Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1877-05-17

salary OF the State Treasurer from $l,s75
to $500. Rejected "
Upon calling up the unfinished business
the question Of repeating the lien law
came up. Mr. r. R. Hemphill having the
4 floor. Hessaid: To-reeall-your attention
to the point at which was on yester1ay
! will reafirm, that the lien law was
necessity of the times when enacted. That
some such provision was necessary to
keep gaunt famine from the door of many
Of our poor people. 1t gave them hope to
work for recovery of. their property, and
the means to perform that work. We
! were verging upon actual want; what
had been left by the sword was swept
away by the hand Of the despoiler. The
passage of such law was departure
from the former course of legislation. 1t
was an unfortunate innovation, l admit,
but it was necessity of the times. The
unsettled condition of our financial and
i political affairs has rendered it necessary
to keep it on our statute books. It is i'm
possible to change and repeal it just now.
/ | would be willing to fix upon the 1st Of
January. 1879, forit to become inopera-
tive, but at no earlier date This lien is
of the same nature.as a mortgage OF real
or personal property. We make no OBJ
jections to the pledging OF property in this
way and of this kind. Do we not admit
by this that liens per Sc are not wrong
that there is no essential wrong in them
/ Our objections then must be founded upon
! the incidental evils of the system. Should
We not assure ourselves these evils are
I sufficient to overbalance those which
t-sAsld :; arise from the immediate repeal Of
bs66mmary and. speedy mode OF collecting
debts, but are compelled to resort to the
tedious, uncertain and expensive remedy
of an faction at law" Men, without
thought, charge our present impoverish-
ment to the lien law. 1t cannot be at
tributed TO any one cause, Within o
year the United States treasury has with
drawn from circulation more than $780,
100000 of currency. Ths is more sat-
islactory and real reason to be assigned
for the stringency of the times The
effect of the repeal OF the lien law would
be to force the labor of the country back
upon the land owners. This is, perhaps,
a desirable result, but the whole question
narrows itself down to this: Can the
country absorb and sustain this labor in
lis presentimpoverished condition ? Where
areihe means? assert that large pro-
portion Of the property of Abbeville
County, the basis Of its credit, is under
liens of judgment and mortgages. and
that the land owners themselves cannot
Ifget credit unless those furnishing supplies
for their laborers can have the benefit of q
lien prior to the liens already subsisting.
We cannot absorb the labor and enter
upon cash payments at once 1t is con-
test between labor and capital. and will
force men Of small farms to the position
of day laborers, with an uncertain prospect
of receiving pay. 1t will still further de-
grade the laboring man and -put1t beyond
his power ever 10 rise.
Mr.. Simpson-The lien law was intend
ed To supplant the homestead law and re-
store to the poor man the credit which
that exemption took away from him.. But
its actual operation is very oppressive. Il
gives the farmer a fictitious credit. 1t
places his credit entirely in the power Of
the merchant who has lien upon his
property.
Mr.. Vernon-This lien law is extremely
expensive. In many counties the clerks
Of court make from $4,000 to $4,000 a
year by recording liens. This is paid by
the borrower. If there is merchant
upon the floor to-day, / would ask him
how many of his customers who have
been giving him liens are worth one cent
more now than they were ten years ago.
If there was necessity for the law when
it was passed. that necessity dos not
exist now. A lien is not security, because
it is based on something not in exist nee.
It places weight upon the farmer cal
culated to discourage him in his labor to
accomplish that upon which the security
depends es -
ss5II N think r.: gI5's sEIa; I'd;
I'the happy days Of the poor man in South
Carolina have come l am glad that gen
tlemen have found out that the lien law
is secondary slavery for the laboring
man. Let people who have no means go
to work for somebody who can forecast
for them. Our poor people have got too
much pride. After they give lien there
is no more work. They get something to
live on during the summer till winter
comes again. If the people want the law
after it is repealed we can re-epact it again.
Mr.. w. K. Bradey--When I came here
was in favor Establishing the lien law, but
since ! have heard the arguments and
considered the matter more carefully, |
think that we should not do so till we en-
act substitute for it,
Mr.. Sheppard-One thing which should
be considered is that the lawyers in the
House are opposed to striking out the en-
acting clause of the bill. The system is
defective and should be amended, but l
am not in favor of wiping it out at once
without providing substitute.
Mr. c the provisions Of the lien
Law were :, .ried out thero would be no
harm from it. 1t provides that the lien
shall be given only for supplies necessary
for the making Of the crop. But when a
man gives lien he buys to its full limit,
and frequently buvs what he had no use
for, and that is where the injury results
Mr.. Youmans-The original intent of
the lien law was to encourage capital to
come TO South Carolina, and its present
operation never dreamed Of / think if
there is any necessity for cuacting usu-
ry law there is tenfold more 10 repeal the
lien law.
The following was received from the
Governor:
COLUMBIA. May II, 1877.
GENTLEMEN OF THE HOUSE OF REPRE-
sENTATIvEs: Yesterday transmitted 10
his Excallency the President o. the Unit
ed States the concurrent resolution adopted
blythe General Assembly invoking Execu
tive clemency, and l here have the honor to
communicate his reply.
WADE HAMPTON, Governor.
WASHINGTON. D. c.. May 10, 1877,
To Gov. WADE HAMPTON: l am in
formed by the Attorney General that be
has instructed the District Attorney Of
South Carolina to prepare for trial only
three indictments in the Ellenton cases
and to notify the parties in all other cases
that they need not prepare for trial. It
is possible that only one case will be tried.
The fact that the indictments were found
By the grand jury, composed Of both po-
litical parties; seems to justify the assnmp-
tion that the prosecutions are not partisan.
| agree with you that general amnesty