The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1870-12-21
wv 1"IIU /. q G::S G:sSS .H OHIO r
Wednesday Morning, Dec. 81, 1870
&b0liHii The Rand dd'DIslstAisSiD,i

r.,.-.y ~,
&boiiNii The Rand d'oInsni,siU.i
The outrageous frauds rcrpctratcd
upon the people Of South Carolina
IN tho name of the Land Commission
arc enough, us tho HpuLiic0n suggest,
to condemn it. But our reflections
upon it have always gone somewhat
deeper. 1t was destined to failure,
had it been honestly administered
from the start, and will fail in the
oLd if not abolished, however honest
y it's affairs be conducted in the fu-
turc. And why ! Simply because it
encourages the separation Of the farm
laborcr from the farm capitali. t,
causes him to squat off from Il @
kindly Influences Of interest directed
by intelligence, in isolated poverty,
ignorance and unskilfulncSs, and SO
pcrFctuatcs, upon little patches Of
poor land, tho very worst features of
most wretchcd and rotlog,ado sys-
TEN of Agriculture. We have often
pronounced it miserable humbug
destined to fail because of its own es-
sential rottennoss and weakness. Any
Intelligent laborcr would prefer ten.
antry upon equitable terms to tho
sqnatter system proposed by the Land
Commission. Until somc capital be
accumulated out Of wages, indepcnd-
cnt effort apart from the capitalist, in
every branch Of labor, is far less
profitable than that which is coopera.
tive.
The lesson Of civilization Oh The
subject of Agriculture is, thpt u
small area is much worse than Il large
one, if there be but little brains and
all muscle in the system of culture,
aud that II small farm is only better
than large plantation, when much
labor, much capital, much knowlcde o
OF manures and crops, and much skill
III the use of ingenious machinery arc
employed in its management. Who
bit fool would expect much lal or,
either in the number or character C
the laborcrs, muoh capital, or much Of
anything except ignorance, immorali.
ty and crime, upon tho little patche 8
s!ratchcd an inch and half deep Y
n skeleton mule, driven by a poverty
stricken and sullcn freedman, which
tho Land Commission proposes to in
troducc, in order to rcgcnorate South
Carolina, and cause her, after the
prostration of war, to revive again
and bloom and blossom as the rose ?
II cutting up poor lands into fifty
acro farms would bring knowledge
and skill, and temperance and indus
try, and capital, there would be somc
sense in the small farm theory. But
If, on the contrary, The tendency of
such cutting up Of plantations into
patches, is to lesson the knowledge
and skill anu virtue and resources of
our agriculturists, why attempt so ab-
surd an effort to falsify universal cx
pcricnco 7 A single consideration
alono should convince the most
thoughtless. 1t is this. If, under
our present system Of culture, which
so much needs improvement, intelli.
gent white mon, who have planted for
years, who own the land, own the
stock, own tho plantation implements
and we'll built stables, barns, and
dwcllipg-houses, and who command
considerable cash capital and credit,
yet have failed to do moro than bare.
y escape bankruptcy, what but disas-
trous failure can be expected cf ne
groes possessing mono Of these i'm (.
mense advantages, when they shall
start in dobt and attompt to cultivate
their miserable patches, on system
OF culture that will exaggeratc, to tho
extent OF caricature, every bad fea-
tore OF our present system, and intro.
duco not single redoeming good
one The whols thing is bound To