The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-05-22
[BY REoUEsT.]
From the Pickens Sentinel.
Observation-Disclosures VS.. Agriculture.


In the great upheaval of society in the South,
consequent upon the results OF the war, III lts
industrial as we'll as social relations, the truth
of the old axiom in political economy, that
agriculture is the basis of national prosperity
and greatness is likely to be seriously ques-
toned. And, so far as the South is concerned,
from having heretofore acted upon the ertreme
idea that agriculture was the only occupation
entitled to general favor and adoption, we are
urged to swing round to another eztreme, and
espouse the manufacturing interest as the one
great panacea for all our ills, industrial as we'll
as political. And under the influence of this
popular hobby, the farmer, as in other cases, is
likely to be made the pack-horse, the newer OF
wood and drawer of water, to subserve the
interests of the powerful manufacturing cor
porations of the country. Indeed, so strongly
had this popular dogma seized upon the minds
of some of our legislators in the last Legisla-
ture, that it was gravely proposed, as we are
informed by representative from Anderson,
to wrest from the land holder, in. an arbitrary
manner, his right and title to so much of his
real estate land only so much, mark you as
may be necessary, or may be injured by the
flowing back of sand and water consequent
upon the erection of a dam across stream, to
subserve the interests of some manufacturing
company, who may find it convenient or neces-
sary to erect said dam or dams. Thus virtually
ignoring, in behalf of manufacturing corpora
tions the old and we'll established principle OF
law, that every man has right to use his own
property as he pleases, provided, he does not
injure the property Of others in that use. 1t
is no sufficient reply to this objection to say
that the land holder is to receive, as a compen-
sation for the spoliation upon his real estate,
the damage that may be assessed by disinter-
ested persons. A mans interest in his real
estate is more sacredly guarded by law than
any other-that spot of earth man calls home
possesses thousand endearments not compu-
table in money-and to wrest from the land
holder the most valuable part, it may be, of his
homestead, to wit, the bottom land, would be,
to say the least of it, perpetrating great in
justice.
of diversified industries, of every kind and
character, as conducive to the prosperity of our
common country, but why the manufacturing
interests should become the recipients of special
favors by legislative enactment, at the expense
mainly of the agricultural interests of the count
try, is beyond my comprehension. Protection
to all alike-favoritism to none by legislative
enactment, is our motto. The constant ten
dency of these huge moneyed corporations,
railroad and manufacturing alike, is to oppress
the many for the benefit of the fen. Already
are the farmers of the great Northwest organ
izing themselves for self.protection against the
exorbitant charges of railroad companies, and
for the additional purpose of so adjusting the
value of farm products as to cause them to
"bear a just relation in price to the products of
other labor" There is an old and trite saying
that the "farmer feeds all" and if the present
tendency of things is to continue, we may have
to add another, that the "farmer pays for all. !"
It is high time that the farmers of the South,
like those of the Northwest, should unite for
their own protection. The order of the "Pat.
rons of Husbandry," or Farmers Union" "
seems to be the most effective, and will bring
us into complete sympathy with the farmers of
every other State and Territory in the Union.
The necessity for this union among farmers is
so ably presented in an agricultural address of
Mr.. Bronson, of Kansas, that we ask the liber-
ty of transferring few extracts to the columns
of your valuable paper.
PROGRESSIVE.