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

una er any mesne or final process issued
rom any court" and which the head of the
family could not sell or mortgage. But under
a recent decision of our Supreme Court n
homestead can be sold or mortCaged bcfor,
or after it is laid off, which, in effect, is about
the same us repeating it, for under this drcis-
ION II person claiming the homestead, though
he may avoid the payment of debts then
pre- .SlnS, vii! in the end lose his homestead.
i"u i person claims the homestead he
pr"c.a'ms to the world that he will avoid the
payh'!nt ct ms debts, and thus forcnamcd, no
one will credit him without security, and as
the Supreme Court has decided that 4 mort
gaze 81 the homestead is good, it is natural
t" au"rc>c that when credit is asked, u mort
gage VIII -, required, and we all know that
when II mh" mort .~i.rS his urr,nr;v for sun.
pie. he places l,inlsci: entirely AT ili, ,nrrav
o! the merchant. irna:.rrS not what prices
are asked Tor what he buys, lie :n,.st uav what
is Ir:!iaI,lc,!.
CONSIGNED 20 "0vEHrY--N0 cRrEir.
He cannot say ii you IL" not ic, Tie have
goods cheaper will go elsewhere. fer uo n.,-
that the homestead is sold to DAY the mort
gage debt, and the poor wretch, will go forth
INTO the world without honor or home and, as
have said, consigned to poverty for the rest
Of his life.
So we can readily sec that the homestead
law, under the decision abov e mentioned is
of no benefit but has n tendency to lower
morals.
As far rs | am able to learn, the chcif OBJ
lection among MS to the repeal of tho home
stead law is the fear that debts. contracted
before its repeal could be collected out of the
homestead. This could not be, rs our con-
st tuition prohibits cr posi- ,fdc!o laws, and
therefore II the law was repealed the home
stead would serve us Il oasis of credit. and
our landed property bring IL better security.
Capitalists would seek to invest their money
with as and com petition would soon lower the
rate Of interest.
COMPETITION WILL. FOLLOW REPEAL.
One OF the greatest benefits tina. would
grow out of the repeal Of The homestead law
is competitions in trade. What Il man owned
then would be good for his debts, and this
wnnld give him credit with any merchant
which would. enable him to buy from the
merchant who would sell the cheapest, and
the merchants being more certain III rccciv-
ing pay for their goods, could afford to sell at
Il less profit.
Another benefit that would foilew the re-
peal OF this law, is that capitalists, being no
longer able to demand a high rate OF interest
tor the u.s. OF their money, would seek invest
mcnts in land, for as long as they can get II
better return for their money by lending it
than by investments in lands of course, they
Will loan their money AZ il is an easier and
safer way TO make money; but let the rate OF
interest he brought down to seven per cent.
per annum and you will find capitalists seek
ing inv, stncnts in lands and thus creating n
demand t"r them, their value would be prcnt-
" increased, and thus We can pain: 10 the
homestead law rs one of the causes OF the low
price OF our lands.
NOT TIE rOOk MANS Law.
The homestead law has orcn called the Door
mans Inv. Il protection to the widow and or
phan. This is Il mistake for whatever the
motive WAS in passing this law, it certainly
has Il tendency TO Cypress the poor and help
th. r!cn.
l have already shown that it stiles com
petition in trade, and keeps up the rate OF in
tercst and it is the poor anu not the rich who
arc affected thereby.
The rich can 20 to New York with their
bonds and other securities and borrow mun.y
nj about four per Cent per annum and loan it
To us tor from ten to twenty per cent Der an
Nun but the poor have only their little tracts
OF land, when, iucuMbcrcd with the homestead
is valuelcss IN New York as Il security. The
mOnled men are moi forced to trade ~ 18th any par
ticuiar merchant aud therefore can buy where
bargains are to be found, while on the other
hand the poor cannot force this competition
owing TO the homestead law.
THE RICH MANS LAW.
To show further that this law benefits the
rich, II Is only necessary to refer to the fact
that among its strongest supporters NAV be
numbered the capitalists OF Charleston, and
why is this so? simply brcau. 81 it kecpS IN
the rate of interest ana ucccsai;atts the cnu-
tinuation OF the lien law, when forces The
taruiur INTO the hands of the retail mcrcnaut,
anu the retail merchant into the hands Of
the factors, and the factors into the hnnLs of
the monied sharks and in the end all of them
are paid by the farmer.
AS al evidence of truth of my statement
that the capitalists OF Ciarles,un are sup
portcrs Of the homestead law, il is only uec-
cssary to call attention to the TACT, What an |
advocate ii has in the Charleston sees uuI |
Courier the we'll Enown organ of the capi- ,
taliSts of that city. If the monicd Men of
Charleston are sucn friends OF the homestead
law you may be quite sure that il is not Il poor |
mans law.
homestead law, which | have not time to
mention, and Will now proceed 10 briefly dis
cuSS the lien law.
THE LIEN LAW.
Some OF the objections raised to the homc-
stead law are also objections to the lien law,
and therefore in nent'oniDg ,heui, II Will not
be necessary to discuss Them at length.
l have already shown how the homestead
law STILES competition i'll trade, and ANY one
can See at IL glance that the lien law a!su kills
and places the small t;ir;.;crs
completely at the mercy OF the Ec,chamts,
for any person OF common sanse must kaow
that wi!cn n lien is given the persnn mus;
trade alone with the merchant to whom tn. Zen
Is given and the result | have already
One OF the objections to this law is that to
great extent IL renders the ianor oi the
independents of the land uWncrs. and
Is toe main prop to The tcnuntry system,
ws,lcn Is tas; running our couu;ry. There
comic be no objection IL this system, if We
had good white men 10 rent our land 70, but
as u tenant, all must admit that the negro is a
and It is to him that our lands are
rented, and right here the lien law is uolug
mischief,
10 be made valuable the negro must be
immediately under TIE eye and can
,rol I'll the owner OF the soil and this will
Dc hard to do. until we repeal the lien Law.