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I ESTABLISHED 1844 The Press and Banner ABBEVILLE, S. C. Wm. P. GREENE, Editor. The Press and Banner Co. Published Every Tuesday and Friday Telephone No. 10. Entered as second-class mail matter at post office in Abbeville, S. C. Terms of Subscription: One year $2.00 Six months 1.00 Three months .50 Payable invariably in advance. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28) 1919. - THE PLEDGE PROGRAM. Delegates from different sections! of the county will meet in the court: house today to discuss the matter ofi a reduction in the acreage to be; planted in cotton during the present; year. We have already indicated; that we cannot advise the people of Abbeville County to sign the pledge which has been prepared for them in advance. We believe that in a great many instances it would be a suicidal financial policy, to do so. But we in-] dicated at the same time that we favored the plan to quit the one crop idea and thus to reduce the cot-' ton acreage. N We favor diversification of crops,! and the producing on the farms of Abbeville County all those things necessary for the farms. We believe that the meeting which is to be held today can be of great benefit to the people in Abbeville County if it will - adopt a sensible program, and get . ' down to business along correct principles. ' ' Looking to that end, we are able to advise the farmers of Abbeville . . County that it will be a great mistake in our judgment for them to hnv the )iio?}i -nrired necessities of life for the purpose of producing a crop this year, and then produce nothing but cotton. Bread and meat are in greater demand in the world today than anything else. They will con1 tinue to be in demand, and will be the last farm products to go back to pre-war prices, because that demand for sometime to come will be a pressing one. Now, we would not discourage any man to hold cotton who desires to do so. His judgment is as good as ours, perhaps better; and his information may be a great deal fuller than ours, but, nevertheless,' we warn the farmers of Abbeville County that if they plant cotton this J year for thirty cents per pound, or' twenty-five cents per pound, they! are going to be disappointed. We: should not be surprised to see cottonj sell for twenty cents and even below twenty cents per pound, if the South ; this year produces a large crop, or even if it does not. The people must &S remember that ibefore there can be a trade tnere must 'be a seller, and there must be a buyer, and the ' BUYER MUST BE ABLE TO BUY. The old world is impoverished. In the years before the war the people were fairly prosperous, at least they had enough to enable them to buy what they wanted; but now that the war is over, and industry is at a stand still, and will so remain for a long time; now that the people are returning to the places where they formerly dwelt, and are finding that they must begin all over again and rebuild their homes, and reestablish themselves in life, there will not be money to invest in cotton goods except from the most urgent necessity. Therefore, the demand will not be what it was before the war, and the farmers n%ed not expect cotton to bring big prices in the future. They' need not expect cotton to be in demand as are meat and bread, because these latter things must be had, while cotton poods mav hp fcn a croat tent dispensed with. What then is the sensible thing for every farmer, be he landlord or tenant, to do? He must look about him(?, self and do what is best to be done. And it is useless to say: again/ after . 'v" / It has been said so fria'ny times, that . J. he should begin to produce some meat and bread. We believe that every farmer should plant at most two thirds as many acres of cotton as he did last year, unless he were already producing meat and bread; that he| Aould work this cotton properly and JJ-* ' properly fertilize it, in order that he may produce as much with his labor as he may. We believe that the i other one-third of his crop should be in food products?something thatj will feed both man and beast. Now /the larger farmers and most of the land-owners are accustomed, where they farm themselves, to produce enough of these things for their own use, but the tenant farmers have not been accustomed to do so. Can we not get them to do so? Why not, let every landlord in the county resolve today to give to his tenant far-' mer, or share-cropper, rent free one acre of land on conditon that he will plant it in cane, out of which he may, make syrup enough for his family j for a year, and in potatoes, which will last him for a year, and at the same time make provision for keeping these potatoes? Why not let every landlord today go to every tenant farmer he has, and to every share-cropper and explain the situation to him, and warn him of the{ folly of the past and the danger of! following old time plans in the fu-j ture; and in order to encourage him and to start him off Tight, why may, he not say to every one of these that he will furnish to him two or more hogs to be raised on shares provided the tenant or share-cropper j will: agree to plant certain lands in foodj products for the purpose of feeding, these hogs? It is idle to say that these people, will not be interested in a plan ofj this kind. We have tried it out and; we know that-it works. The negro | farmers of the county are a shiftless i set for the most part. If they make] money in the fall they spend it as becomes a lord, but when the springtime comes few of them ever have any money. We know one who had several hundred dollars last year after paying all his obligations. He was entreated to save his money and try to take care of himself another year, but the merchants with the fine clothes and the man with other +>n'no?5. and the allure-! ments of pleasure have taken all hlsj money. His employer even was call-1 ed on to pay his taxes. But thisj same negro farmer last year took a lively interest in buying hogs and in producing his own meat and he now! has enough meat saved to furnish his j family for the present year. He wants to produce enough for another, year, and not only he, hut every! other negro farmer in Abbeville; County, will be glad to seize upon an opportunity to obtain his meat in this way. And the larger farmers,' and the cotton-holders of Abbeville' County, may induce them to do so/ and at the same time reduce the cot-j ton acreage in this county without; working a hardship on anybody. And there are white men in Abbe-, ville County who need help along the, ? J ?l? ViQlnJ same lines, anu wnv auuuiu ed. The trouble with most of us is! that we look too closely towards ourj own interest, and never think of those who in a measure are dependent on us. We are too anxious in every trade to get the upper hand, and to make everything we do serve our own pocket-book, rather than to stop to think that the hand which guides the piow is very important to us, and deserves mighty well of all of us. The thing to do today is to encourage the man who performs the work. Carve out today some scheme which will interest this man^ in being a real farmer and follow it up, and make his interest identical with your own, and you will have begun to do something. The men who meet in Abbeville County today are capable of planning and leading and financing a great constructive movement in the county which will lead to better things. They will accomplish nothing if they look too closely to theif own interest. They will accomplish j nothing if they adopt a program which means disaster to their neigh-J bor. They cannot coerce the freei people of Abbeville County, and, ifj we know them as we believe we do,' they will not undertake to do so. Noj movement now started as a colossal bluff will do any good. The thing to do is to educate and help the people, and all the people, to do better by themselves. The object should not be alone to boost the price of cotton. We cannot consider only the present emergency. ?n^^????? Be ready for the Victory Liberty Loan. Buy the bonds and keep them. Saving means thrift. Thrift means success. RUPTURE EXPERT HERE. Seeley, Famous in This Specialty, Called to Greenwood. F. H. Seeley of Chicago and Philadelphia, the noted truss expert, will personally be at the Oregon Hotel and will remain in Greenwood Wednesday only, March 5th. Mr. Seeley says. "The Spermatic Shield will not only retain any case of rupture perfectly, but contracts the opening in 10 days on the average case. This instrument received the only award in England and in Spain producing results without surgery, injections, medical treatment or prescriptions. Mr. Seeley has documents from the United States Government, Washington, D. C., for inspection. All charity cases without charge, or if any interested call, he will be glad to show same without any charge or fit them if desired. Business de mands prevent stopping at any other place in this section. P. S.?Every statement in this notice has been verified before the Federal and State Courts.?F. H. Seeley. 2-28-lt.Pd. i art ?? i ???? EBBHBHgBgHffla ? i ^ 1 D !i K I Depart i ^ i = i p. n I OXF | OXF I BEA 1 SILK [j = {j On C j j . we ai Si i 5 Lash, jg to sa^ I 0u ? Stc m | ing I Th I TU? S I lie [LBmHsaaaaaaHH I REAL ES S city property. These fc House and Lot?In City of Abf]_ beville, about one-half mile $ from Court House, on Steuth ju Main Street, near Cotton |] mill. Lot about one acre? gjj house has store 21x72 feet and 12 rooms with all modern g conveniences; also two-room bj tenant house, warehouse, stables, feed and carriage ^ house. $4,000 g Also the stock of general r; merchandise in the above I store. SUBURBAN LOTS?Am offering several lots in the southern section of the city of Abbeville at exceptional bar156 ACRE TRACT?Located 4 miles Southeast of Abbeville S. C. ^Six room dwelling, 3room ^ tenant house, barn. MHssyafafafiKfHHafiifis s. = 77/ OSEIS MERCANTILE ment Stores inn (InoJc 11 Ig uuuuo ?DAI THING from Ha ORDS from HoWi ORDS from Kupf UTIFUL SHIRTS . HOSIERY in bn )ry Goods, Winter re still giving 20 P . This offers yc /e, and It's too goc r Special Feature >re is a very nice at 16c Per Yarc ere are Lots of Oi Rosenberg "* wt . V V# . . . ' .. -? } ,,, zmzrazraranjiJznrazM HATE % are good investments? About 2-horse farm rented for this year. Good bottom land, plenty ashe wood and timber. Price $4,400. TWO GOOD RESIDENCES? on North Main Street, for sale. Ask for prices. ACRE LOT?In Fort Pickens. Good location. Price __$600. 231 1-2 ACRES?7 miles South of Abbeville, two tenant houses, barn, well; 15 acres bottoms, 150,000 feet sawtimber. Two horse farm already rented for 1919. Price per acre $25.00 6-ROOM RESIDENCE?On S. Jno. F. Su Abbeville, [DTD IULi\ ; COMPANY Abbeville, J Are Arriv ILY? rt Shaffner & ard & Foster yendorf Dittman mi a t t >, in 1 he I\ew I )Wn, Black and ] Suits and Ove] er Cent. Discou >u a real opporl >d to miss. in our Dry Goc Unbleached Shi I?36 inches wit Iher Good Valu Mercantile ^ for immediate sale f 'lowing country and ~ -Ask About Them | Main St., containing 4 acres, more or less. Good barn, 1 tenant house, rat proof crib, with branch running through property. Cheap at $2,100.00 120 ACRE TRACT?With good residence, tenant house, barn ? 11 miles from Abbeville, South. 5 miles from Troy. Price $3,000.00. We have several rtacts of land nnrl pifv nrrmprfv -for cnlo H The owners asked not to advertise. We will be glad to j| show you property we have n for sale any time you ask to fjjt see it. | therland jj South Carolina ewinai^iiB j G So. Car. [ | I? ing i;l Marx || I Styles [{ I White | j I tunity j j I ) ds | j I ^11 WRRaRRBRMam r- I