The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-23
THE PHOSPHATE QUESTION.

MR.. EDITOR: The people of this State,
and especially the farmers, should closely
scrutinize the recent action of the com.
panies manufacturing commercial ma
nures in the city of Charleston and else
where in banding themselves together
and increasing the price of guano at this
time, when there appears to be pcrma-
nent decline in the price Of all kinds of
agricultural products, and when ruin and
bankruptcy are looking almost every
tiller of the soil full in the face. And
they should not only scrutinize, but for
themselves should thoroughly investigate,
the phosphate question, and, if possible,
devise some plan to put stop to the
selfish extortion practiced by the monop-
olist, aid put stop also to the rapid
exhaustion, rs far as home interests are
concerted. of the deposit itself. I think
the present time propitious to bring this
subject to the attention of the people.
and with your permission, Mr.. Editor,
will submit few thoughts thereon, hop
ing that by the combined efforts of the
consumers some practical plan may be
devised to cause this inheritance, which
belongs by right to the people, to inure
to the common good. Twill not consume
time or space in endeavoring to prove the
Importance of guano, taking it for granted
that general experience has long ago
established the fact that guano, if hon
estly manufactured, is valuable aid to
successful farming, especially so if 1t can
be bought at u reasonable price.
The manufacturers and miners of the
phosphate rock have millions of dollars
invested in these operations, and enor-
nous profits have been and are still made
by thea,, and any effort to deprive them
of their monopoly will call forth all the
opposition which their millions can bring
to bear. Charleston City has also re,
ceived largo benefits from the foreign
trade in these phosphates, and any effort
to put stop to this trade will encounter
that opposition also. The phosphate
monopolists will argue, as all monopo-
lists do, that trade and commesce should
not be meddlcd with by tinkers; that
supply and demand, if let alone, will
regulate themselves, &c. So they might
but the trouble is that the monopolists
will not let thcm alone, but band them.
se'res together and increas the price BY
force, when, according to the nature Of
things, Inc price should be lessened.
But the first question to decide is, Shall
this great wealth be given to a few men
only, or shall it be given to the people
to whom it rightiully b.longs7
If the monopolists should have it all
there is an end of it, for they have it all
now. but il tho people shoqld have il
instead ofthe monopolists, let every man
rise up and demand the peoples rights
and no matter how great the opposition
let them never cease battling until the
monopolists are, if need be, rooted out OF
existenpe, ena the peoples rights secured.
There lies deposited IN tl.o nayigable
streams a!ors :..o soa oo;s:ss:: &c .t:s a..a:.s
phosphate rock or bone, rich in fertil.
izing properties, and out of which the
commercial manures are manufactured,
This deposit, being in The payigable
streams, belongs to the State, and the
State can dispose of it as it sees proper.
During the power OF the Radical party
private parties organized themselves into
companies, and by paying large bFibes
obtained flom the Legislature the exclu-
sivc right u. dig and mine these deposits.
After awhile the same rights were extern
ded to otbe, companies, except that they
were given exclusive rights only to GER
tain specified territory, The State
claimed only that these organized or
chartered companies should pay rs u
royalty one dollar per ton on every ton
dug or mined,
This in brief was ihs cppdi,ior OF
things when the Democrats came into
power. AS soon as the subject began to
be Investigated by the Legislature many
difficulties presented themselyes. The
white people of the State had been pur
posely kept In the dark concerning the
management of this interest, for IL was a
mina of wealth to the Republican leaders
as we'll as to the favored monopolists.
There were grave doubts whether the
Legislature had the right or power to re-