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

Interested in making the extent Of the |
deposit appear .. great Is possible
Then, again, the financial difficulties ef- |
fectiDg the State at the time, together
with the known poverty Of the people,
made it absolutely necessary to lessen
the burdens Of taxation by every means
possible, and as the ax-payers received
considerable aid from this source it Was
thought best to continue the system then
in force until ut least better conception
was had Of the subject The objections
to this system were many, and were all
well understood, but there was but this
plan and one other proposed, and no
time was had to mature better one, SO
it was determined to organize or charter
IA many companies as desired it that the
monopoly business might be broken up,
and each and every charter 30 granted
was made repealable at the will Of the
Legislature, going to show the necessity
there was felt to exist to adopt a new
and entirely better system SO soon as
that system could be mapped out.
The one other plan proposed and the
plan adopted IVY the last Legislature, was
proposed first in the interest of those
living upon the sea coast, and was not
calculated to obviatc a single objection
met with i'll the other plan, but instead
contained .nsuperablc objections of it's
own. From recent Investigations it is
proven that the extent of this deposit
has been greatly exaggerated. We need
every bit of it Mt home to manure our
own worn out lands. but as it is, it is be-
ing fast transported beyond the border,
Of our own State, and while monopolist
and consumers in other countries are be.
ing made rich with its use, our own peo-
| pie are practically denied the use of it,
and, if this rapid transportation contin-
ues, we will soon awaken to the fact that
our great mine of wealth has been ex-
hausted and is gone, and all the great
anticipations arising therefrom have
gone with it. South Carolina, like the
other Southern States, has for long
time felt the burden of being hewers of
wood and drawers of water for our more
enterprising and active brothers across
the border, and in the management of
our phosphate interest we are simply ex-
employing the common custom of allow
ing others to come in and reap the benc-
fits Of a wealth which could be made to
materially advance the interest of every
individual i'll the State. We never have
been, and may be never will, be able to
fix price upon the products of our labor.
Whatever spectators say we must take
for our cotton We have TO take, but these
phosphatcs are one thing we can control.
We can prevent this expectation, and
can manufacture them, so to speak, at
home. Then, in the name of common
sense, lei lis DO It.
In the adoption of plan to perma-
nently and profitably dispose of this de-
| posit, the first concern should be to see
that none of It is transported beyond the
borders of the State, and that every
ounce that is dug goes to manure our
own worn out lands, that the productions
of our soil be increased to The greatest
extent possible. Now, the present plan
in operation IS absolutely at variance to
these ideas, in that it has for its prime
object the mining of as great an amount
rs possible. This objection alone to the
present plan is sufficient to convince
every one that the plan is not in the per-
manent interest OF the State but besides
this great objection there are others
equally as great, for is it not under the
operations of this plan that the monopo-
lists are able to band together and de.
mand price for their manure entirely
disproportionate TO the benefits derived
from their use 1t may be we'll, how
ever, that this last plan was adopted, for
the subject is new one to our people,
and we have no experience as precedents
to guide us in disposing Of it. After a
trial, if it does not work as we'll as ex-
pected, it will only serve to bring all to
common opinion, and all will see the
Importance of n radical change in the
whole system. Believing that that time
is at hand, and that all are even now
ready for change, rendered absolutely
necessary by the recent action of the mo-
nopolists, have thoughtfnlly matured the
outlines of plan which think will OBJ.
viate all the difficulties hitherto met
with and which will accomplish all the
objects desired.
The plan In short Is as follows: Re.
peal all existing charters to companies,
and, by legislative enactment, give to all
the right to dig, but upon the expressed
condition that all rock so dug or mined
shall be sDld to the State alone and at q
stipuiated price, and punish by heavy
penalties any one violating this condi.
ton. Then with the convcts in the
penitentiary let the State manufacture
this rock into manure, and by SO doing
the Stateco obtain profitable employ
ment for those who are now an expense,
and the profits thus obtained would save
to begin With the expense of maintaining
that institution, which Is annually be,
tween thirty and forty thousand dollars.
Then to save what the State now receives
from royalties, profit sufficient to bal
ance that income should be charged
upon the manufactured article. To IL
!na! cate: The crndc rock would cost
from two to three dollars per tap; the
cost, allowing wages for the hands en-.