The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-02-16
ON THE SITUATION.

Judge DrlSnC DOWie Was III Ihe
r city few days ago. He told us that
a few people who did not know any
better believed what we said and
were inclined to take our advice in
certain matters. For that reason he
suggested that we give little ad-
vice on the situation, the purport of
which advice was suggested by him.
1t was that we advise the people not
to plant any cotton and that every
man buy hundred bales for fall de-
livery and then demand the cotton.
We are unable to give the people
this advice, though on its face it may
appear good. There are several rea-
sons which impel US towards this
conclusion.
In the first place, man should
not buy what he does not need. If
there is anything which the farmer
in this section does not neel to buy
1t is cotton. He is already, in most
instances, already fully supplied,
even to running over. To buy more
would make him ever sicker than he
is, we fear.
, In the next place, we do not think
mat the advice, if followed would
benefit those most in nse1 Of help.
20 io as the Jul. suggests might
ia.c we say might advisedly) have
teniency to maEr cotton go up. Ger
tainly to plant none the present year
would have that effect. But what
good is that to the ordinary farmer,
Eay we ask? To the, more prosperous
farmer, who is Dat Of debt, and who
iA,s two OF th,ea c: ,ps If cct5on on
haras, which ne might hold and thus
obtain better price therefor, the
scheme might oe o f assistance.
Douotles5 it wccH But talking new
IF c:ili Joues. ard John SMITH. VIC
find that both of them owe fertilizer
bills and bank notes, sad they have
already stretched their credit to the
breaking point. They has, cotton on
ha:lGs, it is true, but the notes are
FAST due, and the 5ark' are wanting
the interest and az least part Of the
principal, and the money must come.
Where is it coming from? Well, Bill
and John will find out. And we had as
well tell them. They must sell cot
tom.
Having sold their cotton, we are
then in position to ask how mucn 1t
will benefit Bill and John if cotton
does go up and they have none Of
last years. cotton on hands and are
making none this year. And there are
more Bills and Johns in this country
than a patented counter could count
in a week. There are only a few men
who are not thus in debt.
In the third place, we must take
into account that Bill and John, each
has family to support. They must
have wearing apparel, and there must
be flour in the flour barrel, meat in
the smokeheuse, and lard in the lard
err Where are these things coming
from? If Bill is already in debt for
fertilizers and for advances last year
and John is in the same fix, and eth
er applies to the bank to which he is
already indebted for further ad7
vances, the first question the banker
will ask (that is if he stops to ask
sanything before cussing about no
cotton being sold and the last years
note being unpaid) we say the first
question the banker will ask will be,
"How much cotton are you planting
this year." When he is told that no
cotton is being planted, the neAt
question he will ask will be, "Well,
then, how in the do you ex-
pect to pay back this money if l
loan it to you" If Bill or John tells
the banker that he will just sit down
and wait until cotton goes up enough
to pay both the last years note,
(now larger than the value of the
cotton) and the money he wants to
get, the banker, after he gets through
swearing, will tell all the other bank
ers and Bob Hill what a fool John
or Bill, as the case may be, is.
= Then again, we would like to ask
T..J-. 4ho ,oorar ic oorn-