changes suggested will not come about
of themselves without thought and
action. Neither will any other ad-
justment Of our present deep-seated
troubles.
| Above all things. our farmers must
better educate themselves, so as to
know how to be Independent of trick
sters- We can not change the habits