Final answer:
The provided text describes the inequities laborers faced with high interest rates for credit purchases against their unpaid wages, particularly within the sharecropping system, and contrasts this with the payment system for factory workers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passage highlights a historical perspective on sharecropping and industrial labor during a period where interest rates and labor practices were heavily skewed against laborers. Courts defended the practice where laborers were charged high interest rates for goods purchased on credit, while at the same time, their wages were withheld without accruing any interest. This dynamic placed much of the business risk on the laborer, particularly in the sharecropping system. In contrast, factory employees were paid regularly, and the factory owners were responsible for business loans. For sharecroppers, payment was only received after the crops succeeded, all expenses were paid, and high-interest charges were covered.