The Van Buren press., 1898-12-24
FARMER PLANTER.
THE CROP OF THE SLAVE.
Another Chapter for Cotton Planters 10 D'-
rest, from the Pen of H. G. SEN
Ter. Of DallRs, Tex.

Il
rives uncertainty to all business anu
,nnlzes the most conservative plans ana
calculations merely fitting and aelu-
si,a images Of fancy. Is sweeps away
=, = efnrle season the aecumulatIens
,f ,saprs of toll and self-sacr1tlce Win
=. oTx fault on the part of the loser
po,a devotion 10 his business. II aaos
larselv 10 The maintenance cost Oh lhe
Fo,,s,er without increasing the proht
- ~ merchant. The bankruptcy
nnu,1s which have Just begun opera
t5,as are holding inquests on many
Texas estate that 20 years age gave
,,rsInise of growth to fortune. IN iiosi
.osas the unfortunate one VIII 1esaly
,ba5 the credit system brought him 10
rrief. His ledger shows an abundance
~ asse4s. but they are not convertible
into cash.
The tenant borrows from the land
lord. the landlord from the merchants
fbe merchant from the banker, VINO III
turn discounts the paper in the east.
the banker bases the transaction up
on the prospective cotton eroPi 1he
merchant stipulates for cotton IN hls
ernp mortgage; the landlord IN ms
lease contract provides that the tenant
shaO PROV little else that cotton. In
tbpf brief statement, which epitomizes
the industrial situation from the gun
To the Rio Grande, there is full e@-
nlanntion of all the woes OF the texas
farmer. He is indeed a slave who can
moi choose his own occupation. II Is
no exarperatian TO say that two-thlfds
of The cotton raised in Texas is pant
cd llpon oampnlsion. To be sure, the
hebit is becoming fixed, and the IN
fortunate victim may not desire 10
ehanpe III. but that does not IN any de-
cree alter his real situation. Neither
did most of the slaves desire 10 De
free.
The cotton industry is the author OF
the credit system as we have IT. Meth
or could exist without the other. Both
are widely at variance with eoSrect
methods of economy and finance. The
money lender calls for an exclusive
cotton crop because he thinks II WILL
at any price, enable him 10 make
prompt collection Of his loan. The ultl-
mate effect upon the borrower and
upnn the country at large are matters
/ that do moi enter INTO his calculations.
| Similar considerations induce the land
| lord TO require the tenant 10 make cot
ton his only market crop. The system
| eoufemplates eight months Of borrow
inc upon expectancy and four months
OF LIQUIDATION At the best. il pits
eirht months Of losing business
against four months Of profit for all
commercial enterprises. The merchant
attempts 10 provide against possible
losses by marking up the prices Of ms
goods. The cotton grower, whether
tenant or q land owner, pays from
twenty Il fifty per cent extra for his
supplies because OF the hazard con
1 neefed with the credit extended him
Experience has proved that the sys
TEN is ruinous 10 both buyer and seller
The margin for loss is large enough tc
oppress one, but not sufficient to pro
tect the other. In a certain large
| Texas town, that ] could name, only
one retail firm whose business is Of
any importance, has survived the
! storms Of one decade. The wrecks
have been numerous. Again ! refer Il
the bankruptcy courts for further
light on this phase Of the subject.
il would be work of supereroga
tion 10 tell of the many evils that flow
from the credit system. All desire Il
escape from il, but few realize the ir
Temediable nature of the paralysis
that il imposes upon human energy
and ambition. il cannot be doubted
that much cf the apathy and hstless
ness that are commonly attributed Il
climatic causes are really the offspring
Of sullen acceptance of a hopeless situ
ation. Even the bird that was FREE
loses the boldness and cheerfulness o
his song when imprisoned. though tht
bars Of his cage may be gilded.
In every age and with all peoples
agriculture has been prosperous onll
when based upon the principle Of self
maintenance. and the sale of surplus
rge. Enough is disclosed in Hol,
Writ Of the methods Of Abraham an,
has Immediate successors. who wer,
mostly stock farmers, TO show tha
they thoroughly understand and fol
lowed that system. Had il been 9th
erwise, we may be sure they woul,
have needed the crop mortgage an,
courts of bankruptcy in that earl,
age. Solomon in looking about 70
beings that were exceedingly wise.
selected the ant, the cony, the locus
and the spider for his Illustrations
The ANTS because they "are a peopl
mot strong yet they prepare thei
meat in the summer What woul,
Solomon have said Of folks who de
. pend upon the production and sale o
fow-cent cotton for the means to can
Gel mortgages and also 10 buy mea
10 winter?
The credit system and the Gro,
mortgage shut out the farmer fron
fhe opportunity 10 achieve independ
cnce because they concentrate his at
. len1on On single crop and that un
iemunerGuve. Let the reader loo
p around and observe how small is tn
number OF farms which export NOR
lhan they import. Cotton at fou
cents can not buy what is needed 4
D PRO" IL. The purchasing power of a.
acre OF cotton is not sufficient 10 eoui
The Drawn and muscle necessary Z
Z cultivate and gather il. That all-iu
lortant fact ought 10 be ernblazone
on every school blackboard in tn
country Err,,e1,- g a.