The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-09-02

the Town and such white men as vote
with them. But great stress is laid upon
the penalty imposed by the first Council,
when every one knows it is customary to
put a penalty in every ordinance, and
the fact that the matter was never dispu-
ted shows it to have been satisfactory.
But there is significant difference be-
tween the two ordinances, the first fixing
| the penalty at not more than trcnty, and
the latter at trenty dollars, showing the
first Council had fixed it so that if yio-
lation of the ordinance was made out
they need not impose any fine for their
ordinance requires none. But even il
the Council of 1866 did pass an uncon-
stitutional ordinance, it does no justify
the present Council one particle; but if
wrong has been done heretofore, it only
increases the evil if the present Council
continues it knowingly.
The Colonel seems quite ignorant on
the subject of treats, and it is refreshing
to see his innocence, but really we have
not seen so many drunken men of color
on our streets as were out at night for
about two weeks before the election, and,
Judging from their conversation, their
whiskey did not prejudice them against
Col. Cochrans ticket. His intimation
that we had better keep quiet on this
subject, will not influence us much, as
we are not in the least uneasy, and now
defy him for any facts. His hints are
entirely without the shadow of a founda-
ton.
His filings at the Messrs. Fant are both
uncalled for and unwarranted. They are
gentlemen whose integrity and honor he
does not dare attempt to impeach; and
we expect they are little more closely
allied in interests to the farmers of our
County than he intimates in his article,
and they have some friends among that
class, as Mr.. O. H. P. FAINT is now chair
man of the County Commissioners, and
could possibly (7) be elected Cotton
Weigher, if he wished, even if left to a
vote of the County. 1t is but just to say
here, however, that in 1866 the amount
of cotton raised in this County was COM
paratively small, and neither the Council
nor Mr.. Fantwere guilty of extortion in
fixing ten cents per bale then. Since
that time it has run up very much, and
the Councils of which Col. Cochran has
been member are to blame for keeping
the price up, if they claim to control
the matter. He is again mistaken when
he says the merchants, before the war,
weighed the cotton in front of their
doors, and then paycd for draying it to
the depot, for the custom was to reload
the cotton when weighed, and the farmer
hauled it to the depot.
Col. Cochran's notions of justice vary
very much with circumstances. The idea
of reducing the weighing to five cents
was caught from the merchants We be-
lieve, and he Immediately got up his pc
titions to the legislature, asking that the
office be made an elective one, and that
the price be reduced to five cents per
bale, to be paid by the seller. He thought
it Just for the farmer to pay the five cents
then, but after the board oftrade agreed
to have the buyer to pay it he changed
his mind, and has been Justify proclaim
ing it as one of his ideas of justice to the
farmer. His remarks about "thin logic
for young and rising political econo-
MIST" are correct, when they say the
parties interested are "buyer and seller !"
but the amount of that interest is deter
mined bv the number of bales bought
and sold, so that the man who buys tif-
teen hundred bales is more interested in
correct wrights than one who only sells
ten, for the former mi ght lose thousands,
while the latter could only lose at most
few hundred dollars; and if he docs not
appreciate the difference, we can only say
that he is rather shallow w-brained to occu-
py the once dignifed seat of State Senator.
1t is hardly necessary to notice his re-
marks about having the Cotton Wcigher
elected by the people further than to say
it is more discordant than we supposed,
for it will be impossible to avoid contu-
sion if man has to vote for a weigher at
the place he sells his cotton, and besides
what would become of the poor darkies
who sell no cotton? They would not get
to vote. And how about those persons
living in other States and counties who
sell their cotton here7 1t seems that
Col. Cochran's sense of justice only
prompts him to pretend to protect the in
terest of those people he hopes to get to
vote for him, and that he cares very little
about those poor fellows who are SO UNI
fortunate is to live across county and
State lines.
Then comes some more Buncombe
about the farmers that is intended to
make it appear he is the farmers friend,
and endeavoring to cause breach be-
tween them and the merchants and vii
ayers. Col Cochran has held the color
ed race under his control and sufficiently
arraycd against the whites to know that
he is safe with them, and all he desires
is to gain about five hundred white men
to join his ranks under the name of indie
pendent voters to make him safe. But
he will find it more difficult to fool the
farmers than he imagines. When they
want champion they will probably take
some reliable granger who is more clear
ly and thoroughly identified with their
interests than he is. His concluding
proposition is fair enough and will prob
ably be accepted, but it is remarkable
that he did not make it sooner and there