The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1878-02-03
The LIEN Law.

To the Editors Of the Clarion
In your issue Of the Goth inst, | notice a
communication from your Westville cor
respondent, "VoT POpuIl," on the subject of
the Lien Law feeling a deep interestin the
subject and knowing that your valuable
journal has widespread circulation among
the people of Mississippi, | beg leave to
trouble you with few lines on the other
side of this question.
La the first place, | entirely agree with
Vox PopuH, that the original intention of
the lien law was good. [ disagree with
him that its necessity no longer exists, for
this is virtually a "poor mans" protection
law and there are to-day as many if not
more. poor men in Mississippi than on the
day OF its original passage. | deny the as
sertion that the lien law men pay more
for their merchandise than they would if
no liens were given unless the money was
paid down fer them. [ claim this for the
respectable portion of the mercantile
community Of the State, there may be
some Individual cases, where men
who claim to be merchants, have and are
taking advantage of this law, and by abus
Ing it gives rise to these expressions of en-
CINE of tyranny, etc. but those men would
probably do the same thing without a
lien law as with it, and the best way to do
in such cases is to go around such men and
not trade with them at all, for there are
enough solvent and honest merchants in the
State to do all the, business of Vor Populi
and his honest friends.
AS regards VeT PopuEs idea of its having
a tendency TO lower the character or sense
OF honor OF those who take it, | would simp-
ly answer that no careful, experienced and
honest merchant would open an account
for any man, with or without the lien, I'M
less he thought. at least, that he was hon.
est. 1t is true that there are men all over
the State who can buy merchandise on time
without lein, note or other security, but
tley have established their credit by years
of profitable aud agreeable intercourse
with the merchant from whom they buy
and invariably have more real property lin
case of death) than Is exempt by law, and I
claim the incentive TO establish a ere dit is
as good with as without the lien.
Vo1 P0puli draws q very dark and
gloomy picture, depicting the great suffer-
ing of the people, and the many sales at
the Court Houses, caused 10y the lieu law
This portion OF his letter is either very
much oyerdrawn, or the planters, merchants
and citizens generally OF Simpson county,
must be of an entirely different class from
the population Of old YazoO-for here we
have sixty-hv business houses, store at
nearly every cross road in the county, the
whole county full Of labOrers and still such
advertisements are very rarely seen. As
for merchants advising planters to plant all
cotton and no corn, that is simply ridcu-
lous-for no merchant wants TO furnish
u.
therefore, they generally advise first to
raise all the corn and meat on the land they
cultivate, and plant the balance in cotton
As regards his Vo1 Popuh's political
point OF view, he is certainly entirely mis-
taker, at least so far as the people of this
county are concerned.
For as said at the outset this law in my
opinion is the poor mans boon,and although
our county is comparatively rich one (at
least must be so regarded from the amount
of taxes drawn from it, the poor men are
largely in the majority, and [ contend that
II toe Democratic party desires to remain
In power in this state, they had better
beware how they attempt to undermine
and dismantle this (the poor man's) strong
est fortitication-iu laws
As for controlling labor, that is all bosh.
the merchant is equally interested with the
planter, that he should control his labor,
and IN nine cases out of ten will lend the
planter helping hand to so control it.