The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-30
THE LITERARY CLUB,
ADDRESS OF COL. ORVILLE +. CAL.
HOUN ON THE HOMESTEAD
AND LIEN LAWS,
Inc Fruitful Source OF all our HIS
Shall they be Repealed Embarrassing
Discussion.

Shall they be Repealed 2-.Interastlns
Discussion.
NO laws on our Statue. books, have been so
much discussed, and caused so much lcrisla-
ton, as the two which form the subject Of this
essay and it is with diHidencc, that | pre-.
sumo to give my views of them, especially,
the lien law. This law has occupied TIC
attention of all classes of our pconjr. fan
years past, and has been much discussed in
the press, in the halls of our Legislature and
upon the hustingS. Yet all this discussion
has wrought but little change in the minds OF
nor people. Among farmers, there are many
VINO demand Its repeal, while on the other
hand, the merchants and the labOring classes,
as Il rule, think it 4 good law, and our Lrris.
iators, like our people, are divided, and
are ut a loss tc know what to do with it.
IN io.I, the law was repealed, but imme-
o'ateiv there went up such a howl, that it was
pealed it, and is still on our Statue books.
!hough many have thought that each succeed
ing Legislature would abolish it.
me law as first passed, gave to the mer-
chant the preference, but since then many
changes have been made. all tending To rrndnr
it less Objectionable to the farmer: but I cnn
safely say thai as i: stands to-day, there are
more objections to it, By both merchant and
farmer Than ever before. In fact it seems to
DC one OF those laws, that will not admit of a
compromise. 1t must be repealed, or let
alone, and the question is shall we repeal il L?
II not, then the best plan would be 20 chang,
~ to what 1t was before our last Lceislatur.
lhtvrtcred with 1t, for as it then stood. our
farmers were amply protected, without their
.ishts.peing TOO much trampled upon. But
~ en"lse lcit the merchant So much Mt the
mercy OF the landlord and laborer that they
have been compelled to unite for common MO-
tectlcn, ana by refusing credit, have forc,d
'he landlord to waive his right, and allow the
merchant t" stand in his. shoes, and to-day
.ie n'erchahts occupy about the same
position they did under the law, az first BASS.
ed. NOV PASS
NOT A PARTISAN.
In discussing these important laws, I shall
not 10 so, as Il partisan ct the merchant. or
ta!hier, Tor indeed | am the friend of both. and
'nink 'he success of one, is to be as much de-
sired as that of the other.
ltl true that the farmer is the scucc of all
Meai'n' and must be fully protected under our
i1"s, out he cannot succeed without lh, mer-
cnant, nor the merchant without him. Then
u tney are so necessary, one to the
other, they should look upon every question
tnas effects them, from a purely business
point ny SO doing, each would help the
er. Unfortunately, however, our pcople are
easily led astray by bowling dcmarorues.
who under the cloak of friendship :or thr
dear people, keep themselves in office bv
WORKING on their prcjudices and arraving on.
class against another.
| have chosen these laws as tho cubi.o+ ,f
TINS essay, because they are so depsudent.
one upon the other, that they mus, siapd or
fall together. Ahd after much thought I have
concluded that they are the stumbling blocks
~ .liG way OF our prosperity and should be
sHYLoCKs.
Iheprincipal security in South Caroliua is
real GStnfn WhIDl ~, pra, =
val"eiess as Il security by ike homestead law.
mus deprivlng our people Of a basis of credit,
and thereby keeping capital out of the State
ana thowing us upon" the tender mercics Of
local Shylocks. '"
This is SO, for all political economist vii,
better the security the lower the rate of in
'eresi. Now land being about the only
security the farmers of this State have unon
when /" borrow money and the homestead
oeing an 'ncumberance thereby lowering its
'aiue as a security, it must follow that this
law has had much to do with th,. Hob
rate "t Interest we have been paving.
TnE HOMESTEAD LAW.
1t has been said that the homestead law has
zone more to impovcrish south Carolina
imam the ravages of the late war, and if we
Will but examine the question closely we will
see that TINS speech is not eStravu CANT.
Just to think think that money for Won :. nost
~ u L VII U from nrpn
90 SIX per cent. per annum, when we have
oeeh paying from ten to twenty per cent Let
one make the calculation of whit the
OF interest we have paid has cost this
state IN me last eightec" years and he will
see that the value of our negroes snt froo
by the result Of the late war amounts 70 less |
l don't mean money actually borrowed. bnt
the additional cost to the consumer grnwiny
out of the scarcity Of money. But this Is |
nnlS one out OF many ways, in which the
homestead law works an injury. 1t cncour-
extravaganza and id!encss and lowers
The morals.
Let a man understand that what he owes, is |
1000 Tor his debts, and he will buy less and |
WORK harder to pay for what he buys while |
IN the other hand, if he can claim the home
'tead ne VIII run greater risks in buying and
work less to pay what he owes, because he
.hinks 'iasit his crops prove insufficient to |
his debts, be can dodge behind the home
stead, and avoid paving his debts; but let him
that all his property can be sold
o satisfy his creditors, and my word for it
re Will Shnn debt as he would fire, he will rise
arlY and work late, and all OF his Will bring
lim wealth 9nd happiness.
! nave SaM that the homestead law has n
end"ncy t" lower morals, and Ii so, then il
mould be repealed, for poor human nature is
!aturaliy prone to travel the crooked paths Of
lie, and when it can do so under the saeticn
I law, the temptation is too great 10 be re-
listed.
How many men in this County ccnld pe,
redit if they proclaimed brforchan md that they
to claim the homestead, when called
pom TO pay their debts We all know Thai
here are very few. When mon want credit.
hey promise to pay for what they buy or Dor
wv and nine out of ten would be much insult.
If told they would claim the homestead
hen called upon to meet their obligations.
But, alas, when the eu!l day comes, these
cry men will say: "Thc law gives us Il home
tead, and though we did not intend to claim
when we contracted our deb 8, yet ne must
Z" S" to protect our families.
In shor. tho law gives them the right and