The Osceola times., 1883-03-10

'"e Seherdi asSeihoiy, WHICH, ny the
of the Governor, is now
law. We allude to the "Act for the
better regulation of the letting and
sub-letting Of lands," &c, which
serves to show whittier we are drift
ing. Under the late system of rent
ing land and taking mortgages on
the growing crops for securing rents,
corn bread and sow-belly at exorbi-
tant prices, the landlords generally
got everything the tenants made,
and if perchance, they found will
ing hand, an extra hard worker, they
allowed him to get little in debt,
80 as to secure his services another
year. Under the present law, the
landlord may not only get all the
tenant or renter makes, but in case
the tenant tries to manage his own
business to the best advantage for
unless he is provided with a
specially written permit from his
landlord to do SO, is liable to be pros
ecuted and fined in any sum not less
than $50 nor more than $500, or i'm
prisonment in the county Jail not
exceeding six months, or both fine
and imprisonment. This is the way
the law reads to us. But it could
not have been expected that a body
Of men, wholly unqualified and igno-
rant of the wants and needs Of the
laboring classes, and who were but
too eager to push through the legis-
ture the pet schemes of interested
sharpers, who take pains to draw up
their measures in abiguous and high
sounding language, just SO they 1.-THE
representatives. get the credit of in
Producing and steering them to a,
successful passage, and thus keep up
a reputation for craftsmanship, should
inquire or look very deeply into the
merits of, or the possible effects, such
laws may have upon their constitu-
ents.
Shaping and striving after class
legislation favoring the fortunate,
and expressing the poor, seems to be
the ;gnus fairs which distinguishes
our great leaders, from United States
Senators down to the humb lest mem.
Der Of a Board of Aldermen of the
most insignificant municipal corpo-
ration. The political rallying cry of
'' The greatest good to the greatest
number" is the broad and treacher-
Gus shield under which acts of op-
preston are incubated, hatched and
put in operation to the end that CEN
tralized power may be given to
the opslent, with which, to further
oppress, impoverish and enslave the
Iaborers of our country.
How would such law operate in
the case of a country merchant? Let
us see: Mr.. Smith buys, say $4,000
worth of assorted goods from a
dealer in Memphis, on
time, of course. He brings his goods
home and disposes of them to the
best advantage to his customers
takes a mortgage on this and that
mans crop; credits others on their
honor; barters with others for hogs,
cattle, eggs, coon-skins, dry-hides,
&c., all to be delivered at certain
periods of time; makes a close deal
with customer here, and taking a
little risk with this one, but all with
an eye to his own advantage at the
wind up, SO as to be able 10 meet his
obligation to the Memphis dealer.
What, if just before making his col
lections, when his customers were
all ready to settle, the Wholesale mcr-
chant could step in, like the landlord
in the other case, have him arrested,
fined and imprisoned, while he gob,
bles up the profits Of his years work.
Why, with such a law, it would be
but very short time until every
country merchant in the state would
be occupying cells in our county
jails. If such a law is not good for
the merchant, it cannot be beneficial
to the laboriug, farming class.
Such oppressive laws on the labor.
ing classes, is the germ from which
sprung nihiiism, communism and
organizations in Europe, and
we venture to predict this law if at
to be enforced will cause
trouble, and perhaps. bloodshed be.
fore the year is out.