II3 ] ECONOMIC WORKINGS OF THE SYSTEMS n$ 



said that the total product will be larger, giving rise to 

 a considerable element of profit. This will lead to strong 

 competition among the planters, with the result that 

 labor will tend to get larger wages per unit. This is 

 true notwithstanding the fact that the relative amount of 

 the product going to the laborer under the plantation 

 system may be smaller than in the case of the cropping 

 system. It is of more importance to the laborer, how- 

 ever, that he should get a larger absolute amount al- 

 though a smaller percentage, rather than a smaller abso- 

 lute amount even though it may be a larger percentage 

 of the total. The same fundamental economic law works 

 in the two cases — the laborer tends to get that part of 

 the product for which he is economically responsible. 

 The fact is, he is economically responsible for a larger 

 absolute amount under the plantation system than under 

 the cropping system and fundamental economic law will 

 tend to give this larger amount to him. 



Figures may be used to illustrate what has been said 

 concerning the advantages accruing to the laborer under 

 the plantation-wages system as over against the cropping 

 system. The cropper's net share rarely amounts to over 

 $150. In the case given above his share was $157. As 

 an indication that this is a liberal calculation it may 

 be said that merchants usually make $100 the limit of 

 the line of credit obtainable by a one-mule cropper. 

 Under the wages plan cited above the laborer got as 

 wages $150 and in addition thereto a house to live in 

 just as in the cropping system. If these were all the 

 facts to be considered it appears that the greater inde- 

 pendence enjoyed under the cropping plan might offset 

 the slight shade of economic advantage on the side of 

 the wages plan. There are, however, two important ad- 

 ditional considerations which overwhelmingly carry the 



