Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1876-06-03
Signs of the Times.

Signs of the Times.
This is subject upon which VIC
coulll write. enough to fill up our
entire papor, but ;ls, thclc is nothing
i'll it just now that is cheering, we
shall dwell upon il vcryl briefly.
Signs Of the times! What arc
they 2 What is the status Of our
agricultural, educational, commercial
and financial interests? Bright or
gloomy? What prospect is there Of
better government? What chance
is there Of ridding this State Of the
stranger thicycs who nrc here sucking
the life blood Of the taxpayers?
10 the first Of these questions we
must answer, that our agricultural,
educational, commercial and financial
interests are all in as mad state OF
complete stagnation as they could be.
Many places people ere starving for
want Of bread, with no prospect Of
immediate or remote relief. Elu-
cationally we have been bankrupt
since the war. True, large amounts OF
money have been annually appropria
ted tor the maintenance of the Free
School system, but the appropriations
have been gobblcd up by worth
less an incompetent officials, and the
children allowed to grow up in ignor-
ancc. Instead Of selecting the best
men morally and intellectually for
the Office Of School Commissioner, as
i general thing the most ignorant
embccilcs have been foistcd upon the
public. The Schoo! Laws are ample
and cflicicnt,hul they cannot be carried
out by govcling idiots. Icncc, our
Schoo! status is not good, and does
not promise Il single sign Of improte-
ment.
Commercially NC arc not much
better off. There is 40 money i'll The
country and consequently 10 trade is
going on. What few goods arc sold,
arc bought Oh time under liens, and
these latter iii the Fall will swallow
up the entire crop Of cotton and leave
the people rs poor As they are 10 dayF
Tic condition is simply this: Our
merchants owe their factors, our
farmers all owe tic merchants, and
when the cotton crop is gathered it
will SO 10 the merchants on the liens
for advances, and from the mcrch.
ants to their Factors for credits. In
this whole transaction will there be
any money handled !? Not Il cent
The young cotton crop is already
sold, and hence We say that our con
dition will not be brttcrcd by The cot
ton crop that will be made this year
And we will continue in this same
fl at-iootcd condition from year to
year on to the end Of our lives: if our
people do not pay mor1 attention to
the cultivation Of corn, rice, wheat
DC, and to the raising Of their own
bacon. Just think Of it, it takes
now two pounds of good ordinary cot
ton to pay for one pound Of bacon in
some places. How much more will
it require next year This time F? Let
our farmers change their tactics, and
make more provisions.
| Financially we arc "dcad broke"
There is no money in the country,
and no prospect that there will he
any for long time to come. The
State Government is bankrupt. The
penal and charitable institutions will
have torunon Il credit after this month,
Nf they run at all, for the balance
pf the year. There will be Il deficiency
70 be made up i'll the next tax Of over
Rvc hundred thousand dollars, and
where the money is to como from God
only knows. And yet many of our
people arc going about their business
looking as cool rs a cucumcer under
the delusiyc hope that better times
arc coming, and thinking and bclicv-
ing that wc are living under u Re
form Government of the first water.
Dream on, friends! 1t is our imprcs