The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-12-07
CHANGE NEEDED.
soME TIMELx sTGaEsEIoNS no
THE LAND OWNERS.


TaE LAND OWNERS.
Present Ruinous Practices Must BE
Stopped and q Better Bystem
Agreed On.
Working our farms with ''atandipg
wages hands" iB fast becoming . thing
of the past, SAYS the Southern Quilt
vator. The greater part Of u ne
gr0es much prefer to work on shares
rs hhey term IL or to rent tho land.
The majority of 0ur farmers have
been very lax In their methods Of
making contracts. A moro verbal
agreement was entered into, whereby
the landlord was to furnish 10 many
acres Of land TO be cultivated on
shares, or for 80 many pounds
of lint cotton. Very few land.
lords have any definite understanding
as how this land is to be kept up;
how fertilized; how plowed and Quilt.
waited and whab crops were to be
planted. The idea has been for tho
negro TO plant and make all the cot.
ton possible and this was all. Now
we think tho time has arrived for o
radical change and according to our
best Judgement, 1T should be executed
something like this:
l, There should be q written con.
tract. The negro ia free, and while
the majority do nothing but abuse
this freedom, still we had as we'll be-
gin to adjust our methods TO this con.
dition and treat with him az q free
agent. but put proper and necessary
restrictions upon him. No n oan
enter upon a contract with another
without assuming certain conditions,
and these conditions should DO clearly
set forth and their fulfllment duly
demanded.
2. The preservation Of the soil
should be demanded and q forfeit for
oil failure to keep up terraces and
suoh safeguards fully agreed upon.
s. Some system looking to the ro-
tation Of crops should slao be demand-
ed.
4. just how much was TO be furn-
iBhed rs the work on the crop pro-
/ q lOpoOu bhoNNo tsidO no olCSkly EOU
forth.
If any one can suggest other or Of
fer q better form Of contract our COL
umns are open to them. We 80 often
hear mon making remarks like these
II would like TO farm If I could cou
troll labor" II oan not geb a negro
to take any care Of the land" II
can not make them work like I want
TO-" etc., and there Is universal DOM.
plant Of the unsatisfactory condition
Of negro labor. Now she question
arises, Who Is going to rule? If we
tamely submit we will certainly be
run over,
We may have moro o. less clash by
undertaking to haya o rational agree
mont, but as VIC conceive it, tits ours
to dictate the termB, and then IL ID
left with them to accept or not. The
sooner we begin some rational sys.
tom, the better for both parties. We
are fully aware there are many far.
mers Of that foroeful character that
simply rule on their premises, and
they have been enabled TO get along
we'll, but others are not constituted
this way and they suffer.
The strong should help the weak,
and those who y do without o writ.
ten contract, should use one to help
their neighbors. All other countries
have o system and we must have ono,
too If we wish the best soaults In our
farm operations. We admire the
example Of Mi. j. o. Strjbling, OF
Pendleton, 8. O. He says no tenant
oan stay on his land who will not
agree to SOW down one third Of his
land every year, or carry out a regu-
lar three year rotation Of grain, oorn
and cotton. Thia 10 good business;
in the end 1t will be beneficial to Mr..
Stribling, to his land and to the ne.
gro tenant.
OF course, negro laborers are
going to get worse and worae each
year as long as We submit to
their trifing and careless ways. 1t
10 simply q question o. who is going
to dictate terms We do not advo-
cate wroIging tho negro In any way,
but If we are to dwell together in uni
ty and for the upbuiding Of our agricul
tur8l interest, Then we must begin q
more rational and exaoting system of
demands upon them for tho proper
carrying out all labor contracts.
We call upon all our readers not to
make trades for another year without
a written contract and put III In there
how they are TO improve the land,
about terraces, rocks, Btumps, gullies,
CALLED spots and what they are TO
planB and how they arc to cultivate
1t. 1t Ia q little trouble, but ID will
pay both ways-it will pay In calling
your attention more closely to the
needs Of your land, and it will pey In
getting the negro TO do som0 better.
We do not claim 1t will be q royal
road" there will ba many obstacles to
overcome; but Ii is certainly q road
leading In the right direction.
Got His Well Dug,
An Irishman took q contract TO dig
8 we'll. When he had dug about TWEEN.
ty feet do un, he came one morning
and found that the we'll had fallen In
and was filed to the top. Pat looked
oauGinualy around and SAW DO one was
near, he then took of his hat and coat
and hung bhem on the windlass, and
crawled into some bushes and waited
events. In o Short timo she noighborg