The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-03-01
DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP.
President Norris's Appeal to the Farmers
of the State.

To the farmers of South Carolina /
believe that the lively interest manifested
by you for the past two years in the
press, in public meetings, in the by.ways,
at home and abroad, and in three State
conventions held in Columbia, attended
with loss of time and considerable
expenditure of means, which many could
i'll afford, meant something more than a
capriciousness Of purpose.
The first of these conventions consid-
cred many things.
The second, more clearly perceiving
our necessities narrowed its deliberations
materially, specially recommending q
separate agricultural college, the es.ab.
lishmeDt of an experimental station in
connection with the said college, that the
board of agriculture should be divorced
as far as possible from politics and it's
members chosen by the Farmers Ascot.
alton, and that the law organizing the
board should be so amended as to
increase its members from FIVE to ten,
with the power of electing its own secre-
tary. The last convention, held after
the lapse of twenty months from the first,
and after the recommendations emanat.
ing from the second had been earnestly
discussed both publicly and privately,
unanimously closed its session by affirm
| ing the above recommendations,
although, before the vote was ordered,
an earnest emplifcetion had been made
them of the plan afterwards followed by
the Legislature.
It is for you to say whether or no your
wishes have been met Instead of one
strong, well.equipped experimental
station, in connection with the agricultu
raj college, we have three weak ones, at
which q large per cent of their income
will be annually expended in "duplica-
ted" officers. Instead of real agricultu.
raj college, separate and apart from the
influences of the South Carolina College,
where it was hoped boys would not only
be educated and trained in the mysteries
of successful agriculture and made
acquainteds with the powerful levers 81
progressive farming, but where the
allurements and Inspirations of farm life
would be constantly instilled into their
minds and from which we might hope to
have fair percentage of them return to
the avocations Of their fathers, we have
an enlargement of the annex only,
Instead Of a board of agriculture reor.
gauized on the plan outlined by your
convention, the legislature has enlarged
the present board, denying it the power
to elect its own secretary, thus fatally
crippling its efficacy.
Without claiming that all wisdom i;
with the farmers, it appears to me, as
feel it must to you, that in these matters
affecting us aud our interests FIRST and
foremost, our judgment and wishe;
should have been -concurred in, not iu
the grudging and halfway manner in
which We have been recognized, bu'
cheerfully and heartily. The more sc
when the enactment of these measures
into laws would have entailed little or nc
additional tax, as their maintenance
would have chiefly come from money
now appropriated by law for similar bu
unsatisfactory use. Congress has girer
to the farmers of South Carolina, in com.
mon with those of other Stater, $4,000
and has secured to us besides $11 500
both sums to be paid annually. Besides
this the farmers Of the State are paying
about S25, 900, years inspection fees or
fertilizers, to furnish fund to be used in
their interest and for their protection.
Who gainsays their right to say how
this S51 900 should be expended, or who
SO bold as to deny tbatit would not be
expended as it should be 1t is largely
through your labor that the State has
COLLECTED its taxes during the FIVE year;
Immediately following our redemption
from Radical rule, not counting the above
annual tax on fertilizers, nor the con
stantly increasing income from phosphate
royalties, the poll tax, the ordinary and
special county taxes, nor the constitu
tional two mill school tax, from which
sources many millions have been extorteo
from US since 1876. Irepeat, in those
/ years the State has collected for its ordi
nary purposes the enormous sum Of S2,.
S57 900, and in the past FIVE year, (1SS7
not made up,) the increasing sum Of
| S3,626,50O. These vast sums have been
freely given to every variety of purpose
from ice tickets to canal digging, from
soap and towels and matches to gliding
the State-House, and from extra clerical
services to s136, 600 in salaries.
And yet ne are told that the State is
too poor to give the mesgre sum of $780,.
900 to commence to build up this insli.
tuition upon which the farmers were
beginning to look as to their Mecca
The advocstes of the scheme, adopted by
the last Legislature, made no issue with
the justness of the demands made by your
convention, as witness The laws enlarging
the board of agriculture aud the annex
and the establishment of experimental
stations. They diverted the breeze you
had stirred to the sailing Of their boat
You are called upon to say if the Legis.
lature, which has just expired, voiced the
sentiment of the majority of the people
of the State on these questions. These
measures were not before the people
when it was elected, and as conse.
quence it was voted for without reference
| to them. Will you, once disregarding
The taunt that farmers will not stick
together, unite in your strength, numeri.
cally, financially and politically, and ee.
cure to yourselves that measure of the
States fostering care which your impor.
tance deserves?
If you decide to right yourselves and
gain thai consideration in the councils of
the State to which you are entitled and
which is graciously extended to the far
mers in many of our sister States, leaders
will be found who are the peers of any
who may oppose you. Consider these
matters as settled and a generation will
live and die without seeing them changed.
would not impugn the motives of the
friends of the recent legislation on these
matters. They are South Carolinians,
equally interested with any of us in the
States prosperity and advancement, but
l deny in toto their superior wisdom in
dealing with questions pertaining SO near
| ly to the farmers interest, for am per-
suaded many, if not most, of the suppor-
tiers of the bills passed relating to these
things are not of our profession and
necessarily do not, nor cannot, think and
feel as re do in reference to them
I would respectfully ask the press of
the State to give publicity to this address,
that it may be considered by all of the
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