The Grenada sentinel., 1898-10-01

ability. The slaves did not have TO
decide what TO plant nor how to marke,
the crop. One man might direct yhe
work of thousand. He saw that tC
produce cotton at profit, even when
cotton was selling at from twelve tC
fifteen cents per pound, it was neces,
sary to raise all the food supplies for
man and beast. Under that system
the South increased in wealth more
rapidly than any other agricultural
country in the world ever did, tie
value Of Southern property, according
to the United States census reports.
| having increased between 1850 and
1860 from S2,S00, 900. 900, to S6, 800, ,000,- =
900, gain Of SO, sou, 900, 600, against an
increase for the same period in the
New England and Middle States COM
bined of only 81, 460 600, 900. This pros
perity was not due TO slavery, but
was in spite of slavery's drawback, and
was a result Of the full development
of well-round7d economic system
under which the South raised nearly
all Of its food supplies and made cotton
surplus crop. After the war high
prices for cotton turned the energies
Of farmers almost exclusively TO col-
ton, thus forcing the South to buy an
nually over slOO,000,00O Of Western
corn and provisions. The negro farm
or, no longer having anyone to direct
his work, and wish an eye single to
what would bring anywhere and my
day the ready cash, abandoned every
thing but cotton, and the majority of
the small white farmer did likewise.
Under this system they steadily year
by year grew poorer, for everything
they made was eaten up by the nigh
prices paid for provisions and the ex-
Torbitant charges for advances made by
factors and commission merchants.
In the South the cotton middleman.
whose name is legion-the factor, the
commission merchant, the country
buyer. the sampler tn" omr"ess
owner-have all taken toll out Of cot
ton and all lived on the farmer,
getting the lions share OF the profit.
very naturally, as class they have
been bitterly opposed to any change
in present methods, just as III" factors
bitterly opposed the raising of bread
and meat at home. The commission
merchant who advanced credit to the
planter on crop lien and then sup
piled him at high price with Western
corn and bacon, New England calico
and Western agricultural tools, could
net, unless an unusually broad-minded
man, have been other than opposed to
the farmers raising their own food
supplies. The farmer who ceased to
devote all his time and attention to
cotton thereby ceased to be a good
customer for Western provisions. and
in proportion as he increa sed in tinan-
cial independence became less depen-
dent upon the commission merchant
for costly credit purchases. OF course.
many merchants were far-sighted en-
ough to look beyond the present and to
see that agricultural diversity meant
more general prosperity, even though
it might cause a loss Of trade in hand
ling the slOO,OO0,00O Of Western stuff
which was annually bought by the
South. This was only one OF the in
Vulnerable and ever-arisng cases
where the individual must temporarily
suffer for the general good.
but, VIC OPpOSAVAOd
OF the mercantile interests, more gen.
orally shown in acts than by words,
the downward tendency Of cotton COM
PEELED farmers to turn their attention
to other crops, and now the South is
more nearly selfsupportng than at any
time since the var. Even now, how
ever, the Central South IS not yet
raising as much corn or rs many hogs |
as it did forty years ago, notwithstand-
ing the fact that in the meantime pop
ulation has largely more Than doubled.
IF the South will make the best OF |
the situation it will find the following
compensating advantages to partly, if
not wholly, offset low prices
Il. 4 permanent control OF the
worlds cotton trade.
SO. Steadily-increasing agricultural
diversity and prosperity.
"3. A very rapid gain in cotton
~. By.reason OF these last two cordi-
tions, fewer middlemen between the |
producer and the consumers.
1.-THE temporary loss to the middle
men who now live on the farmer will
cause them TO turn their attention to
productive industry to thess betterment
OF all classes.
"When cotton was ten cents per
pound difference OF one ceht per
pound between the cost to IL New
England mill and u Southern mill was
only 10 per cent; but with cotton at
five cent a pound this difference Of one
cent becomes 20 per cent, against the
New England mills, and they find the
margin so great that they are being
forced South. Then there are many
changes and improvements in cotton
handling which can be introduced to
lessen the burden of charges on cotton
between tho planter and the manufac.
turer-burten which no@ fall almost
entirely upon the growc". The i'm
provement in baling which for years
has been urged upoh the South will in
Itself be great step forward, and the
round bale system alone, taking the
cotton at the gin, putting into bat
and winding lap by lap w,.n ouo Com
preston only, thus doing away with
double compress charges md doubling
handling as nov. reducing Insurance
and in many ways saving expenses,
/