Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-04-07
poll U lDAl.
From the Yorkvillc Enquirer.
To the Public.

McSSrS. EaitorS: You will please do me the
Kindness to publish the letter which | send
you, FROM Hon, c. c.. Memmingcr giving his
opinion and construction of the recent act of
the legislature, granting license to itincrant
statesmen or travelling agents
This Act has produced much, unnecessary
excitement from its supposed ambiguity. But
] hope, for the good of the district and the
State, that the opiulon of one SO distiur,,isb-
cd as lawyer and statesman, as Nv. Mem
mi"~cr, will satisfy the public that he Act,
inste'd of being injurious, will operate to the
best interest Of South Carolina.
The recent Act, as it's name and meaninr
import, was intended to reach a class of ncr-
sons who for number of years, have visited
our State with samples and patterns of goods
manufactured at the North. BY exhibition
OF these patterns or samples, they sell, with
out paying any tax, goods aud articles dcnti-
Cal with those which onr merchants and citi.
zcns return to the ia collector, as taxable
property. Aud by coming in contact with
our peculiar institutions, they avail themselves
OF the opportunity to excite the slaves to in.
s"porG!natIon and insurrcction, BY means of
lncendiaiy pamphlets, &c. Against such n
class, suppose, no true Southfon would hes
itatc to pass the scvcrest laws They are de-
signatcd, in the words of the Act as having
no pcrmancnta and established place of busi
ness and stock of goods, within the State, out
of which tax may be levied TO reach
them; we now require that they shall pay for a
license, and give security that they will pay
the tax on the amount of goods sold by them;
and that they will not interfere with our ne
grocs.
these are the two conditions of the statute,
from which its spirit may be drawn How
then can 1T apply to the produce of Virginia
aud n, Carolina, such as corn, -four, wheat,
tobacco, oats, potatoes Re, upon which the
Legislature Imposes no tax !? And, how can
h,apply to the people of these two States,
who are equally interested with us in the
maintninancc and strengthening of .hc insti-
tuition of slavery?
The ambiguity in the Act, if any exists,
consists IN the construction of the words, IL
lnerant salesman or travelling agent, as dis
tnguishable from the words, hawkcrs and
peddlersr against whom law was passed in
1873, and to which the recent Act has no
connection or reference. Under the Act of
1913, person, to become a llawker or, ned !.
dlar must be a resident of the State ten wears
and take out, at the rate of fifty dollars, a
license to trade in each district of the State.
Bat this Act doHs not apply to the class of
peSsons contempt. ted by the Act of the last
Legislature. Hence 'he. necessity of an Act
reaching the agents of .Souses in Northern
cities, selling goods by Samp,. $ or patterns in.
our State, gs ~
SO confident a,n Of lis want of a, nlicas
ton to our neighbors of North Carolina az,
Virginia selling their produce it our mar.
kets, that during Court Week, Iepcouraecd
Tobacconist to retail IN the usual way, by
promising TO indemnify, il the recent Act.
He retailcd until his stock was exhausted -.
i have thus ina condensed form, given my
views of tho Act, and refer your readers to
the letter Of Mr. Memmipger
- Respectfully, Yours,
'&7 - n. q NJor ,Iy