The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-26
AN ADDRESS TO THE FARMERS.
4 Separate Agricultural College and Ho"
to Get it.-ComparatiVe Statements
OF State Expenses.-Teo Much
Legislation.-A Constitutional
Convention Wanted.

To the People of South Carolina:
The Executive Committee Of the Farm
ers' Association, feeling that it is in
cumbent upon them as the representa-
tives of the organized farmers of the
State to outline policy OF retrencli-
ment and reform in consonance with
the aims and purposes of the Farmers
Movement; and to explain the grounds
upon which we shall ask the support
and aid of our Democratic fellow-cltl-
zens i'm the coming election, would call
the earnest attention of all persons in
sympathy with our aspirations for
agricultural education and amore econ
oInical and efficient government to the
facts herein set forth.
We claim only our just share of edu-
cational advantages for the agricultural
and industrial classes; and that the
same shall be placed within the reach
of the average farmers son and not, as
is now the case, we be compelled 10
support only such institutions as are
inaccessible to most farmers, and which
do not furnish the cheap and practical
education needed. We make, no war
upon the South Carolina University as
a place for obtaining a scientific and
classical education, and reiterate our
desire to see the South Carolina College
literally supported and to become real
university worthy of our State. But We
assert without fear OF successful contra
diction that farmers cannot be educated
IN city and remain farmers; and that
in all efforts to mix practical and liter
ary training the first has been over
shadowed; the agricultural students
have been few and the attemptan utter
failure: .4 ..,..
The demand for better facilities for
cheap and practical education for farm
ers has been heretofore refused on the
plea of expense, and the opposition has
not hesitated to scare the taxpayers with
largely exaggerated estimates of the
probable cost OF separate agricultural
college. With consummate cunning
and unblushing inconsistency they
have taken advantage Of the agitation
for a separate agricultural college to
build up that wonderful ten-students-
'annex'', and while crying out against
duplication of plant and teaching force,
have actually increased the taxes be-
yond what the Farmers Association
ever thought ofasking for. Not satisfied
with robbing the industrial classes of
the benefits of the Gland scrip" fund,
they have stretched forth their greedy
hands and grabbed the Hatch fund
also; and State which two years ago
| was too poor to support any expert
mental station at all now supports
three, with their duplicated attaches,
thus frittering and wasting the funds
appropriated for scientific investigation.
In 1885 the University, including
Claflin and the Citadel, had an income
of about $50, 900, and the Trustees claim.
ed that, as then constituted, it afforded
all the practical training for farmers
| needed by the State. Its income is now
approximately $97 900 per annum, but
as an agricultural school it is only a
bigger and more costly deception.
But while our efforts to obtain a
recognition of four rights and needs have
hitherto failed to secure college for
educating farmers, fortune has unex'
pectedly smiled on us. The muniticent
| beuuest of Mr.. Clemson, whose affection
| for his adopted State and wise insight
has removed the great stumbling-blocb
in the way of providing suitable site
and farm for the college, gives us the
coveted opportunity. BY this beques'
| not only do the farmers come into pos
session Of property valued at we'll nigh
500, 900, but also of an estate eminently
suited for the purposes for which it Is
lLeE;1.a,a- and hallowed BY the sacred
Stephen D. Lee for saying that SIOO,OU
is ample for building and equipping g
school like the Mississippi college.
Without counting anything donated
by Mr.. Clemson except the Calhoun
homestead, we propose to show how the
needed money can be obtained without
increasing the taxes one single dollar
and while many have believed that the
building of a separate agricultural col
lege was and is the only vital issue rep
resented by the Farmers Movement,
we shall call attention to other reforms
which we regard as of equal or greater
Importance.
The purchasing power of money is
much greater than it was ten years ago.
The taxpaying power has not increased
at all, while the price of our main
money -cotton-has hovered very
near the cost of production. The reduc-
tion Of expenditures when possible
must then appeal to the common sense
as well as sthe pockets Of our people, and
no good reason can be given why sala-
ries in our State should remain fixed
higher than in North Carolina and
Georgia-both larger and wealthier
States. We invite the careful attention
of taxpayers to the following figures
taken from the Comptrollers' reports of
the three States: