The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-11-14
AGRICULTURAL LIEN LAW-N0
REPEAL.

EDITORS CLARIoN Please indulge
me space to pay my respects to those
who did me the honor to notice my COM
muHication against the repeal Of the
Lien Law. am surprised to know that
what j wrote should stir up 50 many
brilliant champions Of the repeal, and
wish here to extend thanks for courtesy,
and to say something in reply to each.
sMr. d. of Hinds says "The fact is,
this crop mortgage LAW should be re-
pealed for the reason that It's eIisfence
has produced the hard Zines Now, is
this a faet2 Have the hard times ever
been traced back Individually to this Law
Is he not laboring .uRdera miscoucep-
tion Of the fountain of our reyerses !?
Where was there planter who did not
see anstere discomftuTes bsfore the law
was enaeted7 Indeed were not times
more tormenting and bread and clothes
/ scarcer before, than nov? Who among
orr planters or merchants understood
| the laws on the questions of supply,
/ labor and rent before our last were in
i trodnced? Is il not true that nearly all
settlements in the fall required the help
Of magistrates? Have we ever had, nm
der the present status. such confusion
and turmoil as to agricultural products,
as kept the State boiling up to the time
of the last law Then, if our condition
is rendered les yexatious, by these open,
/ plain, straightforward laws; if she coun-
try is more harmonious; if planter and
| merchant settle without magistrates,
how can any one assert, that their e1ist-
eHee causes our hardships? No one de.
MES our grievances. They are falling
around as thick as replies TO my first
| communication but the plqIfer must
surely trace the eauses TO some source
outside the lien law. Reflection will
1 show him that it is not only harmless,
but absolutely a shield against many
| annOyanees. How t. trace the causes oil
our discomfort to their source is not my
purpose, hut they might be found in
some of our other laws, or as is more
likely, the lack Of harsher laws on other
subjects.
This repeater also says: "The lien
law has. taken the control of the labor
out of the hands of the landowner, and
| forced him to rent on terms dictated By
the merchant" How and when did
this law take the control of labor from
the hands of landowners? They are not
aware of having held this control since
the days of slavery, and they well re-
member the power that forever relieved
them of it then; and furthermore feel
pretty confident that control has never
passed into the hands of merchants or
any other class. Just here, indeed, NAV
repose the cause of all our troubles; If
so, do not attribute it to the lien law.
IL there is any general control, it surely
is not generally known. That control
seems to be lost. Find it; hold il up.
that all may direct the storms and con
duct plantations, once again, under ante
betl1fnl ideas. But we fear it is lost for
erer, and our labor to remain uncontroll-
able, all the new laws and schemes to
the contrary notwithstanding. Il was
hard to control in "ordinary times"
under old school ulllozing, so that
under the late 18th amendment system,
it may be enscrolled among the lost
arts.
Mr.. ID. furthermore says: "The lien
law has placed the control of the cotton
crop, into the hands of capitalists, fix
ing its price twelve months ahead :, /,
How can this be sh0wn9 1t may be a
fact that the crop goes to capitalists and
the price fixed twelve months ahead
but it is well established that tbs law
is.the cause of this perplexity? III not,
do not blame it. Wipe out this law and
get up another for next year. HE new
substitute will be based on some find of
credit, and that credit most assurally be
lifted from where it is and PLACED on
real estate Now will this chaige of
Aase turn the channel OF the ne II crop
a1talistasaGd alter their y dtermi-