The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-06-29
Ruin For Agriculture in the south.

Washington last week Mr.. j Pok'
Brown. Of Georgia, testified.
Mr. j. Poke Brown, Of Georgia, il
president Of the agricultural society oi
his state, and an extensive planter il
the southwestern section Of Georgia.
lie did not think the agricultural
conditions Of the south are prosperous.
lie thought there is today more labor
employed in the south than at the be-
ginning Of the war. This is the result
Of natural increase in the population.
The negroes are increasing in numbers
and the statistics do not show the en-
tire increase There is no immigration
there. There are more people plowing
barefooted, bareback, and hungry than
he had seen since the war. The labor
ers Of the south have less Of the COM
forts and even necessities of life than
ever before. The landholders have
lost ground in the last few years. The
small farmer who does his own work :,
and stays at home does better than the
extensive farmer. These have the nec-
essities, but not any or few Of the lux
uries. Their prosperity, so far as it ex-
lists, is merely the result Of the fact
that they do all their own work, and
in that way they keep out Of trouble.
But both among extensive and small
farmers il is all the agriculturists can
do to keep out Of debt The tendency
is for them to get into debt and to lose
their places.
CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.
The trouble with the south is not
with the soil or the climate, and he
was satisfied IL was not to large ex-
tent because Of the tariff. because they
buy things from the west that they
could raise themselves and on which
there is no tariff. The south has also
been forced by conditions TO raise only
cotton. II was the only crop on which
they could raise money TO tide them
over for the year He believed in di-
versified crops. and in the last year
he had succeeded IN raising nearly
everything he needed and which form
erly he had bought, and had been able
also to sell corn, butter sirup, potaotes,
&c. The trouble with the negro was
that he could not be induced to use i'm
proved implements. and he believed
that the negroes are the great detri-
ment to the south
THE negroes, " he said. love water
melons better than any other people on
the face of the earth, but they do not
want to make watermelons. "
When they have improved imple'
ments put in their hands they break
them, and they don't want to use
them
WANTS TO GET RID OF THE NEGROES.
He believed ir separating the
races. He wanted to get rid Of the
negroes and TO have white immigra-
tion come from other countries. The
Fitzgerald colony in Georgia has
shown that white settlements were
success in the south. This colony is
advancing, and the town established in
its midst is being rapidly improved.
No negro is allowed to own any prop
erty in this town He had no sugges-
tion as to the place where the negro
should be colonized. His experience
was that the negro would have hard
time getting along away from white
men, and they did not, he thought,
want to leave their present homes. One
negro had told him that Bishop Turner
could go to Africa is he wanted to, but
he didn't propose to do it. He thought
the relations between the white and
colored people would gradually get
worse than they are now. although his
own relations with his colored laborers
had been very friendly. If the negroes
could be put somewhere else he was
satisfied that white immigrants
would come in.
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION NEEDED.
The south also needed agricultural
education, as the education now given
there tended only to make the boys feel
that they would not have to learn.
There are no opportunities there for
much professional work, and the people
must work with their hands in some
way and they are not trained for it,
He had paid all the way from ten to
twenty-five per cent. a year for money.
When money is borrowed on land Sc
curities for a period of five years the
commission is so high that it really
amounted to fifteen or twenty per cent
year.
Referring again to the negro problem
in the South, he said the negro would
retroorade if left alone. That would
be the first effect, at any rate, though
he did not know what the result OF
agricultural education might be for the
negro. He had seen numerous cases OF
negroes accommodating money, but they
universally lost what they had after
while. OF course, white men lose their
property, but with the negro such loss
was universal The per cent Of colored
men in Georgia who become lands own
ers is very small. He had had hopes
that the negro would advance in his
ability TO become self-supporting, but
he had been disappointed. They are
careless in their methods and are natu-
rally averse to the use Of improved inn
plements.
LOCAL OPTION LAWS.
The State of Georgia had done what
it could to discourage the drinking OF
whiskey by negroes. as that III out OF