The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-12-08

must own his crop. Own it indie
pendent Of merchant, banker or
money lender-it must be mis-
property to De disposed of as he
wills it, to be sold or to be held
as 1t suits his pleasure and con-
venience 1t is to be his posses
sion as much as the land over
which he holds the highest title
known to the law. Whenever the
farmers Of the South, and eSpec-
tally Of this State, have reached
tina: degree Of independence.
when their cotton crop IS sold at
their pleasure, and not at the die
tate of those who have made adj
vances TO produce the cotton.
then they will have reached q
state Of independence when their
voices can be and will be heard
in fixing the price upon their Ia
Dor. Is it possible: I answer is it
impossible for the farmer TO make
his farm Self-Sustainins and his
cotton crop surplus crop and |
am content to let the best farm
erS. those whose bank deposits
are heaviest, those whose farm
homes are kept up. those whose
stock are best, answer for me. TO
the most successful farmers Of
the State the one crop system is
even now thing Of the past, and
| to the farmers Of this State in the
future it must be a thing Of the
past. Years ago the wheat grow
erS Of the northwest discovered
the tyrany of the one crop Sys-
TEN and today the central north.
west is the richest agricultural
section Of our country. They
have learned TO diversity their
crops and we are being forced by
the calling chains Of our all-cct
ton system to look more and
more to diversitication for relief.
What sane merchant confines
himself to the sale Of one line Of
goods: Every country store teS-
titled to the soundneSs Of the doc
trine of diverSihcation. What
dealer in spool thread would con
| lime himself 10 sos: What hard.
ware dealer would predicate his
dividends or the sale Of disc har-
rows alone: What banker would
endeavor to satisfy the demands
Of his stock holders for dividends
by trying to furnish them in con
timing his business entirely to dis.
counts: Every great establish
ment, except those which control
a monopoly upon natural prod
ucts, puts into practice every day
1.-THE great principle that bench
cannot stand on one leg. The
ISouthern farmer is the last to
recognize this principle. He still
insists upon raising all-cotton,
and buying all the supplies he
needs for his farm and his fami-
l!y. The inevitable result is that
usually about half of his cotton
in the fall belongs to the other
fellow and is not his.
| Gathering time is here. The
New York banker calls upon his
ISouthern creditors, merchants
land bankers alike, and Southern
bankers and merchants in turn
call upon their creditors-the all,
icotton farmers. The lien is due,
the days Of grace are up on the
unpaid note, the price Of cotton
is low, perhaps below the cost OF
production, but the cotton must
be soid-the farmer is the victim
Iof his own system. 1t is not for
him to say what the price shall
be-the cotton does not belong &c
him. 1t has been mortgaged IN
advance Of its planting and il
must be sold at any price. He is
not in a position to take aovan.
tase of the natural law that fixes
the price, he has no voice in the
matter. He must sci! then or ex.
pect a visit from the sheriff. Wha,
lis the cause? The farmer has
istaked his all upon the turn OF
one card, based his hope, his hap,
piness, his prosperity and that OF
his family upon the price Of one
commodity and that price fixed
by the other party to the transac.
ton. What is the remedy: Pro,
lduce on your own farms those
commodities which are represent.
ed IN the liens and mortgages held
Iasainst your cotton. Diversity,
lat least to the extent Of raising
the necessities Of the farm and
the home upon the farm and tc
the extent of making your cotton
as nearly as possible a surplus
crop. When you have done this
there will cease to be difference
of from two to four cents a pound
lin October and March cotton.
Why is it, except this year. tina,
the price Of cotton is always low
est in the fall and highest in the
Ispring: The student does not
have TO go far to find the answer.
Southern leins and mortgages
become due in the fall months.
Cotton must oe put upon the mar,
ket. The natural law is disturb
ed ana the farmer suffers. His
years work goes for what the
other man is willing to give.
Our system of agriculture mus:
xl~s-ol. Il y