The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-11-24
PULL TOGETHER NEXT PEAR
The Farmer and Retail Merchant
Will be Caught Between the
Upper and Neither Mill Stones of
Wall Street If They do not Pitch
Next Years Crop on the Smallest
Possible Cost,

Upper and Neither Mill Stones of
Wall Street if They do not Pitch
Next Years Crop on the Smallest
Possible Cost.
The following editorial from the
Atlanta Constitution is so timely and
to the point that we publish it in full
and hope all may study it with profit
to themselves and the community at
large.
The letter referred to compliments
the Constitution on the position it has
taken along with many, other South
ern papers, on the exposure Of Mr..
Neill in his cotton estimate and ad
vising the farmers to hold cotton
when possible.-Ed. Times.
TO THE COUNTRY MERCHANT.
eve are in receipt of letter repre-
senting the views OF j. Z. aud w. f.
Henderson, Of Enterprise, Alabama.
X y ::
Such words Of coumendation from
a country merchant are fully appre-
ciated by The Constitution Our eff
fort from the beginning has been to
build up the South, not one class
more than another, but all equally,
because every class in some way dove
tails into every other, and any effort
| to discriminate would work evil.
The presentation Of this iudorse-
ment by our Alabama friends affords
US an opportunity Of discussing
| phrase OF our industrial situation
which may not have been sufficiently
developed heretofore In the South
ern States the country merchant holds
q position Of great responsibility
Upon his shoulder there is devolved
the duty Of carrying" his farmer
friends on the one side, and Of main
taiuiug the commercial credit OF his
state upon the other. The Atlanta or
Savannah merchant may have a wider
swath Of business, and his Opera
lions may reach up into the millions,
but he represents, after all, city con-
ditions and city interests. His deal
ings are with New York and Boston,
and he necessarily partakes Of the
traditions which go with great COM
mercial ceuters. But the country
merchant, in the town Of 5000 in
habitants or under, is near to the
people. He has not been educated
|
| their conditions as no man in a large
city can. The city merchant deals
with other merchants with the aid of
Bradstreet or Of Dunn; the couutry
merchant deals with the man who
sits in his farm wagon, aud has at
once TO fill the role Of credit man,
seller and adviser. Thus by point of
natural placement he is in the place
where he can exercise untold power
for good or for evil.
In, the discussion of the present
year it was plain that the farmer was
about to be cheated out Of the fruits
Of his labor. On the one side was
the merchant with matured claims
! which had to be met; on the other
| ehe larmer who vuuld not meet If
without sacrificing his crop. The
SITUATION was grave, and it re-
quired the utmost good faith and for
Dearance to pull through without in.
jury to either. The Constitution hos
abundant evidence, such as furnished
in the letter quoted, that the country
merchant, appreciating the situation
did his full duty by his customers
Bllls were delayed, accommodations
were given, and through the exercise
OF mutual confidence the farmer was
enabled to get more for his cotton !
and the merchants sales are ENLARGED |
by the consequent ability Of custom
ers to buy. The gravest crisis which |
could have been met has been bridred |
over, and now, that we have time i,
IS we'll to study out what we should
do in the future.
As has been indicated, debt j. the
weapon winch drives farmers into nm
early and disastrous market. Snin-
herS ana spectators ia perfect har
tn"ny, understand this fact. and nlsv
upon it. Batfled this year. the far.
eign purchasers for $500, 600 600
worth of lint cotton will stand tonaib.
er TO smash the farmer In September
Of 1900. The crushing nature Of tbis
years defeat will blind them the more
closely in the effort to recoup for
what they have lost. If, in the bitch.
ing OF next years crop, the farmer
goes eXtravasantly into debt, or
makes bills which must be foreclosed
IN Septem ber or October, there will
hc probability Of the most intense
b"ar squeezing ever seen. This ia tbo
danger ahead for the South. and
against which we must provide.
The country merchant holds the
key to the situation He is the :
l5radS'reet of his locality. He it is
who must guage the rating of every
farmer in his section. If the countrv
merchant, each acting at homo will r
'evise his credit list, and extend his :,
accommodation to all who are worthy T
le can then enter upon the further {,
ask OF dlscouraging debt making as a
ar ms he can. As the friend and adj. d
'isor of his customer, as well as n1er.
.b0nt he cop chou b;,,, a. n,