5

Alabama 5

some kind of help, hut not the kind they're getting. It costs 75¢ to
give them 25¢."

He said: "We've got to change this renter-system of farming. When
the tenant gets three-fourths and the land ovmer gets one-fourth it don't
work. A land owner can't get along. I used to have five tenants hut I don't
have but one now, and I'm figuring on stopping that. A land-owner can't
keep a house fixed up, and buy everything a tenant wants him to, pay the
taxes, and all on no one-fourth of the cotton."

He sighed: "I'm plumb ruined. This is the worst year I've had since
1900. That was a wet-un, just like this, maybe not near as bad. 'Way back
yonder I got 38 bales of cotton. Last year I got sixteen bales, and I'll
do good to get four bales next year. That ain't nothing."

"Do you think people are meaner now than they used to be?"

"There ain't no douht about it. I guess it is because there are more
people now. And when you educate a person he feels like he oughter have
something, and he just takes it."

"Then you helieve that education makes people worse than what they
naturally are?"

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