The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-12-16
SNAIL PLACES AaD DIVERSIFIED FAaNNo-THE aEMI0Y


AIlAYTand necessity are Tie powers tat control man. They
4 change his life, habits and means Of living. There IS hardly 4
home u the South. especially in Mississippi thathas depended upon King
|C0ttDn alone for success but what want and necessity aestandlng at the
door demanding that lie be dethroned and more republican form Be- lnstf-
tuted On the farm. 1t must &c done % save BIS people and hs homes. 40
business can exist with thesmal profit that ISL today paid the cotton planter
for bis products The condition Of a majority Of our large planters IS such
that miles money can be borrowed at lower rate Of Interest they cannot
pay up with cotton de eight cent, and buy everything, as they DO. that ID
tkestO run their places at much higher profit over production.
The question Is, what SHALL do to be sayedF" Our advice is. to
first find out what your Indebtedness island then sell enonghof your farm To
pay I4 Experience has taught Us that cotton at hye or SIX cents win not
pay ten per cent interest It may do il one year but with the drouths
rains, bugs and other life sucking robbers Of the cotton account youwll lind
that In il period Of three or FIVE wears you VIA be no better on tlan when
you started. We venture to say here that many q large planter who dd
not owe cent last yem, GA account Of this bad fal. will start on Ia so
thousands in debt and those who were badly behind will go under or be
slaves forthe next ten years to come il not till death, 10 tile banks or 10
the money lenders Of the land.
But by selling off some or your land and paying your Indebtedness cot
tor win no longer rule you. Tue merchant Or the banker cannot demand
Of you 10 or 10000 bales. and for once in your life you can say what you win
plant and as yourtnterst and te markets demand, plant IT, Then, as Jao
Redhead says in hts letter, diversity your crops, raise your own stock"
and IL will not be but a few years before the whistle Of some mill near your
farm viii teal you to grind your corn or gin your cotton but to weave ID
into cloth Another advantage In dividing the large farms into small ones,
wlichwil settle thrifty people, the lands viii be made more valuable
VIII improve the system Of education for it will increase tile citizenship Of
n|eghborhood with white people who can help support a school. tt
will demand better churches and preachers for better houses win be erected
ndsaaries paid.
Our cotton, which today is finding competition with the cotton Of India
p the Eastern market and which lna flew years il not already viii control
It's price, will, by intelligence and experiments given it by the small farm
9s be heightened in staple until 70 country On the globe can equal ii, and
Tor that reason. doubling Its value. It win drive worthless labor from the
farms and replace t by the willing and intelligent class us every owner VIII
his own manager When such is done aud not until then viii tie South
prosperous for on the farmers depends tile success of every business enter
Letepery large planter in the Delta consult his own interest In this
natter and III he finds out what we have submitted above is his remedy for
Elf and family but to bis country and state 70 better his condition IL