The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1897-09-17

| aoYAl BAKING po~pEa CO.. hfM YORK
wrote the railroad company, who wa.
kind(?) enough To offer rates of s. q
ear from Sparr to Ocala, provided We
contracted for two ear loads a day fol
six months. The regular price from
Spar to Ocala on car loads is s.. I0)
There is 900 worth of wood rotting
all around me because it cannot be
gotten to those that want it. And
yet, we are told to hustle" to tickle
the earth with a nine pound hoe".
I'll admit that this is very fine in
print, but it don't wash. Why
While we poor and apparently God
fOrsaken farmers are battling with
drouth, cut worms, weeds, CATER
pillars, etc, and the mercury at 96o In
the shade, are our merchants trying
to solve the problem of what they are
to do with our products? Are our
lawyers rackng their brain to devise
some plan by which they can do five
minutes writing for one of us for less
than SO and live; or are our honorable
of1ice-hOlders lying awake nights
studying some way by which they can
live and work for less, that our taxes
may be reduced? Are we, politically,
the Drawn and sinew Of this glorious
country of ours, never TO hear any
other advice but "hustle"" Are we
nothing but beasts, that we must hus-
tie to live, and live to hustle? Such
advice makes me tired. And, again,
two years ago the papers and mer-
chants and even the all-powerful rail-
road companies gave the "back bone"
of our state to understand that our
only salvation was in cotton, and the
railroad companies even went SO far
as to furnish us seed. Result: The
market opened at cents and dropped
to , cents; and man could not make
81 day, even though he got all the
cotton he picked. This year, so the
New York World states, cotton is |
cent higher than last, while we, the
producers, are obliged to sell ut q to 3
cents per pound, or ] cent less than
last year, besides being made to feel
that we are under everlasting obliga-
tions if we get even this. | agree
with Mr.. Campbell in all he says, and
am glad to see that some one has been
bold enough to venture out on the
right track, and double be his praise if
it so be that he is unfortunate enough
to owe any merchant an account.
What we farmers really need is more
hnstling among the merchants. Fol-
low the example of Mr. Moody of Citra,
and get move on you. Find us a
market for what we can produce and
we will do our part. II you could
convince your market men that 10
cents per bushel on potatoes is enough
profit, and that he ought not charge
more than 40 cents per bushel-we
can raise them for 30 cents-he will
find that he can sell a great many
more, thereby furnishing much
larger market to the producer. And
as to corn and the fault found of wevil
in tiff the merchants were to refuse
to handle any other until our surplus
was exhaused we could sell our corn
in the winter and spring, and buy in
the summer and fall, thereby saving
what the wevil now destroys. Now,
merchants, do for Gods sake and the
salvation of the poor struggling
farmer, ''get move on you" Come
out and meet us and let us devise
some way by which we can better our
condition. Don't you think it rather
one-sided to expect us to buy from you
and you refuse to buy from us? Don't
you think it enough for you TO set the
price on your goods and ours too?
Say, what do you suppose an old
farmer would think if he was 10 &c
into the stores of Ocala, and, instead
CT the familiar old greeting, "What
can I do for you today?" the head o.
the firm would step up and say
"What will you take for your cotton
corn, eggs, potatoes, and syrup"
Can you imagine the effect it woulC
have? Can you hear that old farmer
! talking about it to his neighbOrs
Say, people, there is a hen on, and
from the tone of Mr. C.'s letter, we car
look forward to what it is going t.
hatch. There's going to be change
and just such men as Mr.. Campbell
will bring it about. All we lack il
unison. Let's get together, and if ou
merchants wont help us, let's hell
ourselves. Where there is a will ther'
is always way.
CARLOS l.. HARTER.