The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-08-05

/. that is required to make cotton pay for one
ton of commercial fertilizers will l:lake two
tons OF compost worth more to our lands.
What have said of guaCo Is equally truo
of corn, bacon. and flour. If all the money
that has gone out Of our country within
the last ten years had been kept here by
some other system, if.it could be possible
to have adopted some other system, if that
money had been kept here we would to-day
| have been prosperous and happy people,
and you would not have heard any cries of
hard times. You would not see long faces,
| YOU would not see the sheriff knocking
at the door of about one-half of our farm.
ers, and | tell you ir it is not stopped, if
some other system is not adopted of buying
our supplies and commercial fertilizers,
you will have frequent visits from the
sheriff. Man, wake up and count your
chances for success. One bale Of cotton at
II cents is worth more to us with our sup
plies made ut home than two at eight with
our supplies in the Northwest. The de.
mand governs the price, and the price
governs the sheriff, and the sheriff ruins
you., ~
Will you ask me ikthere can't be any
law enacted that will give you relief In this
matter2 Pardon me for answering that
there is no law that can give you relief in
this particular matter. Relief must be
wrought at home It is the great funda-
mental principles of society and civilization
with common use and universal consent to,
and mutually and reciprocaliy maintained,
to the unceasing circulation of interest pass;
ing through its innumerable channels and
invigorating the whole ways of civilized
man-it is to these motions more than law
and government that our happiness and
prosperity depend. Mr.. President and
gentlemen, if you will allow me to make
few suggestions by which farming may
be profitable, we must use every means
/ that we can to make our soils rich, we must
make our compost, our own fertilizers, and
we must adopt system of rotating our
crops; and am persuaded that we can add
great deal to the soils of our land, by
spending one day in each month stopping
our gullies with pine brush and rock.
tell you do believe that if this system
were adopted, we would hear of less wash
ing away of the soilof our land, and filling
up the river, creeks and branches, and
believe further that the health of our coun-
try would be greatly improved by it. My
fellow. citizens, T do not know whether you
are going to try this system or not, because
you are infatuated with the present cotton
system and you will spend every dollar
that you have until starvation and ruin
stare you in the face. You will not turn
your backs upon the present system until
that is done then you will adopt another
system that will prove more successful than
tho one that we have already in existence
the one that we have, the one that we have
practiced so much.
There hare been more questions pro-
pounded by the Club and / will mention
few of them. To answer one of those
questions truthfully will require m ore time
than that at my disposal. will mention
some things that think have been beneh-
cial that were passed within the last four
years that are beneficial to our agricultu-
raj interests. The change Of the time for
the collection of taxes believe has been
favorable to the farmers cof our country.
Tie repeal Of the manufacturers law, and
the tax refunding law is favorable. There
is one, fellow. citizens, that believe has
been detrimental to your interests that was
passed In the Legislature while ] had the
honor to represent you; that is, the rate OF
interest has been changed from seven to ten
per cent. This law passed the Legislature
with these kind of arguments, thatit would
bring money here, make money more
plentiful bring money. here from Englahd,
from the Northern countries; that this
our money and that the rate of interest
would be reduced from ten, from seven
down to four and FIVE, but has it done it 2
Has money become more plentiful? Has
the rate of interest gone down to four and
five per cent? No: and the result has been
that you have been forced by the Southern
money loaner TO- pay ten per cent, and you
have found out that this law was wolf in
sleeps clothing, that those arguments were
wolves in sleeps clothing, and you know
| It, and you feel it. ! ask you If it is con.
tinued upon the statute book, how long
will it be before the majority of our farmers
! who now own land win be reduced to COM
mon tenants.
Then there is q law known as the Lien
Law which is most infamous in its effects
upon our people. This Lien Law passed
| the Legislature in 1876, but our Democratic
Legislature has persistently refused from
time to time to repeal that law, notwith.
| standing numerous petitions have como up
praying for its repeal The Stock Law is
another law that was passed since 1876.
You. were allowed to pass that law your
.'b6lNSSl y Ou fOISN oEo1 eAops AS~,NASS
can not be questioned. It is good law,
but believe we have abused that law to
| this time because it has encouraged an alto
gether cotton system, and has caused us to
cut down hundreds of acres of our forest
| land, and the heavy rains have come and
washed off the Soils We can see large gull
lies and worn fields where only few years
ago beautiful forests stood. We hear that
the government OF South Carolina is eco
noinical and just, fellow citizens. Let US
take the appropriation bills-bills since
| 1878-and letus see whether she is just and
economical. We see the Legislature appro-
priating money to dig canal in the city OF
Charleston, and it was said to be in the
interest Of agriculture, but the truth OF it,
it was in the interest Of these guano man
ufacturers, and they are growing rich off
the sales of guano, while you are growing
poorer and poorer. We see the Legislature
in another place appropriating money to
spending the peoples money for the purpose
of benehting Columbia, and Doubt
believe there is not one OF you here to day
who doubts but what thatis nothing else
| than visionary scheme. And say if all
the money that has been spent in this Wis
ionary scheme, had gone into the State
treasury the State would have been in a
better condition to have, gone into the
money markets OF the world, and to have
charged a less rate Of interest than six and
seven per cent. It is just as necessary for
the cities of the State to be economical as it
is for the individual. If the individual is
extravagant and unjust towards his family,
the chances are against him for success in
life. Just so it is with the State. If she is
extravagant, spends the peoples money un-
justly or in visionary schemes, she will find
it difficult to borrow money for anything
less than fancied rate of interest.
Now the revision of the tariff laws and q
modification of them would help South
Carolina good deal. The people of this
State pay little less than six millions o1
dollars tariff, and South Carolina taxes her
citizens about two millions. Eight millions
in all. About two millions OF dollars Of
the money is spent here in South Carolina.
Six millions of dollars is constantly going
out Of our country, and is it surprising
when such an amount is going out Of our
country that money is becoming scarcer
and scarcer? A law to regulate the rate oi
interest at seven per cent. would be benoi.
cial to. the interest of South. Carolina.
have opposed that law every time it came
up-the law fixing it at ten per cent. ]
believe that seven per cent. is as much as We
could possibly pay. -