The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-05-03
ANDERSON Sc MORNING, MAY 3. 1885,

THE FARMERS MANIFESTO.
Capt. Tfllman and his Colleagues Speak t.
the People.
| To the People Of South Carolina
The Executive Committee of the
Farmers Association, feeling that it ii
incumbent upon them, as the representa-
tives of the organized farmers of the
State, to outline apolicy of retrenchmen1
| 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 oul
Democratic fellow. citizens in the coming
election, would call the earnest attention
| Of all persons in sympathy with our aspi'
rations for agricultural education and q
more economical and efficient govern.
ment to the facts and reasons 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 to 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 place for
obtaining a scientific and classical edu.
cation, and reiterate our desire to see the
South Carolina College literally sup.
ported, and to become a real university
worthy of our State. But we assert
without fear of successful contradiction
that farmers cannot be educated in city
and remain farmers and that in all
efforts to mix practical and literary
training, the first has been overshadowed !;
the agricultural students have been few,
and the attempt an utter failure.
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 a separate agricultural
college, With consummate cunning and
unblushing Inconsistency they have taken
advantage of the agitation for separate
agricultural college to build up the won
derful ten students "annex," and, while
crying out against deception Of plant
and teaching force, have actually
increased .he tax beyond what the
farmers association thought of asking
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 a State which two
years ago was too poor to support any
experimental station at all, now supports
three, with their duplicated attaches,
thus fratering and wasting the funds
appropriated for scientific investigation.
In 1885 the University, including Claain
and the Citadel, had an income of about
$5O,OOO, and the Trustees claimed that,
as then constituted, it afforded all the
practical training for farmers needed by
the State. It's income is now approx.
mately $4,000 per annum, but as an
agricultural school it is bigger and
more costly deception.
But while our efforts to obtain recog.
milton of our rights and needs have
hitherto failed to secure a college for
educating farmers, fortune has unexpect-
edly smiled on us. The magnificent
.bequest Of Mr.. Clemson, whose affection
for his adopted State and wise insight has
removed the great stumbling block in the
way Of providing suitable site and farm
for the college, gives us the. coveted
opportunity. By this bequest not only
do the farmers come in possession of
property valued at we'll night $100, 1000,
but also of an estate eminently suited for
the purpose for which it is given, and
hallowed by the sacred memories Of
Carolina's greatest statesman. We have
the authority of General Stephen D. Lee
for saying that 100000 is ample for
building and equipping 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 separate
agricultural college was and is the only
vital issue represented by the farmers
movement, we shall call attention to other
reforms which we deem of equal or
greater importance. The purchasing
power Of money is much greater than it
was ten years ago. The tax.paying power
has not increased at all, while the price
of our main money crop-cotton-has
hovered very near the cost of production.
The reduction of expenditures, when
possible, must then appeal to the com.
mon sense as well as the pockets of our
people, and no good reason can be given
why salaries 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:
NC. sc.
Executive Department...............s5, $500 $500
| q HNn (