The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-09
Against Repeal of the Lien Law
WEssoN. Aug. 3O, lSS5.

1
times, all laws work hardships. There
may be instances in which men nave
been imposed upon by means OF these
/ liens. This is also true OF many other
/ laws, but need not be 50. In all liens
upon growing crops, IT - pro-
| ylded that goods or merchandise
shall be furnished at reasonable and
customary prices. But suppose the
/ lien may be for money at ten per cent.
! interest; where is the injustice orfraudz :
| Suppose farmers mule die in June or
4 July. and it is impossible for him 10 buy
one without money, and be can't get
money without giving security, and all
I he has is his crop. what fraud Is commit
| ted in that case when he deeds his cropZ
Another thing to be noticed Is, that
perhaps one-third of the liens on crops
are given for money. If, however, given
| for goods, it is none the less fraud or
an imposition.
Second / hold that large land owners,
rich men Exclusive Of merchants), and
only well-to-do farmers, favor a repeal
Of the law. They feel that they are the
guardians Of the working men and ought
to frame laws that viii prevent poor
men from going in deb, and from being
imposed upon-but when you 60 to the
bottom, they are prompted by the most
selfish and fiendish Of motives. 1t is an
attempt to enslaYe the muscle of the
country. 1t is an attempt to take credit
from poor man, and thus reduce him
to the hireling system. They want to
break up negro farmers, and small
farmers. and make hirelings out Of these
so as to make labor cheap and
plentiful They want to hire laborers
at 5000 per month and drive them from
daylight till dark, from one year to
another. All. sir, no patriotism, no
charitable feeling for the poor man ever
prompted them to attempt to take credit
from the little farmer. 1t is a perhdOus
way Of working up the interests of big
land owners to an English standard. In
England to-day, l19 men own enough
soil to support more than million souls.
The tenants and hirelings are the most
degraded slaves. The landlords are the
courts that the poor man must resort to
for Justice. The consequence is that no
matter how Ill he may be treated or how
uuiustly, he is better off never to 90 into
court. He is then hand tied. This is
what our country is drifting to. In nSouth
Carolina one farmer cannot employ
hand from anothers field. During the
reign of Edward the Third in England,
laws were enacted regulating the price of
labor in the various districts, and anoth-
er law was enacted forbidding laborer
to 90 into some other district for the
purpose Of getting better wages.
There are numbers of men in this
country who own too much land. They
can't cultivate it or hire hands to do so.
1t is this class that urges the re-
peal Of the lien law, 20 make fewer
farmers and more laborers. They want
to prevent merchants selling a poor
farmer, so they can rent him land and
do the selling themselves. | ask what
difference is there in merchant holding
a lien, and the landlord holding it?
Which will sell to the poor farmer the
cheaper? Under the laws of the State,
the land owner holds lien on the ten
ants crop for rent and supplies without
any writing. y merchant can hold no
liea except by special writing and
recording. To illustrate the advantage
of the law, | will mention one case,
which though isolated, is only one of
thousand similar cases. A young man
was working in the factory here for
81 90 per day. He left in February,
and rented farm merchant knowing
him to be stout and healthy, bought
him a mule, and furnished him clothing
and provisions to the amount of $4,000
This young man, in November, had paid
his rent, store account, $50 on his mule
and had 200 bushels corn. Without being
able to give a lien, he could not have
bought dollars worth on credit. He at
best could only have hired to some one
else at $500 per month for six or seven
months in the year, which amount would
not have supported his wife and chill
dren. You clearly see the advantages of
the law. Where has been stated a single
objection that will stand?
In conclusion / will say, the Lien Law
is now well understood in our State.
There are fewer trust-deeds being given
every year, and our courts are open for
every protection against fraud or impo
sition. As long as the richest man in
the State can borrow money, or get
credit by means of his property or
wealth. so long do / believe that the
poorest should have an equal right and
equal liberty. There is no law to put an
end to the credit system, and | am not
in favor of any law that will shorten
the credit of the poor man. There are
more poor than rich; hence those laws
should exist which would benefit the
largest number. Whenever the big
farmers on the river can't get credit,
whenever the merchants and the bank
ers and mill owners and corporations
and Railroads can't borrow any more,
then am in favor of allowing the poor
man little He needs it most, but
by all means, never cut him off and
force him into a cash system, while yon
permit others to enjoy a liberal credit.
Let all, both rich and poor, black and
white, be on an equal footing in such
affairs. But when the men who give
liens upon their crops, hold meetings
and petition the Legislature to abolish
the law, it is time enough then to con-
slider the matter As the President of
United States cannot send troops into
our midst to quell disturbances until
asked for by the Governor, neither
should our legislators feel called uprn
to repeal good business law until those,
upon whom rests the burden make re-
spectful request therefore. CoPJAH.