The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-02-22
MUTUAL

ThCic is no universal law that could
be passed III this land Of liberty to stop
the over production of any commodity.
That can only be accomplished by the
mutual agieomont OF the producers to
curtail the production of the article
Owe produced. 1t is well known that
on account of the high prices given for
cotton III the fist part of the year of
1897, the farmers planted in the South
ern States every patch of land that
they were heir TOO with cotton seed,
ard the result of that uncallcd Tor
action landed into the markets of the
world 900 900 bales of cotton more
than the people of the world had any
use for, thereby five cent cotton. Nor
vas thai all, through Mckinley having
been elected President confidence was
restored among business men. Thus
the vaults of the bankers were unlock
cd and money that had been kept idle
Tor years was freely loaned. The cot
ton manufacturers among the rest took
advantage of the changed conditions
and started up their mills all over the
country, and that too, in the face of a
flooded market, and at the same time
the pockets the great consumers, the
working people, entirely empty. With
all OF that some of the mills kept run,
ming night and day until the money
that was borrowed was used M. Then
the time had come when they were
compelled to sell their goods at figures
lower than tho curreut market prices,
which 1t seems produced Il balance
sheet thtt put the manufacturers on
the wrong side of the fence, which
brought about a cut in their operatives
wages. That rs a consequence, tend
ed to make matters worse through cur
failing the purchasing power of tn,
consumers. Therefore, we find tina
the consumption OF clothing and tn,
commodities that sustain lie is 25 pc
cent less to-day than they were ) wear!
ago. Naturally enough the poorer tn,
laboring classes are the less is con
Sumcd, and no one, we think, can dis
putc the fact that The laboring clas>c,
have had Il continuous spell of iClcncs
and poverty for the last four years.
The hue and cry that one sees in tn,
papers about The cut down of the ware.
OF the Operatives in the North is no
recorded because the writer's have AN,
desire 20 amclioratc the working man
condition, for if their feelings tlowc,
III that direction M would think tha
they would have discovered before nov
that they had an ample field to exer
rlsc their bcncvolcncc among the State
in the South.
Yes, the wages Of the cotton mill on
tr tives have been cut down, and W,
are Old the cotton operatives in tn,
South are the sole cause of il
We notice however. that if the work
ing classes in the cotton mills in tn,
North wages are cut down. tina. the
wages OF the wOOllcn shOldv and cal
pet operatives have been advanced [,
the scale that they we've paid in 1888
the year that the tariff Tor rev cnuc
gentlemen, d~cmorallzcd tie bu>iurs.
OF the country and Landed 'hc laburing
classes into universal ruin. We notice
also thai the wages OF the coal miners
foundry men and others general,
throughout the North have been ad,
Vanccd, but of course, TO take an. no
tee OF such small matters as that would
tend to take the glare of The im,,rcs.
sl0ns that the political writer's task
lhci brains to create. Some men ar,
knowingly ilying to ruin their country
TO obtain their selfish ends, and these
ends are place, power and sclf.-Icr-
tile ErcclSiOr.