Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-03-04
THE PRIORITY LIEN LAW.

The Charleston NeWs and Courier of last
Thursday publishes letters from its cores
pondents in nearly every county of the
State giving the effect of the priority
lien law in the respective counties. This
correspondence covers nearly three pages
of that paper, and of course gives express
sion to a wide diversity of opinion. The
answers, however, are summarized and the
following is the result of the epitome:
In Aiken county the condition of the far
mers is so excellent that the law is not eX-
pected to have any serious effect. The
amount of the lien business done in that
and the farmers were better prepared fol
the change provided by the priority act
than in many of the other counties of the
State.
In Anderson county the law is satisfac
tory to the landlord and to the merchant
but the laborers and the tenants do not
like it. There has been marked decrease
in the number Of agricultural liens filed
in the clerks Office, but there has been g
large increase in the number of mortgages
given upon the crops.
In Barnwell county the priority law is
not giving any trouble. About the usual
number of liens have been given. 1t is
expected that those who have no stock, pro-
visions, land, or capacity to direct Others
or to guide themselves in the making of a
crop, will be most seriously affected by the
law and will have to reduce themselves to
the condition of ordinary hired laborers
in order to make living. In other words
the number of small farmers who have
heretofore been able to operate on their own
account will hereafter be compelled to work
for the larger and more prosperous farm
ers. Another view of the situation in
Barnwell county is, however, that the law
will be the ruin of the poor man, and the
result will be a reduction of wages and the
consequent creation of a very large idle
population in that section who will have to
live in some way, either by labor or by
theft.
In Beaufort county harmonious arrange
ments are said to have been made be.
tween the merchants and landowners so
as to provide the renters with the means
of procuring agricultural advances, and on
this account it is said that the priority law
will not iniuriously affect the farmers Of
that county. 1t is notable fact that there
are three thousand holders OF real estate
in Beaufort county, whose holdings aver.
age from ten to twenty acres each, and II
is said that this class will have no trouble
whatever in procuring the necessary adj
vances to conduct their farming operations
In Berkeley county the law is regarded
by many as the death-blow to the agricul
tural prosperity of that county. The effect
of the law upon the farmers of the sea islands
will be especially disastrous. The agricul
tural operations on the sea islands have
been conducted since the war almost eXclu
sively upon credit basis, and the security
having been removed, of course the credit
system has been at the same time destroyed
Many renters have lost all confidence in the
business and it is said that it is difficult tt
obtain supplies now even upon real estate
as security. Many persons are disposed tC
abandon the sea islands, and if their means
we're only sufficient to warrant emigration
to more promising fields it is almost certain
that many farmers of the sea islands Woulo
seek new homes.
In Chester county there is wide differ
ence of opinion as to the effect of the law
The prevailing opinion seems to be that il
will have the effect Of reducing the area
land under cultivation, and, to this extent
at least, the effect of the law will be inju
riOus.
In Chesterfield county the law will have
but little effect, inasmuch as nearly all o.
the farmers in that county own their own
lands and have them under their own con
troll. 1t is expected, however, that the
wages of the laborers will be reduced by the
operation of the law.
In Clarendon county the farming interests
have not been perceptibly affected by the
terms of the new Act, and the supply OF
labor is about equal to the demand.
In Colleton county the farmers and the
business public generally are said to be in
different to the operation of the law.
In Darlington county the landowners and
merchants are satisfied and the laborers and
renters will not be materially affected by
the law.
In Edgeield county the merchants have
not been embarrassed by the law, and the
situation is, upon the whole, considered IA
vorable.
In Georgetown county the effects of the
law have not been hurtful to the merchant,
but it is contended that it will be injurious
to the tenants and that many of them will
have to leave the State or resort to the al
tentative Of becoming common hired Ia
bOrerS.
In Greenville county the immediate effect
of the law will be to give the landowners
greater control over the management OF
their farms. The law has made the mer-
chants more careful in advancing to the
tenants, and although there is some grumb-
ling on the part of the lien merchants and
those who engage in the business OF max
ing advances, the law is believed to be right
and Just to both farmers and labOrers.
In Hampton county the law meets the
approval of the landowners, but as it is said
that "no prudent merchant will take the
renters lien unless the landlord is surety,
no prudent landlord will be surety without,
good collaterals," it is plain that the effect
upon the laboring classes will not be bene-
fetal.
In Horny county the farmers have never
given many liens, but it is feared that the
priority law will have the effect of keeping
down many ambitious and deserving citi-
zens who would be under more favorable
conditions, able to get fair start in life.
In Kershaw county there has been appa-
rently no effect upon either the landlord,
the merchant or the tenant.
In Lancaster county it is feared by many
that the law will have the effect of caus-
State. There has been a decided falling of
in the advances which haye been made by
the merchants. The law has had the most
depressing effect upon the labOrers and
renters of this section, and many of these
people would 90 anywhere if they had the
means to pay their way out of the State.
In Laurens county the merchants are
said to be greatly benefited by the law, but
the effect upon the renter is not so gratify-
ing and the small farmers have undoubted-
ly been injured by the passage OF such an
Act, while the laborers and renters will be
seriously injured by the change of the law.
1t is hoped, however, that the exercise OF
greater care in making advances to the
small farmers and to the laborers, while it
will reduce the number of persons operating
farms upon their own account, will in the
end be of great benefit to the agricultural
welfare of the county.
T., oy;,rtop oouptx, tho f,rr, ORG q ro nop-