The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-02-06

know what their condition is nov. bat We
were at loss 10 know what Mississippi
would have been if this Law had never been.
IF ve deduct the evils that have been at
tributed 70 the existence of this statute, we
imagine her progress would have been I'M
. paKaIeiledi But he conceived that our Peo-
pie had advanced Notwithstanding this
Laws fast as We could reasonable expect.
A bill had been introduced tby Mr. Key
, noldsl TO continue in operation the Board
of Immigration This very statute that
was now proposed to be repealed was me
hest advertisement Of the soil, climate, and
, liberty Of the citizens of Mississippi. that
) could be promulgated.
sWhy. SIR. President" said he, '-iust think
; for one moment, the soil of our State IS SO
: fruitful. the dews of heavens 50 certain
] that the industrious laborer, whether from
{ 1 across the blue waters of the Atlantic, OF
l some less favored spot of this Union
need only make known the fact that he Ii
going 10 tickle the soil of Mississippi, &c
S be able at once TO secure food and raiment
! for himself and family"
It has been said by the Senator from the
| 9th | Mr. Kyle. that the basis of credit I'M
: der the operation of this law was fictitious
and not founded on principle OF honor
Was not the the Senator mistaken when
. a man executed a Deed of Trust on his crof
I ! 10 be grown Is he not in honor bound to use
all the means IN his power to goto that
crop and were not advances made, often be-
/, fore single seed had been committed to the
; earth. based dpOn the faith that the labo-er
would SOW. cultivate and reap: No honor
iar0irsor' iHdecd , There was an honor involv-
ed and that honor had been sufficiently
kept and set to-day the e was clamor to
destroy il by legislation Perhaps one
hundred years e"o, this practice of Pledg-
ing the future crop for supplies was In use.
The first settlers around Natchez pledged
their crops to the merchants of New Or
/ leans for supplies. He didn't know when the
custom died. but Re did know that these
people gyeg rich, prosperous and happy.
No doubt the custom died of hamilton
for the want of support-and just as he
thought the practice should now be allowed
to die. 1t was dying. bat let it die TO want
of support and because it had served its
mission
I One other thought and he would resume
his seat. No law we could pass would put
many into the peoples pockets. The people
were poor and many Of them will remain so,
and whatever laws we passed, many of US
would still need credit, and capitalists
will make us pay for it. The mere shifting
of the basis of credit from the crop to that
of real estate will not reduce the cost of
credit. He regretted to cast his vote in
manner not in accord with many intelli
gent farmers. but he could not cast it con-
/ trary to his own judgment and against his
/ own convictions of justice to all concerned.
| Mr.. Roane, of Calhoun. said he favored
/ the bill fist as it was reported be be-
/ lieved a prohibitory clause ought to be
4 enacted, for if The law was simply repealed,
| the effect would be that persons could still
mortgage growing crops and the mortgage
would be good unaer The decisions of our
| Supreme Court, the onlT difference being
that the ceslui qui trust will have TO file
bill in the Chancery Court to foreclose his
mortgage, thereby mourning the court
| costs, lawyers fees, &e., and which is more
detrimental to him and his interest, with the
delay Incident to a trial in the Chancery
Court where cases drag their slow length
along for mon Tbs and months and some-
times for wears. Although l am a lawyer
al home, l am legislator here, and shall
oppose the senator's amendment striking
out the prohibitory clause. A great deal
has been unjdstly sad about lawyers legis-
lating il their own interests, and there are,
believe, majority OF l;wyers in t'Iis
body, and should this amendment ne
adopted it would look very much like we
were trying to encourage multiplicity of
suits for our own benefit
There are many reasons why l favor a
repeal of this law authorizing the encum-
bering Of growing ops or crops to be
grown. If the necessity for such a law
ever existed, which doubt it does not now
exist. 1t was first enacted just after the
war when our whole 5, stem of labor was
revolutionized and the whole country de-
moralized. Now that we have become accus-
toned TO the changed state of affairs. pub
lie confidence Is III a great measure restored
and but for this law this country would be
full of prosperity and thrift. But it is
argued by the Senator on my left that the
Governor sa-s IN his annual message that
the whole country is i'll a prosperous
condition. But who ever knew Governor
in a message to the Legislature, or the
President of the United States in his mes
sage to Congress, to fail to say the country
was prosperous? 1t is a stereotyped ex-
preston that they all use.
Some sag it will break credit down. This
country would have been rich but for this
habit we have of spending our money be-
fore we make it. 1t il dangerous habit. |
A man bases his credit on something not
crop is spent befo e a seed is planted. If |
disposed to, they can leave before a seed Is
planted land many do it, leaving the land |
lord o merchant who furnishes them with |
out eny means o. reco yeripg for his I'd |
vances. The credit IS fictitious, chimerical, /
and often leeds to ruin. A mans hopes |
are always buoyant in the spring and early |
summer; when nature puts ON her beautiful
garments of green, new life seems to be in
fused into everything around him. He |
sees, in anticipation, his growing crops /
yielding magnificent return for his labor.
and his barns filed to overlooking; ne goes
Immediately to town, buys himself a suit of
Sunday clothes, his wife a new dress and /
his daughter pair of striped stockings on
the strength of it. But, alas! when the
harvest is over his anticipated ten bales of
cotton is only three or FIVE; he is disguised
with cotton, his merchant and himself,
swears he will raise no more cotton, but
does the same thing nett year.
Credit judiciously used is a blessing, but
under this system it becomes curse.
Another objection to as system is its
moral influence on a community. man
whose honesty is unquesiioned before, is
asked by a merchant to give him a deed of
trust before he will furnish him supplies
He asks himself the lestion after he has
given it, what have | done to forfeit the
confidence of my fellow MANI" He loses
confidence in himself and therefore his
end with a great many think
ing their honor is not at stake, they study
more how to keep from paying their debts
tn IN how to pay them.
Another objection to this system is that
it takes away all competition. When man
n nf -. 70 No., No.
binds himself to him and can trade with
no other, and the consequence is, so far as ]
he is concerned, there is no other person '
from whom to bus and he pays whatever '
his merchant chooses to charge. It is said
that man cannot give ten per cent. for {
money Id live He can better afford to
give twenty per cent. for mony than TO
buy goods unde.. mortgage or trust deed.
Mr.. Hyer said: He desired to Law before
The Senate the line of thought which &C
uated him in voting for the repeal of that {
statute known as the merchants hen law. q
When he looked about him, over the fair |
and o. Mississippi, he saw multitude of I
armels, landlords tenants, laborers. mer- c
hants and profess ;onai men. of broken v
victims OF financial distress. He a
ound the swaJ el adversely the rule, that a
1 prosperity the exception. This condi- I
ion of affairs he attributed % the adverse t
perasion of the merchants lien law. c
Mississippi Is almos. strictly an agricul Q
aral State, and as such, her first duty is to a
ee that an abundant food supply is raised t
Iithin her borders. He asserted it as a
act that when an agricultural community g
1akes practice of purchasing their food Z
upply, poverty at no distant dag will be o
81 Il l.
ction of this lien law, the agrieultnralist n
as forced to conine himself almost en- II
luslEely to the raising of cotton which he
ould not utilize, and every cent derived b
rom its sale goes to ell his hungry stomach st
nd clothe his naked back. and, since the ii
emands OF the former so greater and OF
lore imperative than the latter, but few of to
1r Iaboring classes are comfortably clad. Al
hile many are only partially fed. tr
There were those who seemed to have m
ut little confidence in the ability Of OR hs