The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-08-31

and reared upon cotton plantation In
Troup county. Georgia, who moved to
Montgomery, Ala, upon reaching man
hood, and established himself in business
He achieved moderate success, but al
ways felt that yearning for the soil which
is felt by so many southerners away from
the plantation. At length he resolved to
return to the country and apply, with
hired labor, the methods of cotton rails"
ing which his father had applied III ante
bellum days. He bought tract or lana
in the Alabama cotton belt, built com
Portable cabins, hired several negro fam
lilies, selected the best of modern imple-
ments and fertilizers, and by good man
agement made such a success that cap
italists have offered to buy an unlimited
amount of land for him if he will under
take to organize upon it a modern plan
tation system. a number of other men
have received instruction from his ex-
ample and his whole community is tend
ing to change from the renting and crop
ping system to the system of the panta-
ton This is not an isolated case, but
seems to be an earnest of a general move
ment. The great new peach orchards of
middle Georgia further illustrate the re-
cent tendency toward the plantation sys-
tenn and it's adaptation to a variety Of
crops.
Would Bring Order Out of Chaos.
When the plantation comes to be re-
established prcdomnantly in the fertile
parts of the south, it will bring order out
of the existing chaos. BY introducing
system in place of haphazard work, it
will lower the cost of production, in
crease the output. and enable the south to
tor, of c
other needed supplies. 1t will infuse d
spirit OF thrift into the southern com
munty for the competition of plantation
managers for the market will not permit
of incidence
The plantation system offers to the south
the best means of offsetting the ignorance
and lazinesS of the negro laborers. 1t
offers profitable work for blacksmiths
engineers, millers, carpenters and other
artisans. AS in a factory or great busl-
ness concern. the system, when thorough
~ developed, will put premium upon
ability and enterprise. Capable men Will
be promoted to responsible positions And
vet ii need not involve any hardship upon
the ordinary laborer. further than the
requirement of regul.- hours OF Work.
Under present conditions the average ne
gro cropper or renter lives from hand to
mouth WIN an extremely low Stdliuetih "
living. Money wages would be much bet
ter Savings facilities could well be estab-
lished, and perhaps also a proht-sharng
| system The unenterprising whites would
be drawn off to tho factories, or they
! would continue as small farmers, learn
| ing improved methods from the neighbor
| ing plantations.
Experience Has Taught.
The great fault of the antc-bellum sys-
| TEN of plantations lay in its excessive
| devotion to the staple crops, aud III its
! encouragement of manufacturing ana
| other forms of industry. But the expert
ence of later years has destroyed the
| belief in the omnipotence of raw cotton.
| The PLANTER of today and tomorrow must
accent his place as only one OF many
captains of industry, without expecting
| to become the autocratic master OF pro-
| duction or of politics in the country
ANY modern system must take tone
from the active, pushing world of today
! but in essentials the plantations OF Ola
| could again look with hope to the system
| which produced the fine type OF the souti-
| ern gentlemen of the old regime. l ne
present heterogeneous conditions can only
| he transitional. The prevalence OF SINAI
| farms would be the prevalence OF meui-
| ocllty and stagnation. The hope OF inc
| south IS in the application of the principe
| of the division of labor to agricultural
| production.