The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-11-25
Consider the Wage Garner,

AS the producer of the raw material
he stands as the foremost and most
potent factor in the industrial life of
the nation, and upon his work and
the results OF his farming efforts we
depend largely for our very existence
in the shape of food, clothing, etc.
We all wish him we'll. He is the
friend Of every man. as every man is
his friend. But after all are we not
inter-dependent upon each other?
There must necessarily he consum-
ers OF all products, whether agricul-
turally produced or manufac ctured.
The farmers are in much better
condition than thousands of others.
Those who own their homes have the
certainty of not being put out in the
cold like hundreds Of laboring and SAL
ar.' Z men in the cities and towns,
the mechanic, the laborer out of
work, the railroad man. clerk, steno-
Srapher, bookkeeper. What of the
masses of laboring and salaried men
and women? Who is worrying about
them, and their helpless wives and
innocent little children?
The farmers have something to eat
now and for some time to come. They
have the soils and the facilities for
making more to eat. Famine does
not stare the farmers and their fami-
lies in the face. Again, what of the
thousands of salaried men and wo-
men, the wage earners now out of
work and likely to be?
This is Il time for getting together"
ard working to keep times from get
ting worse. BY paying each other
what We owe We may keep many
business enterprises going. Paying
debts now may keep hundreds of men,
women. and children from actual
want by helping their employees to
keep them in employment.
Those Of us who re beyond actual
want. but who are holding back and
! boarding our money are acting in a
cold blOoded and selfish manner
While we are helping the starving
Belgians, and it is a good thing that
many are helping those distressed
people, we should stop and give Sc
riOus thought to those Of our own
flesh, blood, and country who are in
need. Help them to help themselves
by putting all the money possible in
circulation. The wage earners are not
asking charity. But some are suffer-
ing and many are likely to suffer be-
cause of imaginary calamities in the
! immediate future for the farmers and
the mOnied classes. Times have been
harder in Sumter county than they
are now. We have had much cheap
er cotton and a much less abundant
harvest of grain, potatoes, hog and
hominy" and other food stuffs.
Things will adjust themselves after
awhile. But every dollar put in cir
culation now and in the immediate fu-
ture means more work and more reg
ular work for the railroad man, fac
tory hand, mechanic, laborer, clerk,
bookkeeper, stenographer. and other
wage earners.
Hard time" talk has scared thou
sands unnecessarily. Turn the mon
ey loose. The tenant farmer has al
ready paid his rent to January 1st,
1915, and the landlord has collected
his rent, and both are certain of
homes in which to live and something
to eat. They have no big house rent,
water bills. gas and electric light bills
They do not have to pay their rent,
their grocery bills wood bills. and
other bills by the week or month or
| De put out or refused credit.
! But what of the thousands of wage
IcarnerS who do have to meet these
expenses weekly or monthly or suf-
fer?
There are many Well-to-do men,
and men with jobs and office hold
crS and others who are far beyond the
danger of want, even f the war lasts
for two years and who are we'll able
to pay, but are delaying the payment
may cause many wage earners in
Sumter 10 lose heir jobs. Think of
these THINGS EaN ali that Won ms