Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-01-07
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THE PRIORITY OF LIENS.
4 VARIETY OF COMMENT UPON THE LAF
FOR DEPRESSING THE POOR MAN.


4 VARIETY OF COMMENT UPON THE Law
FOR OPPR ESSING THE POOR MAN,
[Abbeville Press and Banner, Dec. 23
The "priority bill is most ruinous meas
ure for the poor, whether it is SO intended
or not. With that law in force the poor
man will have absolutely no credit at ALL
and the landowner will be compelled TO
guarantee the payment of his tenants con-
tracts. This will be not only ruinous to the
Door man, but injurious to the land owner.
AS matter of fact, the legislature can de-
wise no law by which the merchant can be
made to let out his goods without such Sc
curity as may by him be deemed sufficl-
cient. and any stroke at the credit of the
poor man will be injurious to the prosperity
of the country. If by this law it is intend
ed to enslave the poor man, no matter
whether he is white or black, 1t Will De an
utter failure. No law can lie enacted Whlch
will give one citizen the right to another.s
zens are unable to hire the very class against
which this law is intended. We have
heard the law characterized as Infamous. -
Some of our best citizens have expressed
faith in the Governor to the extent OF be-
lieving that he will veto so wicked and un-
lust a law. In all that Governor Thomp,
SON has ever done he has never disregarded
the rights and interests of the poor man
and we do not believe that he will be any
thing else than true to the large proportion
of our people who will be so seriously al
fected by the iniquitous law. If the legls-
lature desires to repeal the Lien law, then
let it do SO, but let it not ruin the credit or
the poor who are as honest and as good to
&ba;r laht
citizens. This community looks to the
Governor to save the country from the evil
results of the proposed law.
[Pee Dee Index.]
If it were not for the necessity of provid-
ing for the expenses of the government lt
were far better that this Legislature never
had met. Much of its time, costing thous-
ands of dollars to the taxpayers of the State,
has been frittered away over the "partrldge
bill and the terrapin bill," and others OF
like insignificance The taxes will be as
burdensome as last year. The handful, who
favored retrenchment in the expenses OF the
government, were Oversaughed, ana rldi-
culed as Economics" The Columbia canal,
the Citadel, the South Carolina College,
militia all got their usual slice. Every
effort to cut them down was strangled eth
er in the House or Senate. Two laws nave
been passed which will no doubt create dis
satisfaction throughout the State, one known
as the "priority lien bill'' and the other
requiring those who buy seed cotton in Ger
tain counties to pay license of $500. The
priority lien bill gives the landlord pre-
ferred lien without being reduced to writ
ing or recorded, for all advances made to his
tenants. Such law is monstrous and en-
ables the unscrupulous landlord to destroy
his tenant at will.
[Winnsboro News.
The lien law has made the agricultural
laborer a naonopolist, and reduced the mer-
chant to a la6orer LATTER his money, if he
wishes to get it, There must have been a
communistic caucus in the Capital.
[Anderson Intelligencer.l
The lien law, as it has passed the Senate,
gives the landlord the first lien for rent,
regardless of the amount and without In
dexing or filing. The lien isgood, whether
the contract for rent be verbal or in writ
ing. Laborers have the second lien for
their services, but the contract must be in
writing and filed. Otherwise the lien law
stands as it has always done. We think it
would have been better to repeal the law
entirely for everything except rents.
leicester Reporter.]
Without protesting any great wisdom on
the subject, we cannot see why the new
arrangement should not be advantageous.
The land owners own interests will prompt
him to keep his tenants satisfied, and at the
Same time to do everything he can to have
his land we'll cultivated and improved.
But there is nothing that we can see to pre-
vent the landlord who does not wish to
carry his tenant, or may not be able to 90
so, from formally waving his right to a
first lien and thereby putting the tenant in
position to obtain the usual credit from
the merchant.
[Abbeville Medium.]
We think that the General Assembly has
made a mistake. The bill should, at least,
have required the contract to be in writing
and recorded or indeXed as at present. The
merchants here are very much exercised
about this bill and claim that it will work a
hardship to all parties interested in farm
ing. It is claimed that the landlord is
given too much scope without any check
Whatever. Threats are made that no sup
plies will be advanced to the tenants with
out the landlord becoming surety for them.
This the landlord will be unwilling to do.
It is hard to tell how this new law will
operate. We hope, it will answer all pur-
poses, but at the same time we have grave
doubts and look for quite revolution in
the tenant system Of our State.
[Newberry News and Herald.l
We do not see how any merchant would
be justified or feel safe in taking lien on
crops with these priOrities where there is
no earthly way Of his knowing the extent
of these prior liens. Now if these prior
liens were required to he indexed with the
amounts, then he could have taken lien
for supplies knowing what he had in ahead
of him. AS it is, the man who furnishes
the rations with which to make a crop, may
find himself cut off when he goes to collect
his money, by prior lien to the full extent
of the crop. We do not believe there will be
found many who will furnish supplies on
liens with all these priorities in the way.
We think it would have been better to have
let the lien law stand without this 'PriOrity
Bill" or in preference to this bill to have
repealed the lien law.
Anderson Journal.]
We confess our inability to see how the
new Lien law is going to work to the in
terest of the country generally. Tamper-
| ing with it does not seem to improve the
law. The Legislature had better take the
bull by the horns, 90 back to the first prin-
ciples and provide for aboishing the home
stead. TO kill the lien law is to begin at
the wrong end.
[Chester Bulletin.
The law, as it stands, is very one-sided
affair, and is, if anything, worse than it was
at first. 1t opens a broad road to rascaity,
and collusion and fraud will be frequently
practiced. The landlord in most instances,
will be compelled to waive his first lien in
favor of the merchant in order to obtain
supplies. This will cause more trouble, and
the old law with all its evils, will still exist.
Little or nothing has been accomplished,
in our opinion, by this bill. The law should
ha vo been reDealed in toto. This is what