The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-22

Inc jay GOulu BLACK friday on
Wall street, September, 1873, was the
initial of a financial. revolution which
involved the commercial nations of
the hemisphere
The effect upon the cotton planta-
tions of the south was decisive of
radical changes from abnormal meth
DDS of management enforced by an
armed invasion and quasi military di-
rection under the Freedman's bureau.
Beginning with the first cotton crop
after Appomattox, 1866. the average
price of middling uplands in New York
UP to 1873, inclusive, six years, was
fraction over 20 cents per pound
or 800 per bale.
The average price for the same
grade on the same market for the six
years next following 1873, was a frac-
tion over II cents per pound, say S55
per bale.
The permanent fall in the price OF
cotton brought the cotton planters face
to face with their burden as never
before. New buildings on the planta-
tions ceased to go up, bitches and ca
nails filled during the neglect of the
wartime remained unopened, the old
time habits of beautiful dinners and
elegant balls dropped from use. The
country lost It's charm and the eoun-
try society abandoned its abode to
find relief in the villages. towns and
cities.
With the fall of cotton to half prIce
the system of occupying the land
changed. Up to the panic, the laborers
were practically hirelings In view
OF wages, they received rations and a
given proportion of the crops pro-
duced and harvested. "Rations and A
fourth of the cotton and a third of
the corn was not an unusual form of
contract for the employment of labor.
But the landlord was master of all
the operations. He directed the pro-
cesses the same under the share plan
of compensation for labor as he might
do under the wage plan.
The landlord now went to town to
live and carried his family He parcel
led out his fields to the negroes as
| renters, he assigned his plow mules
tools and utensils to the renter. ali
OF whom were negroes. Not infre
quently the plantation residence of his
FAMILY long the scene of high toned
hospitality, often the abode of emf
nent men In the state and nation
the home now was appointed, room by
room, to select negro tenants of the
land.
landlords rent claim upon the crop
was privileged claim, preceding ali
others. This claim was secured by
written contract. The merchant at the
railroad station protected himself by
the crop lien. The negro renter Of
ten, even generally, entered upon the
years farming without a dollar in cash.
The merchant at the station took his
waive note and opened an account with
him subject to the waive note already
in the hands of the landlord The
plantation doctor, with a number of
plantations under his contract, took an
other waive note In consideration OF
his liability to be called at any and
all times, night and day. to Distribute
pills and bestow attention upon the
signer and his entire family for a
year.
Business and finance were badly
Jolted. The great Bank of Glasgow.
Scotland, failed most unexpectedIv-
the greatest failure on record The dis
covery of expert examiners revealed
the fact that there had been secret
issue of $19,0o0,000 United States notes
The whole issue of notes of this class
had to be recalled and reissued
simultaneously with irregula rifles
and sacrifices of business and finance.
came to the nations social and no.
litical disturbance of extraordinary
violence. In Russia the nihilist and
the black plague. in Germany the So
cialists, In France the communists. in
Englands the fenians, in Brazil the
raging fever, in Cuba chronic revol,,-
tion. The granger in the United States
put in jeopardy the union of either
established party
The state of Alabama was gradually
moving into fresh fields of political
industrial and social conditions
Whether the movement was forward
or backward. 1t was de facto.
The surrender of the matchless agri-
cultural counties to a negro tenantry
at once demonstrated itself to be ruin
GUS practice. Among other sighs OF
generalization attending it was the
planting along the roads of what were
Familiarity known as "deadfalls" On
every road leading out from Montgom-
cry through the plantations could be
found at irregular distances deadfalls.
kept invariably by white men to cap
ture negro trade. A deadfall was a
shanty. In the rear was a box cana
cious enough to hold hundreds OF
pounds of seed cotton. Ranged along
on shelves in the front apartment were
shabby dry goods, cheap shoes. flour
in small sacks and whisky in bot
ties.
The trade of the deadfall was
brought in between sunset and sun
rise. 1t consisted for the most part.
In seed cotton. delivered in sacks by
the 100 or 200 pounds weight. The
cotton was paid for from the contents
of the shelves.
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