The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-07-11
TIE PRESS AND BANNER EN-.
DORSED.
The Monstrous Proposition to Hu-
tiiatc old Abbcville County.
Stock or No Stock That's the
Question.
.sSs anil Banner:

l. . ,:!;n pleasure the people note your
position on all questions affecting the
bubble interest. The next question OF
practical reform. soon To be decided pro
or con. is the fence law, and you arc
stoutlv battling for it, as well as against
the monstrous proposition to lnutiiate
our old county and disflgure 1t, I'LL II
would never be recognized as the glorl-
Ii old county it is. The question OF
fence or no fence resolves itself really Ill.
to the question of stock or no stock, ana
l propose to show this by a statement OF
facts which cannot be c~ontrovcrt-
ed. To those who will examine
the subject in its general april
cation, who can look beyond sell,
and the few exceptional cases found un-
der every general rule, 1t VIII De seen
that there is no other single Instance OF
practical reform that can compare with ii
in importance and the necessity for its
adoption. We assign the following rs
the grounds OF our position:
The fencing costs more than the stock
is worth. The fencing of the State before
the war, estimated in 1855, was, for each
period of ten years, Sl5,G0O 900. The val
ne of the stock of the State estimated al
that time was s 1000, 900, (sco report 10
General Assembly in 1856, by Oscar NJ.
Licbcr, State Gcologist.) Thus we ca
pended double the value of the stock Ill
the State-tor what? Merely to keep
them out of the fields. Ii such was the
relative value of tile stock to the cost OF
fencing before the war, when lleir num-
Der was at 4 moderate estimate, ten to one
now, how absurdly disproportionatc is
the present value, since the cost OF fcnc-
ing remains the same, while one portion
stock, the hog, has virtually diSap-
pearcd, and cattle have been reduced to
the lowest possible number. Is it wise,
is it not simple in a people to keep up u
system on such costly terms, without
any thing better to recommend it than
the fact it is "thc way our fathers trod.
fact will not 4 continuance of the Old
result in the destruction of all
stock. We contend that it will. Such
result is already being accomplished at a
rate, no species of property can or
will be maintained when its costs is so
far in excess Of its value. No one can
fail to have observed the immense de-
crease of stock chat has taken place IN
der the present system, and such de-
crease is still going en-, and will continue,
until by the expiration OF another halt
dozen wears we will have no stock, as
well as no fence. 1t is undcniablc that
fencing is becoming worse and worse. a
fence fulfilling tho requirements Of tho
law car rarely be found. The few stock
Chat remain are becoming worse also in
consequence of bad fencing, The result is,
crops are destroyed and stock are abused
and killed. If it is contended that a COM
pliance with the law would prevent the
damage to crop and stock we reply that
the cost of fencing is so great compared
with the value Of the ends accomplished,
that it would be ruinCGS, and on that AZ
count the law is becoming obsolete. a
people would not, if they could, contin-
nc to observe i law which entails an OK
pense so disproportionate to the value of
the end achieved. Again we maintain
that the present system IS an mhltnali
one. If it Was no; desired to effect a
change, it is IL evident fact tia stock
fare badly under it. They enter upon
the winters campaign in tolerable colidi-
ton, and by the April following it is
barely possible for them to maintain life,
if they have not fallen before the winds
Of March. During the following spring
and summer they may regain somewhat
only to undergo Tic losses Of next Win
ter. Thus they alternate from life to
death, without profit to their owner.
Even the summer pasturage is quite
scarf and insufficient, because run over
and destroyed before the grass has an OPP
portunity to spring up. On the contrary,
within every enclosed plantation are lux
urient flats of grass where stock can be
battered with ease and safety. Now,
fence up the stock and it will be virtually
be fencing tie whole country, and what
4 country we would have. 1t woull soon
begin to return to its prirncval condition
when its entire surface was COW
cred with cane and other MI
tricious grasses. I would like to
answer some Of the positions of the OPP
poncnts on this importan. subject, bat
cannot now tax your space further. !
have viewed it III its general effects, and
defy any one t. successfully retllte the
positions taken which / rciteratc briefly.
That we canno keep up the present sys-
TEN OF fencing because il costs vastly
more than it is worth. Without fencing,
the destruction Of stock is unavoidable.
The treatment Of stock under the pres
ent system is inhumanc. The change pro-
posed would increase the growth of
grasses, g.. I will pursue the subject
week with your permission.
SALUDA.