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


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 perma-
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, and put stop also to the rapid
exhaustion, as far rs home interests are
concerned, of the deposit itself. I think
the present time prupitious to bring this
subject to the attention of the people,
and with your permission, Mr.. Editor, I
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. I will not consume
time or space in endeavoring to prove the
importance of guano, taking it for granted
that a general experience has long ago
established the fact that guano, if hon
estly manufactured, is valuable aid to
successful farming, especially so if it can
be bought at 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 them, 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 large 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 Rill argue, as all monopo-
lists do, that trade and commerce should
not be meddled with by thinkers; that
supply and demand, if let alone, will
regulate themselves, &c. So they might,
but the trouble is that the monopolists
will not let them along, but band them
sclres together and increase the price by
force, when, according to the nature of
things, the 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 10 the people,
to whom it righ:fully belongs7
If the monopolists should have it all,
there is an end Of it, for they have it all
now, but if Ihe people shogld have it
instead Of the 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
existenco, EnA the peoples rights secured.
There lies deposited 10 l.s nayigable
streams alorg the sen coast of this State
a phosphate rock or bone, rich in fertil-
izing properties, and out of which the
commereial lm,?anures are manufactured.
This deposit, being N the nayigable
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 organigedl themselves into
and by paying large bribes
obtained from the Legislature the exclu-
sive right to dig and mine these deposits.
After awhile the same rights were extern
ded 10 o!bor companies, except that they
were given exclusive rights only ta GER
tain specified territory, The State
claimed only that these organized or
chartered companies should pay as
royalty one dollar per ton on every ton
lug or mined.
This in brief was TIC condition of
,hings when the Democrats came into
,ower. As soon as the subject began to
De Investigated by the Legislature many
difficulties presented themselves. The
White people of the State had been pur-
,osely kept in the dark concerning the
management of this interest, for it was a
nine of wealth to the Republican leaders
IS well MS to the favored monopolists.
There were grave doubts whether the
legislature had the right or power to re- !