The Atlanta constitution., 1900-11-19
Bill Rrp'S Loft6r

grin and is only skin deep. They are
pretty thick around here now since the
election and so between mourning with
the Bryan men and rejoicing with the re-
publicans my countenance has lost It's
normal and natural condition and 1t is
hard to tell whether | am crying or smii-
ing. We did not know that there were
more than a dozen respectable Mckinley
ties iii the community, but it turns out
that there were scores of them. Nearly
~ of tn p,utocrats voted that way on
the sound money platform. They lend
money ana want 1t paid back In gold. A
Sood many farmers who have some cotton
on hand were ed to believe that 1t would
go W again to 10 or Il cents if Mckinley
vas elected. but II dropped 10 points the
day after the election. But it is all over
aOw and the wheels keep rolling on. Let
tGem roll. The mIll!Onaires and pluto
Gratis can't eat their money or wear It
ont. II IS obliged To go back to the toll
or&. the pcGpic. IN some way. The Stand
AKA Oh Company declared a dividend
yesterday Of 20 per cent, but Rockefeller
don't hoard il. lie gives away u big slice
20 educa ton and utiizes the rest. What
q blessed thing 1t is, that man can't
ttGc his money with him when he dies.
Ii he could | reckon we poor folks woIld
perish out N q generation. After all
is not money that brings happiness.
good living. competency honestly earn
Cd, brings far more happiness than riches.
This KIND OF talk is 4,000 years old. but
the people don't believe it yet; everybody
wants money. a big pile of money; l
Tou.d like IL myself: l want some for
rainy day and some to give away, but we
arc not in Distress and never have been,
though for some years of the war and
jusJ after we we're on the ragged edge
Talk about prosperity, | saw 1t last week
over IN South Carolina. There Is nice
little town over there called Prosperity,
bus | didn see IL. | went to the odd
town OF Darlington. | was there eighteen
years ago. Ii was "A good old town then,
ndt it has renewed its youth and taken
on new life and l hardly knew the place
Cotton mills ami oil mills ana good farm
.us nave done it. The cotton crop of that
county is 30,0Oo bales and the tobacco crop
was 6000,GcJ pounds and 1t brought haif as
much money as the cotton crop. Fifteen
years ago there was not a pound for sac
raised in The county. They didn't know It
would grow there. Now there are three
iarge warehouses. where II is auction q
OF every day. l attended the auctions
and it was a revelation to me. The FAR
nIers' wagons were unloading all around
and their tobacco was piled up neatly IN
long rows ana their names and the num-
ber OF pounds written on a card and stuck
in the split end of a little white pine
stick and that was stuck in the center of
the pie. For an hour or two before the
auction begins the buyers from Richmond
ard Winston ana Durham and Liyerpoo,
and o;her markets went al around and
examined the quality of every pile and
took notes. The auctiOneer talked So fast
1 could not understand him. but the buy
ers did. | reckon there We're two or three
hundred piles in each warehouse and the
auctioneeT and the crowd went from PIKE
to pile and sold each one where it was. !
heard some knocked down as low as
cents and some as high a. ~ cents. There
is one curious rule about tobacco auctions
that does not apply to any other auction.
The farmer can reject the highest bid
and keep his tobacco. IL he and his boys
have resolved that their crop shall bring
20 cents a pound and il brings only 10 he
turns the card down and takes his to-
b2cco home or maybe hauIs ii around to
anolher warehouse, where the same buy
ers nnd il next day and maybe bid over
- cents for it. This is one of the tricks
of the trade. The difference between the
grades was hardly percepuble to my
eyes, but the buyers know. 1t was al a
bright yellow. but some was brittle and
Wormeaten and some was soft and plant
as d Kid glove This was bought for
wrappers. This evolution has come with
in ten years. and is increa asng every
year, for an acre of good tobacco will
bring 500 and ii costs only So 10 cuiti-
vatc it. My friend. Mr. williamson the
banker, told me ne had thirty-iive acres
planted this year and it netted him So
per acre. There is another evolution in
Darlington county. Ten years ago no
wheat was grown there. Now every far
mer sows wheat and a large flour mill
has recently been built. 1t was the same
way in middle Georgia. Unit. about five
years ago all that region was under the
ban. and the farmers did not pretend to
grow wheat. Now they make more wheat
to the acre, all around Griffin and Barnes
Vile than We can make in north Georgia.
And 50 evolution and revolution is going
ON, but they don't give Mckinley credit
for Il in South Carolina. 1t is amusing TO
hear them tell about the prosperous ne
groes over there. Between cotton and to-
bacco they pocket pile OF money. and
spend nearly every dollar before they
leave town. One man sold them thirty
seven Rock Hin buSgios in one week,
ana MI. w l-lldilSOn loIu me Oh Il udrkN
VINO drew $57 and spent $50 of it that day
for fine gun and a pointer dos lie
Will be begging his landlord for an all
vance before Christmas. | had "A deiiSht-
full time at Darlington and BennettsviIIe
and B.shopville and last 1T Rock Hill.
BishOpvile ought to be named Sweet
Auburn, the .oyeliest village of the plain"
| found old friends and acquaintances at
every place and was honored far beyond
my deserving. My wife hasent got me
back in the traces yet. Near Bishopville
/ found an old time friend. Mrs. Reid,
the sister of my schoolmates. Ned Gould
ing and John. and of Frank Goulding.
wEO wrote the Young MarounerS." Sne
is now eighty-nine years old and came
nimbiy down the steps TO meet me. Her
husband preached in Mt. Zion church,
in the Mt. Zion graveyard, where that
eminent missionary divine. Leighton Will
son is buried. The tears xlistened in the
dear old lady's eyes as We talked of her
honored father. DIR. Gouldins. and the old
people of Columbus. who had passed over
the river.
And Rock Hill was another revelation.
1t is a beautiful little city of 5000 people
gest buggy factory in the south. Ii turns
out 1900 a year. ali kinds and prices.
from a darkey's cheap vehicle for $50. to
a rubber tire for $50.
And then the college girls. oh, my
country. Four hundred full grown girls
i'm uniform. and they looked so happy.
and healthy, and loving. that | found my
again" 1t made me feel sad to reflect
that all these girls were born to be mated