The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-12-29
TAKES FARMERS TO TASK

Spartanburg Herald.
"a Salaried Man addresses o
communication to the Charleston
News and Courier in which he takes
the farmers of the state to task
charging that many of them not
only refuse to sell their cotton to
discharge their pressing obligation
but decline, positively, to put UP
their cotton warehouse receipts as
collateral for money they might
borrow to meet this end. Whilst thsi
might be the case to some extent
to bring a blanket indictment of all
farmers on this charge is little too
sweeping. There are hundreds OF
them in this section of the state
who are taking their medicine and
going the limit to pay their bills,
while there are perhaps others to
whom the charge might apply. The
News and Courier's correspondent
says:
Have the farmers of South Car
olina lost all sense of obligation?
Are they willing to see our chief
business enterprises go to the
wall, because they do not consider
that they are getting a suitable price
for their cotton? If so, they are
singularly lacking in foresight, for
the reason that, if they gratuitously
destroy their credit now, from whom
do they expect to procure their fer
tilizers and supplies for another sea-
son? Certainly not from the local
merchant ;, who in many instances,
is on the verge of bankruptcy on
account of the unprecedented iudif-
ference of the farmers in regard to
paying their obligations; nor from
the fertilizer company that they
have likewise failed to pay. Pos
sibly some of them are counting On
assistance from the local banks.
1T is within your power to re-
either by selling a portion of your
cotton at the prevailing price, or by
putting it in storage and turing over
the warehouse receipts to your credi-
tors. Are you going to do this. or
are you going to continue to hold it
on your premises. where ii is daily
deteriorating in value on account OF
exposure to the weather, and is of
absolutely no value to any one us a
means of raising funds?
Your selfish action is having a
most demoralizing effect upon the
business community, as hundreds of
men are being thrown out of en-
ployment on account of the stagna-
tion which is the natural result of
impaired credits. Under the con-
ditions are you entitled to sympathy
or is the salaried man and mer-
chant who see their employment
gone and the means of livelihood
taken away from them on account
of your refusal to pay your honest
debts"
Out of the beclouded situation
that has existed for more than three
Aiohtho NOW IL 10 DCIOlhliS ulOI I
and more clear every day that, while
the man on the farm is "betwiXt the
devil and the deep blue sea-" his
plight is not so extreme as that OF
the merchant and the man working
on salary The merchant who has
carried" the farmer, especially
those in the lower part of the state
are facing failure, while the travel
ing man and the salaried man, who
may lose their positions any day
are at their rows end. At first the
impulse to aid the injured, the coun.
try ran to the rescue of the farmer
but now it is developing that there
are others equally as hard put.
1t is simply the duty O all classes
to do what they can. 1t must be-
as the bear hunter said OF his course
in getting away from she bear that
came on after he ad emptied his
gun, every toe must push a little. =
Hold on to Your Paper.