The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-24
Edu0r COlumJiu RcQiSt@f:


mcrs' convention with some hun
dvcd names appended. The address
states that. though the farmers com
prise seventy six per cent. Of the
population. and largely support the
remainder, they do not govern the
State, nor are the laws administered
in our interests, and few are passed
for our benefit
Since we came into power in 1876
five Governors have held office, three
Of whom: Hampton: Uagood and
Jeter were planters or farmers; Gov
ernor Simpson was q lawyer and land
owner, and possibly farmed some;
Governor Thompson was selected by
the farmers themselves, at least we
must suppose so, in preference to
General Bratton, a Simon-pure far
mer! There are now four State
officers, Lipscomb, Richardson, Sto-
ney and Manigault, who are land
owners and farmers. So much for
State officers. Scores Of county
officers are farmers also.
The House Of Representatives,
having about seventy-six farmers
against thirty lawyers: (who have the
misfortune of being accused Of every
species Of trickery, &C., by our polit-
ical economists and very nearly a
two-thirds majority Of the whole
body, they surely ought in all rea'
son. to be something of q power in
legislation. Do not these seventy
six men annually come fresh from
their respective counties, where they
have had opportunities Of gaining
information on various points on
which legislation may be asked,
as well as to imbibe some
portion Of the wisdom apparently
monopolized by those who have not
had the privilege Of airing their tai
ents in the public service? ? If these
men are incompetent, how is it that
so many Of them have set here con-
tinuously since 1875, and many
others for two and three sessions,
and who sends them Do seventy
six farmers in every one hundred
voters just sit still and have no voice
in such a matter ? l have never
witnessed such q case, and am sure
such 4 thing would be impossible in
any community. We are bound to
admit, then, that the farmers them
selves selected and elected these
men who have been very indiscrim-
inately charged with "misrule,"
robbery" and 'corruption,'' their
assailants, however, taking good care
to ignore special charges against q
single individual.
In the second paragraph Of this
"call'' it is said thousands are over
seeing their own plantations for their
y1ctuals and clothes AS am no
genius, l would like a little light on
this, to ne, rather enigmatical SEN
tence. Does it mean that these
thousands have been so incompe-
tent, idle or improyident that they
failed, and other thousands have
rented their places, and feed and
clothe them, like prodigai sons, to do
for others what they were incapable
Of doing for themselves ? Or does
it mean that they have sold what ,raS
theirs, and are now simply working
for other thousands, who, we must
suppose, for want Of proper laws,
&C., must inevitably follow the same
downward course? 3ut how did they
get the money to buy the land?
The third paragraph commences
very candidly. if not very fattering-
! ly, by asserting that IAN insane Sys-
tenn Of Jtrming largely prevails, and
our lands are growing poorer year by
voar, = = while the landowners.
giving no thought to themselves and
children, stand idly by, or assist and
direct this skinning of State, * :
which might be made q veritable
garden of Eden" Continuing, it
says: but nothing is done by our
Legislature Or its creat,res(!O to stop
it, or to try to teach the people Z
better and wiser system" Would
these gentlemen, if elected to the
Legislature, take any steps to stop
the hotelkeepers and storekeepers
from supplying them gratis with
anything they called for? They
might call them '.insaue,' but they
would not consider them keepers of
an asylum, nor would they ''or their
creatures lie loatll to profit by other
peoples folly. "Forty thousand dol
lars are spent annually in tic State,
thrcc-!ourt!ls OF it paid by the far
m;rs. to educate men for profes,