Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-11-03
HAS THE YEAR 1e11 SATISFIED
fY0TY9


When the new year was ushered in, ter
months ago, you had certain plans and
purposes. You were planning for a
crop if you were farmer, or you ex-
pected TO buy a spring stock of goods
if you were a merchant. You intended
to buy a home If you could do so, or
repair your old one II you were able,
Some of you purchased a horse and bug
gy, and a good many went in debt for
automobiles while a majority were glad
to go foot-back and take precautions
as to getting enough to eat, with food
stuffs soaring skyward, as to prices. Some
of you planned trip to New York.
others travelled west, and the great ma
jority staid at home and TOUCHED II
out with hot weather and the "skeet-
ers."
Some bought fine clothes on a credit
and some were satisfied to wait until
they had the cash on hand. A good many
farmers bargained for two-hundred dol
lar mules and expected to pay for them
with 15-ent cotton. A multitude are try
ing to rue-back now, and turn over the
mules with little ready cash, and
good many farmers are estopped from
such trades, but the mule mans agent
buys hem back and takes all the farmer
made with Scent cotton to pay the debt.
lars a pair last spring, and scent cot
ton couldn't pay the bill. The mule man
says: II borrowed money to buy the
mules from the bank, and the bank man
says II is pay-time. We don't want
mules, we want money"
So the poor fool farmer is ground
down exceeding small after the mule
man and the bank man both pinch him
for the money, and all credit stops.
Lots of people made trades for land,
expecting to pay about half with this
years crop. They have made the crop,
they have got the cotton, but the land
trade is a very doubtful transaction. be-
cause the seller wants, money. and he
does not want land, and the buyer must
borrow money or lose whole lot that
has been paid in to clinch the trade.
Merchants were so eager for big
trade last spring that they sold big sales,
all on a credit, to be paid for In 15-cent
cotton After the guano man and the
mule man and the bank man clutches
the crop. where's the merchant?
The honest man has to sacrifice his
property to pay his debts and the dis
honest man puts his out of reach. The
merchants tell you collections are very
poor" OF course they are, and they
must either carry over those who agree
to work it out next year. or simply
mark the accounts IN. G."-that is, no
good.
The mule man, the bank man. and the
guano man each is smiling. They have
raked it in with both hands. but the
farmers of 1911 will learn lesson and
the men who have carried heavy supply
accounts in 1911 on their books will be
chary of credit in 1912 so the mule man
will not do such rushing business, and
the guano man won't get so many prom
ises to pay, and the bank man win be
glad to loan out his depositors' money,
instead of refusing to loan, now that
the push is on the cotton producers and
low prices prevail
Are you satisfied, Brother Farmer?
I don't think you are, and If you are,
and If you are prudent. not to speak of
wisdom, you will SOW enough wheat to
make your biscuit and chicken dump
lings. you will plant enough potatoes to
sell the bank man. the guano man and
the mule man what you can spare at
good prices Unless your corn is contis-
Gated by your debts YOU can live on hog
and hominy. and If you learn your lesson
and profit by it. you won't, make any
store accounts for fine clothes and "trip
peries in the year 1912.
Everything is soaring in food-stuffs--
coffee and sugar especially. You pay a