The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-01-30

Then they misappropriated the Hatch
fund, they increased the taxes S65, 900
year to equip and maintain the differ
ent departments of the grand university.
They voted $50, 900 in one lump, without
even division, to rebuild, repair and
equip the Citadel Academy, and then
say to taxpayiDg farmers: Leave our
existing institutions" alone. Let the
agricultural bureau With its board-who
are our chosen sons, every man OF them
belonging to or aspiring to belong to our
aristocratic ring-let this bureau waste
$50, 900 o year more--leave our Expert
.ment Stations at Darlington, Columbia
and Spartanburg alone. We expect to
control votes with them, aud they must
not be touched.
Put your hands in your pockets and
pay for your Clemson College if you will
have it, and ne will vote the taxes. An
analysis Of the vote in the House and
Senate which defeated the consolidation
of all our agricultural work shows that the
board and Department of Agriculture are
sustained by the fertilizer manufacturers,
the phosphate miners and the University
and Citadel. IF a farmer voted for its
continuance it is because he felt that The
South Carolina University would lose
something by its abolition. The support
of the fertilizer companies is easy to un-
derstand. This bureau has been their
best friend. Year after year we have
been told by Commissioner Butler that
the guanos inspected were below the
guarantees, butnobody has been punished.
In fact there is no adequate punishment
for selling fraudulent guanos in this State.
The bill prepared by the committee of the
Farmers Association for the reorganiza.
tion of the Board of Agriculture would
have secured our farmers against swind-
ling fertilizer dealers, butt was amended
to death by the lawyers in the Senate who
are attorneys for the phosphate miners
and fertilizer companies and the men
| who were elected on the board over the
nominees of the farmers convention were
chosen, not because they are more loyal
| to the agricultural interests, or better fitted
for the position, but because they are
friends of the University and belong or
are subservient to our aristocracy-"so
calledn-and the phosphate miners are
too yell satisfied with the system of col
lecting the State royalty to permit q
change if they can help it. How won
derfully perfect or defective this system
is is shown by the fact that during the ten
years under the same officials not single
Indictment has been brought against any
one fol. attempting to swindle the State
out of it's dues. No wonder Charleston is
in love with the Agricultural Bureau and
cannot bear to see that existing institution
disturbed.
The recent proposal to sell the States
interest in the phosphate beds is fortunate,
because thereby the attention Of taxpay.
ers is attracted to this most important
matter. The Farmers Association propos.
ed in 1886 to increase the royalty as 8
means of lowering taxes, and we believe
this can De safely done to the extent OF
100000.
"A legislative committee was appointed
to "investigate" and report on the sub.
iect. This was only dune to give time
waiting ten months until the market had
been manipulated, etc. This committee
proceeded to show how we'll it had been
chosen mot to do it." There was no
honest effort made to get at the real
facts as to the profits of the business and
its ability to stand an increase of royalty,
and after it had been "wined and dined," :"
and brought into suitable frame ofmind
that committee came to Columbia and
actually proposed tc give the six largest
companies monopoly fora less annual
rental than the State was then receiving.
| Only one Senator, to whom all honor is
due, dissented from this outrageous pro-
posal. What was the result? Ofcourse
the General Assembly did not act favor
ably uponit, but all thought of an increase
Of royalty was also abandoned, and this
was what the corporation attorneys, who
were there in the interest of their clients
and not of their constituents, had been
working for. "The goose that laid the
i golden egg" was not killed" existing
institutions" were not disturbed. Phos-
phate rock, which had been manipulated
down to So 40 per ton, advanced in two
months after the Legislature adjourned
to $500, and has since ruled between
$3.50 and $3.50 per ton. The golden eggs
are still being laid, but not in the States
nest-whether some of them have not
/. gone into pockets which they ought not,
| is an open question. Now, we want to
warn the people that the charter of the
Coosaw company-obtained by bribery, it
is said of Radical Legislature-expires
in 1891. This company, which has grown
fabulously rich, claims to have a perpetual
contract with exclusive right to mine in
Coosaw River, and pay only one dollar
per ton for the privilege. The next
Legislature must act on this question,
and the next attorney General may have
to test these claims in court. The whole
question of phosphate management or
mismanagement must be settled. Can the
taxpayers afford to allow any but true men
to 20 to the Senate, or elect corporation
lawyer as Attorney General? Stall the
politicians choose him, or shall we, casting
about among the many honorable, patri-
otic lawyers of the State, make the selec
tion ourselves? The Legislature, which
has just adjourned, has other ains to an.
swer for, or rather the Senate must be held
responsible. The people demanded that
the Railroad Commissioners should have
something to do besides draw their sala.
ries and spend them. We want protection
against the greed of the gigantic corpo.
rations owned at the North, which regard
South Carolina as lemon to be squeezed,
and care nothing for the welfare of our
towns, our State or our people.
The railroad laws of 18- made the
commission power to defend tie people
against imposition. The same Legislature
which enacted it, having been bamboozled
or debauched. at the very next .ession
left it only as sinecure with fat salaries
and no power. We have just seen the
disgraceful farce repeated. The law was
vastly improved at the session Of 1883, bnt
after year, which has shown the weak
ness and unfitneBs of the present incum-