Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-11-29

in the bargain, while the laborer opens
another year with like supplies aud like re-
suits. Many robust freedmen thus live,
with no other prospect before them aud
their families but rags and poverty, crime
and degradation. Their consolation, and it
is fullaoious, is that they are perfectly free
from control by auy one, and while the lien
law will give them credit, they will coutinue
to live under this foolish delusion.
This labor, thus f6olishly dissipated, il
properly directed and supplied, would yield
large income to tho wealth of the State on
our rich lowlands and fertile0 table lands
The labor, thus directed, would be we'll
resnuneratcd in wages or a share of the crop,
and the State enriched, while the laborer
would soon become better contented. With
economy, in a few years, any industrious
laborcr could set himsof up and farm indo.
pendently and profitably. In the general
property which would cnsue, the induce.
mont to crime would disappear, and petty
pilfering become almost unknown.
1t may be said tho lien law is statutory
privilege, extended to tho people, under
which they can get crodt, and that every
ono may avail himself of it or not at his
option. We reply, there are hundreds of
people who need Legislative protection
rather than privilege, restriction rather than
license. The gaming table will injurc no
one who will keep away from it, but if there
were no immortality in it, it would demand
legislative prohibition, because of its tempt.
ing offors of fortune by the turn of card,
and without labor. Tho lien law, under the
guise of privilege, proves to be blight
ing curse, aud from its fascinating offers Of
credit many need protection.
1t may DO said again, wo are too poor to
cut it off now. Give us q few years 10
which to accumulate basis of credit and
prepare for the change. We have had ten
years of preparation, and wo arc poorer now
than the second year of the war. Besides,
look OF tho facts clearly and tell US how you
can make preparation undor tho lien law2
Gun any man pay from one to two hundred
per cent. profit on goods for credit of
few months and ten to eighteen per cent.
interest on the goods, and make clear money
by farming, with cotton at ten cents per
pound aud corn at fifty cents per bushcl? Auy
candid mind must admit that thorc would
be better chance to farm protitably 90
borrowed capital at 2 rcr cent. per month,
than on supplies furnished under the lien
law, and the absurdity of attempting this is
plain, when general experience shows that
farming rarely in this country pays more
than seven per cent. on the money invested.
If we arc poor and without credit, we can
get ncthcr capital nor credit under the
provisions of tho lien law. We must labor
for wages or a share of the crop until we
create capital, at tho same time that we
secure an easy credit by the ompt pay.
ment of our obligations. High interest aud
lien laws can never bring capital aud solid
credit. Those are the creatures of industry
and economy. 1t is idle to look elsewhere
for full cribs and smoke houses. La every
structure looking to wealth and indepcn-
dance, individual or national, industry and
economy must be the corner stone.