The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-05-24
SOME FARMING TALK.

SOME FARMING TALK.
We attended the speaking at Mr..
Wakefield's farm last Wednesday.
We heard some of the speeches. The
editor Of the Southern Cultivator was
one of the speakers and he made for
the most part good sensible speech,
saying many things which should
have been said. He gave utterance
to one thought however, which we be-
lieve should not have been said, be-
cause it is not founded on facts. We
do not mean of course, to say that
the speaker meant to deceive. We
think. rather, he fell into the error
Of adopting the cry Of the demago-
que hunting Office, without thinking
really. wha. he was saying.
What he said was in substance,
this: All other classes are "preying
on you" (the farmers). The speaker
was developing the idea that the far
mers did not think, that they did not
use their heads, that they did not
plan, as do men in other callings and
professions, and that they lost there
by. To all of this we might agree,
though we do not think men in other
callings do as much thinking as they
should always. The results indicate
that they do not. But the idea ad-
vanced that all other callings and
occupations are waylaying the road
of the farmer, ready to pounce upon
him and take what he makes for
nothing or for less than it is worth,
is purely demagogy, as Mr.. Hunnicutt
will admit, if he thinks. ...
The farmers may not take care Of
themselves as they should. It may
be that they could by cooperation, if
they would let politicians alone, mar
ket their crops on better terms. and
by other methods and get more for
them, but in the end they make as
good use of what the Lord has blessed
them with as most other people.
If the editor of the Southern Guilt
vator, will buy chickens and eggs,
ham and other produce, hay, corn,
and oats from the farmers of Abbe-
vile county for twelve months, he
will conclude, we think, that there
is about ss much preying on one side
ias the other. The fact is that the
farmer can no more do without the
merchant, the artisan, the profession
al man, the banker and the broker
than they can do without him. What
is to the general interest of the one
is to the general interest of the other.
The one has something to sell, and
the other desires to buy. The buyer
is as necessary to society and prog
ress and prosperity as the seller,
and the seller as necessary as the
buyer. We all make one whole. The
farmers should know this and they
do know it, as well as the merchant,
the banker and the others. Then,
why is it that we are always hearing
the same old song that everybody is
"preying on the farmers?" To
what purpose would the farmer grow
crops to sell if there were no buyers?
When he buys from them in the
spring he buys to the best advantage.
When they do the same from him in
the fall are they less patriotic than
the farmer was in the spring? When
the farmer buys for as s'little as he
can and sells for as much as he can,
is there any reason for him to whine
and cry because other people do the
same?
If the farmers are to make progress
they should fashion it for themselves.
The inspection of good farm like
Mr.. Wakefeld's and a half hours
talk with him on the ways and means
to grow alfalfa, oats, and other crops
is worth great deal more than all
the speech!making in the country,
though we do not discredit speech
making of the right kind. We have
learned from thirty years of obser-
vation, however, that the man who
goes about the country talking about
the farmers being imposed upon and
preyed upon is not their real friend,
and that he spreads false doctrine,
dangerous to the interests, not only
Of the farmer, but to the whole
country.
There has been more legislation
for the farmers of this country and
State during the past ten years than
for all other classes and conditions
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