The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-01-08

Wuat ! uteitos AoN0 ~ AuCo Joo u ~tsos
to provoke newspaper controversy, nor
do I mean by this communication to do
so. Perhaps I can best accomplish my
desire by asking you to publish the
speech referred to and leave the people
to Judge the correctness Of my position.
81. G.. SCUDDAY.
Mr.. SPEAKER: The ingenuity dis.
played in the arguments of the friends of
the Exemption Law to-day, is only sur
passed by the ingenuity displayed in 1873,
when its friends succeeded in placing it
upon the Statute Books of this State, in
the face Of the express mandates of the
Constitution against it.
Their speeches are as remarkable for
what they do not tell us, as they are for
what they assert. Whilst the climax of
their argument has been that foreign
capital will seek Investments in our State"
yet it is quite remarkable that We have
not been told on this floor of single
factory in South Carolina that has been
built by foreign capital. Nor have we
been shown that enough foreign capital
has been added to home capital in build.
ing factories to justify taking from the
treasury annually such large sum of
money thatshould remain there to tighten
the burden of taxation upon the people.
1t has developed here that one foreign
capitalist did put forty thousand dollars
in one factory, but he did not do it until
he was given the exclusive right of
handling and putting the goods upon the
market when manufactured, with the
right to retain large commissions for his
work. He may not have known of the
existing Law.
The gentleman who last spoke made
use of one remark that completely shat
tered the force Of his speech. He said
money is power" Yes, Mr.. Speaker,
money Is po,oer, and little does it need the
arm of legislation to sustainit. Another
remark of his made the injustice of the
present law even more gIaring than ever.
He said "he favored the exemption
because when factories are built the poor
by hundreds could get employment" He
failed to tell us that the Exemption Law
said to the wealthy corporation, with its
magnificent buildings, you need not pay
your tax, and that it said to those hun.
dreds of poor people who really need aid,
and who furnish the physical labor, with
out which the factories could not exist,
you must pay tho last tarthing of your
tax. My friend could much better show
his sympathy for the poor by advocating
an exemption from taxation for the ope.
ratives of factories.
The gentleman from Greenville (Mr.
Ansel) places himself in an amusing po-
sition by his advocating the Exemption
Law. Two sessions ago when he felt
that the welfare of the people of this
State demanded it, he stood here and
labored zealously for the Railroad Com.
mission Act, even when he was told that
its passage would drive foreign capital
from Railroad enterprise in this State.
Then it was duty to ignore the claims of
foreign capital in order 20 protect the in.
terests of our own people. Now the in
terests of foreign capitalists seems to out
weigh in importance the interests of our
own people. Again it is somewhat
amusing 10 notice how extremely anx.
ious he is to benefit the people, even at
the expense of violating the terms of the
Constitution, and yet when the opportu-
nifty is offered him by complying with
its requirements to benefit the people, as
for instance the maintenance of the South
Carolina College, we find him opposing
it with consistency that is indeed strik-
ing. l shall notice only one other point
of his before noticing the more important
iasnes Of this discussion. He favors the
exemption because be is an advocate of
diversity of industries in South Carroll.
ma; and thinks it will develop them. /
assert that the remedy the gentleman
suggests is worse than the. disease.
Whenever the government takes under
its wing any one department of industry,
bestowS upon it fayors, which it denies
to others of equal merit or enters into
sort of partnership with it, by legislating
to increase the ordinary profits of that
industry, you at once create govern.
mental monopoly as it were, and destroy
the very possibility of healthy develop
ment and growth on the part of the other
industries that are denied such favors.
My position is, that the surest way to in.
duce diversity of industries in South
Carolina, is to secure the protection of
the rights Of all, and to show favoritism
and partiality to none.
If, however, Mr.. Speaker, this House
is determined to violate the principle
have just announced, and foster any one
department of industry in this State by
the strong arm of legislation, let us have
an eye to the one most meritorious. Let
US foster the one that contributes most 10
the welfare and support OF our State.
This is not manufacturing State and
we can never hope to make it one. We
can never com ete with the manufacture.
ing States of New England. 1t is purely
an agricultural State, Now, sir,
it would be but a just recognition of this
fact, and that the life blood of this State
comes from that department, for US, if
we have any special favors to show, to
give it the benefit of them.
The day of the necessity for the e1emp-
tion of factories has long ceased to exist
in this State. In 1873. when the law
was enacted, who filled the seats of this
Hallf Who occupied the chair now
graced by you? Property in South Caro-.
lima, as well as personal rights were in
jeopardy. Foreign capital would not
seek our State. Perhaps it was policy
then to enact such a law. But sir, I
make it as the proudest assertion of my
life, that South Carolina has been re-
! Il Al Ill