The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-03-18
FARMERS TO TIE FRONT.
Call For an Agricultural Convention ut
Cotumbia--An Address Setting Forth the
Grievances OF the Tlllors OF the Soil

Call for an Agricultural Convention ut
C"tumbia--An Address Setting Forth the
Grievances OF tho Tiuers OF the Soil.
10 the Fui n,crS Of Souih C0rOlinu;
Srvcnly-siX per cent. OF our States
population arc actively engaged in
agricultural pursuits. AZ least one
half OF the remainder are directly de
| pendent upon the farmers tOr the
means of Il livelihood. We may Justly
claim, then. that we constitute ne
Iatr, yet We ito not govern it, nor are
! tho laws administered in our inter csla,
and few are passed for our benefit.
We pay taxes and vote and there il
no further use for us. These taxes do
| not grow amy less, while our ability to
pay them grows smaller year by year,
and nothing worth naming has been
done to foster and encourage that in
trrcst which feeds and sustaius all
others. The negroes used TO be the
"mudSills" of our ccOunmic fabric; :;
but thousands of white mcn-land-
owning tarmers-tind themselves slow
~ but surely sinking beneath tie
waves to be added TO the foundation
upon which a few incn and cOrpnra-
tions are erecting their fortunes. In
pending bankruptcy stares thousands
in the face, while other thousands arc
overseeing their own plantations for
their Victuals and Clothes
An insane "ystcm of farming largely
PREVAILS and our lands arc growing
poorer year by year Large areas of
South Carolina arc being made a
desert to feed negroes, while the land
owners, giving no thought to the
future of themselves and children,
stand idly by, or assist and direct this
skimmlhg of II State, which, by reason
OF soil, climate and geographical posi-
ton, might be made vcritablc Gar
den of Eden. The negroes will $50
Vest went the bones are pick, d.
What will we do? We are "furming
towards despair" in thus continuing to
impoversh our lands ny ignoraut chi
turc, but nothing is done by our Leg
islatulo, or its creatures, to stop it. or
to try to teach the people better and
wiser system. Forty thousand dollars
are spent annually in the State, three
tourths Of 1t spent by farmers, to edu-
cate men for other professions and
pursuits; the farmers get nothing, and
are left TO grope their way tawardS the
grave in ignorance and its consequent
poverty. Even the pitlance donated
to educate farmers by the United States
Government is taken from us and ap-
propriatcd 70 sustain the institution al
which our future masters ore being
trained. How thankful We should lr
TO the good Lord for such generosity
ana wisdom among our statcSmrII, so.
called!
Again, we pay $4,000 annually by
specific tax, which comes out Of The
farmer alone, TO sustain department |
OF agriculture. A good slice of this is |
spent TO collect the phosphate roy atty, |
which goes to support ,hc State Gov, |
erhmcnt, and the rest is frittcrcd and |
wasted, SO far as we can see, the ONLY
benefit received by the farmers being
peruai protection against Fraudulent |
fertilizers.
a majority Of the board of upricuI-
lure are not engaged in farming. VINO
WohderS, then, that SO little has been
gone ny 1t to benefit onr farming in
-Four bad crops out of five and tbo
consequent poverty Of our farmers c,v
aloud tor economy and reduction OF
taxes But this cry, which came from
every county, was ignored by tho last
Legislature, which also persistcntlv
refused TO obey plain mandate of thc
constitution to provide for reappor.
tionment Of prescntatives by holding
a CT nsus II is small wonder, thrn'
that nothing was done TO protect the
farmers against robbery by dishonest
ferii izer manufacturers.
The Legislature which recently adj |
0Rrned, though not corrupt, has been |
very Negligent Of the public welfare.