The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-08-10
Miscell
-
THE LIEN LAW.

We clip the following from the
! Greenvile NeNs of the 29th ultimo
! being an extract from the pro
cccdings of the State Grange and
State Agricultural Society Meet
: ing:
Col. Butler read . paper taking
: strong ground against the lien law,
which, be said, placed the Iaborer
who had nothing but his muscle on
an equality with the man who
owned the land. 1t demoralized
labor, and encouraged the laborer
to make arrangements with the
merchant that comparatively freed
him from work. The law was Of
no benefit TO any body, for la
borers of this class deprecated the
land they worked. He had sta
tistics of liens, he said from cigh-
teen counties. Calculations based
on these showed that there was in
round numbers, ten millions dol
lars Of property now under lien in
the State against seven millions in
1880 and four millions in 1879.
The Rev. Mr.. Butler was called
on and gave Georgia'S experience
Of lien laws. lie thought such
worked evil and that continually.
To be prosperous 4 country must
be seli:sustaiuing, and the South
was not SO, depending on the
North for her food supplies. The
farmer who depended on the
storehouse in the city of Green
vile for his food was afflicted with
i moral leprosy. His honest judg-
ment was that Georgia was grow
ing poorer every day, and he be-
lieved the lien law had much to
90 with It. The country was
getting in debt deeper aid deeper.
The people were infatuated with
the lien law and the credit systery,
and the only remedy was to go
back to hard pan,' and live one
year On ash cake and potatoes,
instead of being a year before
aud eating each year what ought
to be eaten the following one.
Gen. Darlington asked how
man who owned nothing but land |
could get credit from the merchant
without a lien? No farmer was
forced to take out a lien. He was
not obliged to do it. The mer-
chant was certainly not to blame.
He could not be expected to let
out his supplies without security.
He hoped the Society would pass
no resolution on the subject, but
leave a man to follow his own dis
cretion.
Mr.. Livingston said his friend
had forgotten the petition Of the
Lords Prayer, Lead US not into
temptation.' If this law was re,
pealed the supplies would 60 to
the laborers through the hands OF
their landlord where it should 60,
and were not obtained from mer-
chants Independently Of the land
lord. Farmers could waive their
homestead and thus obtain credit,
and supply their tenants lnteli-
gently knowing every day the
advances the crops would warrant.
The repeal of the lien law would
not injure, but would help the
Gen, Garlington said his friend
from Georgia forgot that that
State was soaring upward in full
fight, while South Carolina had
Just come from under the iron
heel that pressed into her heart,
and was only preparing to fly.
She needed credit, and the lien
law was a simple process OF get
ting it.
Mr.. T. Il. Russell, of Anderson,
thought the repeal of the lien law
would be a benefit to the mer-
chant as we'll as the farmer.
Mr.. Edwards. Of Darlington,
was with the resolution. He did
not believe the planter should
have the right to give a hen.
Those who were given ability to
think for those who would not or ,
could not think for themselves
should take away this ruinous
right which did no good to any
one. He knew the lien demoral-
lied labor, and deprived farmers
Of their services Of the best hands.
Maj. Hammond asked if the lien [
law did let farmers alone. 1t was ;
not q negative thing. 1t said if I
the merchant would lend to the