The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-30

grow up. The negro no longer left to his own
ordinations, under the eye and contract of
the white man, will be vastly improved as II
;aoorer, ana the result OF all this can be east
~ seen. Under the t%enantry system. IT is
easy to see that the labor OF the country il
growing more ard more inefficient wear bv
year. The time, that should begivcn to their
creps, is occupied gadding over the country
the women with their knitting, the men with
gun and dog, and the children playing or act
i!nS the farce OF going to school. All sub
timely i'll difference to consequences.
We hear on all sides that the country will
never prosper until we raise our own supplies;
but 1T Is utterly useless to talk of RAISING
supplies until the lien law is repealed and
me tenantry system abolished. The negro
tenant being without ambition to accumu-
late property, only cares to make enough to
pay his lien and TO DO so, planted nearly his
Whole crop in cotton.
But let this system be broken up and TIN,
negro De brought under the control of the
'and owners and YOU will see a chance.
Standing between the negro and the merchant,
the land-owners feeling the additional res
ponSibility, will be urgs ID To Renewed energy
ana the rcgro stimulated by the presence OF
The white man, our fields would blossom as a
garden, ami you would no longer sec the
stree's OF our towns filled with wagons haul
my 10 our farmers supplies raised IN Il conn
Try where no negro tcnan,rv exists.
10 prove ihlS fact 1T is only necessary TO
notice those FARMS worked by the owner, and
compare Them to those rented to negroes.
CREDIT TOO EASY-KILLS HONOR AND PRIDE.
Another great objection to the lien law is.
that under 1t, credI; is TOO easily ob.uiucd and
too little attention paid to the personal char
acter of those dcnicnding it. In other words,
u der the lien law, credit is extended more
under the authority given by the law, then
Tue Eoou character OF the persons asking it.
And the ciicct ui this lis bad. 1t Kills ont
the honor and pride of the ci,izen. A negro,
who Is known to have no honor, is given cred
1t unudcr IL lien and II man vino has ALWAYS
borne Il good hauir and paid his debts, goes 10
The Same merchant for credit and he must
give u ,icn, and the good man finds himself in
the same boat with the dishonest negro must
lose his pride and as his good character does
not give INN some advantage over his less
honorable fellowmcn, he will III the end have
less regard Tor character. This very want OF
homo. growing out OF the lien law, is one OF the
principal reason so many oi our merchants
break. Under ii they extend credit 10 those
Without honor, and these men having no
character TO lose, or property to be sold, max.
~ Their object To Duy all they can and pay as
little us possible. Many only rcut farms
as ii basis OF credit aud spend most OF their
time ioating about and using all OF their tai
en's III raising supplies for the merchants.
And yet our merchants have gone biiudiv ON.
year by year, worrying themselves about tho
repeal OF tins law and looking no further than
the lact that 1t gave them a Security, and
STILES compe'itl,n. am glad to see, how
ever that tho eyes OF many have been opened
ana the only thing that stands in the way of
gaining the consent of ali to its r. peal, is the
homestead law.