The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-12-15
WHAT CUR LAW MAKERS ARE DolLc.


our Legislature is condensed from our
daily exchanges:
The passage Of the Stock law in the
House has created great excitement
among the residents OF the upper and
eastern portions Of Charleston County,
where large herds Of cattle are raised
every year. Representatives FROM that
section have been in Columbia using
their best efforts 10 secure an exception
for Charleston from the operations Of the
law. They say it will operate as confis-
cation Of their property Their hope is
to have Charleston excepted, with the
proviso that all necessary fencing &c
erected between adjoining counties sub.
ject to the operations of the law. The
probability is that the exception will be
made of Charleston County. The oppo-
siton to the Law in other counties Of IL e
State bordering on the coast is quite as
violent as in Charleston.
On Thursday Bill was introduced in
the House to reopen the Citade! Acadc-
ed to use for its support the $4,000
saved from the penitcntiary.
On the same day tic House passed
concurrent resolution to adjourn on the
2lst inst, and reconvene on the 1lth
January. Mr.. Murray amended the
resolution that the members and attaches
receive no per iem.during the recess.
The Bill 10 repeal the Lien law came
up as special order in the House on
Thursday. The Bill proposed to repeal
the merchants lien but continued the
landlords lien. motion was made to
strike out the enacting clause on which
there was quite spirited discussion. in
which number of members participated,
but the body adjourned without reaching
vote. On the following day the dis
cussion was renewed, and occupied most
of the morning session, many foreign
issues being lugged into the debate
The arguments against the law were
about at par with those urged by its op-
ponents in our columns and the columns
of other papers of the State last summer.
Col. Rucker and Mini. Murray were the
only members of our delegation who
took any part in the discussion Col.
Rucker favoed the repeal of law
His reasons for repeating were: First,
that it was legislative interference with
the natural course Of business; second
that it prevented competition in trade
the lienor being compelled to procure
his goods from the merchant who takes
the lien; third it established an un-
healthy influence OH the farmer, compell.
ing him to neglect the raising OF provis.
ions in order 10 produce cotton. The
very destitution complained Of was caus.
ed by the scarcity Of provisions. If the
farmers raised their provisions they
would not need to give Liens for advan-
ces, and thus it is seen that the Lien law
is the direct cause Of the destitution in
the State. The repeal of the law would
benefit both laborers and merchants.
The law 'oaded 10 induce unskiled labor
to attem,.. to produce the fruits Of agri-
culture as independent farmers. 1t
would be better that this class shonld be
under the guidance of skilled and edu-
Gated leaders. The production would be
greater and the laborers would be better
of.
mir. Murray proposed to discuss the
measure upon the sole question Of its
eApediency and relation 10 the material
prosperity of the State. lie thought the
structures which had been cast upon a
certai. class had been entirely uncalled
for and out of place. He was opposed to
the repeal Of the Bill. In the last six
years the area of land under cultivation
had increased over 100 per cent. He
could not believe that any system which
had caused such result could be said to
be crushing out the material prosperity
of the State. The counties where the
greatest number of liens were given pro.
duced iho largest aggregate yields and
produced more to the acre than in the
counties where less liens were given.
The quality Of the agriculture in these
counties compared fayorably with any
States in the Union. The advocates OF
repeal claimed that the law was injuring
the poor people of South Carolina, yet
strange to say no voice came from these
poor people asking for the repeal of the
law. When the Lien law was repealed
the chattel mortgage would come in its
place. The Supreme Court had already
decided that mortgage could be given
on growing crop. The evil of the
credit system could not be attributed to
the Lien law. 1t was not the class of
security given that caused the evil, bu.
it was the debt contracted. The repeal
of the law would occasion serious embar.
rassment. The law as it stood did not
Interfere with the legitimate course of
business. A repeal of the law was to
assume that the General Assembly was
to act as the guardians of the people in
the transaction of their private business.
The law was not compulsory. That it
was subjected 20 abuses was true, but
many were the instances where by its use
poor men had worked themselves I'm
inttp ina owners of homes and lands.
One single drought would strike down
Thousands of land owners under the new
system which it was proposed to inau-
gurate. If the Bill was repealed let the
whole OF it be repealed, and place the
lzu1lo~1 m tba oa,r,a fook;,r ,,,th AZ.