Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-12-15


Thanksgiving morning. bright and early.
so early in fact. that there was thin ice
in the streets of Jacksonville. started to
Madison to spend that day with the
home folks. wish that every one OF
you could have been with me. The sun
shone and the flowers did not seem
bIighted by Jack Frost and the higher up
the state got the more i enjoyed the
trees and varied scenery. Rolling hills
and gentle slopes made IL seem quite
different from the long level roads south
OF Jacksonville.
Even now the cotton fields show how
much they had been neglected. / won
dered. as / gazed over them, II lesson
would be taught the farmers by this
years bumper crop and the scarcity OF
labor. On my return trip / had friend
who has always lived in the country as
a companion. He has studied conditions
and made q success of life. can't say
that he is a rich man as some count It.
but he lives a comfortable life, owes no
man nor fails 70 give God praise for His
goodness and mercy. asked him the
cause of this near-panic, merchants not
collecting their accounts, stock men hav-
ing to take back two-thirds of the mules,
some fields OF cotton not picked over
the first time and the people going right
on as If Prosperity were sitting on all
of them.
Miss Lizzie, can't see what is going
to become of the country. 1t Is not
one section, it's everywhere. When my
grandfather moved to Florida from South
Carolina his sons and grandsons helped
MIN in the fields, or to clear the fields,
by day and at night the younger ones
held torches while the buildings were
finished. My father raised US the same
way. It never entered into our minds to
want the things that some had even
In that day. I have tried to raise my
children to have just the same ideas, but
the younger ones want all sorts OF Things.
AS to this winters financial depression.
II comes from last years good prices
Instead of trying TO get at least one
year ahead, everybody planted all the
cotton they could find a place to drop
seed. Then they began TO get credit on
a S0-cent crop instead OF a 15-cent crop.
The stock men sold to every negro or
trif1iug man that they could persuade
to buy, that meant a hilarious year for
a set OF people who need masters. they
got land as half troopers, put the seed In
the ground and half of them never got
the weeds out the first time. Saturday,
Sunday, Monday were spent on the road
sometimes the mule was fed and often
not, and now the consequences are being
reaped by the just and unjust
/ asked him II cotton could De MADE 10
pay Is cents pound
yes, ma-am, 1 wish a law could be
passed that would. fix the price for 10
cents the minimum and % cents the max
imum. Then not let merchants sell TO
them except on the minimum and In
couple OF years there would be plenty of
money. enough not to demand this i'm
mense, uncertain credit business
But" 1 said. take your own store
for instance. your neighoors are not
all provident, could you shut down on
them IL they exceeded the hmitT'
yes ma-am, If there was law for
IT. Every honest man would obey the
law and the dishonest ones could only
get what was paid for the cotton.
J Have a law that stock must be paid
TOR half cash and the balance on time.
| j. know men who sold mules worth $50
for twice as much, they will take those
back after getting gs much as the mule
was worth. There used TO be a pro-
verb that law Is a cobweb that catches
the little flies and the big ones break.
1 believe that things are getting bet
| ter, there is more protection for the
silly little flies and that there Is less
chance for the big ones to get through
the web I've been a legislator and
know that some really have the inter
ests OF the country at heart and If the
parents and teachers were always care
full TO instill good principles. With
nation of honest conscientious parents
and school teachers the law makers
would be OF the same sort A child
imbfbes honesty or dishonesty in the
home atmosphere and the only way to
clean up the Tightly state of affairs is
to clean up the homes"
BY this time 1 was once more in
Jacksonville and he went to the y. S.
court room and / to my own work. 1
would like to tell you of my visit home.
TO the cane grinding. etc, but must
not do so this time.
Faithfully yours,
LIZZIE o. THOMAS.