The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-29
!or thc position. but because they are friends

: The system uf collecting the State royalty 10
permit Il ci.an2" if they can help 1t.
! Low wonderfully perfect or defective This
TSySlcm is, Is shown by the fact that during ten
| years under the same officials not single in.
dictmrnt has been brought against any one FOL
attempting to swinulc the State out Of Its
lnrs. No wonder Charleston is in love with
| the u!sricu!,urI; bureau. and cannot bear tC
see Il;;It "rNiSlinS institution" disturbed:
| The recent proposal to sell the States Inter
| est in the phosphate bcdS is Fortunate, because
! thereby the attention of taxpayers is attract
| cd 10 this most important matter. The Far
ncrS Association proposed in lSSG to increase
| the royalty as Il means Of lowering taxes, ano
we believe this can be safely done to the ex
tent uf :l0O0T
\ legislative committee was appointed tC
"nvest late" and report Oh the subject. This
\ was only done TO give tme-waiting ten
| mGnthS until the market had been manipu
lated, etc. This committee proceeded to show
| how we'll it had been chosen mot to do IT,
There was an honest effort made to get at the
| real facts as To the profits of the business and
lis ability to Stand an increase of royalty, and
after it had been ''w ined and dlned' anu
brought into suitable frame OF mind tha'
committee caine to Columbia and actually
proposed to give the six largest companies q
monopoly for a less annual rental than the
State was then receiving. Only one Senator
to whom all honor Is due, dissented from TINS
outrageous proposal. What was the result?
| OF course the General Assembly did not ac
lavorably upon it, but all thought CT an IN
crease OF royalty was also abandoned. ano
/
were there in the interest OF their clients ana
not of their constituents had been working
| Tor. "rhc goose that lays the golden egg" was
not killcd-"eX sting institutions" were moi
disturbed. Phosphate rock, which had been
manipulated down to S3.4O per ton, advanced
in two months after the Legislature adjourn
ed 10 Sc, and has since ruled between S9.3o nno
$50 per ton. The golden eggs are still being
| laid, but not in the States nesl-whetheI
some of them have not gone into pockets
which they ought not is an open question. -,
charter of the % Coosaw Com anyEobtained by
bribery, 1t is said. OF u Radical Legislature
expires in 1891. This company, which has
grown fabulously rich, claims to have per
| in CooSlw River and pay only one dollar q
ton for the privilege. The next Legislature
must act on this question, and the next Attor
ney General may have to test these claims lr
Court. The whole question of phosphate
management, or mismanagement, must OF
settled. Can the taxpayers afford to allow
any but true men to 60 to the Senate, or elect
i corporation lawyer as Attorney General
! snail the politicians choose him, or snail we
casting about among the many honorable
patriotic lawyers OF the State, make the selec
| tiOn ourselves?
The Legislature which has Just adjourned
has other sins toanswer for, or rather the Sen
ate must be held responsible, The people de,
manded that the railroad commissioner
! should have something TO do besides ara"
| their salaries and spend them. We want pro
lection against the greed Of the gigantic cor
porationS owned at the North, which regarC
South Carolina us lemon TO be squeezed ant
care nothing for the welfare Of our towns, oul
state, our people.
The railroad laws of lS- made the commits
sion power to defend the people against I'm
| position. The same Legislature which enact
| Cd ii, having been bamboozled or debauched
ut the very next session left 1t only as sine
cure, with fat salaries and no power. we
have Just seen the same disgraccful farce re
peated. The law was vastly Improved at the
| session OF lSSS, but after Il year which has
shown the weakness and unfltness OF the
present incumbcnts, for they have done very
make any changes.
The railroad commissioners now in office
have been "tamed," so to speak, by the rail-
| roads, and men who have not been so long un
der their wing might have done something III
| the interest of the people; but that same sen
ate which has again and again thwarted the
| people, which refuses to reduce salaries, whlcn
| bought the Clemson College and yielded at last
to necessity only, which Is the stronghold ol
uriStUcracy with It's nOn-progresslve, lmprac
Iicable ideas, which, in a word, Is dominated
By Charlcston's rich politicians-thatS Senate
resolved TO maintain this "existlng inslitu
| tion," too, stain quo.
OF all the taxes we pay, the pensions to Con.
| iederate veterans are submitted 10 most Will
lingly, and VIC regret that we cannot increase
The pittance they receive. But the continu'
ance Of men In office as political pensioners
after their ability or willingness to serve the
people Is gOnc-whcn the interests ana even
|
This pandcring to sentiment, this favoritism-
| Is q crime, nothing more and nothing less.
rotation i'll office is a cardinal Democratic
principle, and the neglect to practice 1t Is the
| cause OF many Of the ills we suffer.
We cannot elaborate the other counts In this
indictment. We can only point briefly to the
misnanagement OF the Penitcntiary, which Is
Il burden on the taxpayers, even while en-.
gagged in no public works which might beneflt
the State. TO the wrong committed against
| the people OF many counties (stronghoIds OF
| Democracy By The failure TO reapportion rep
| Tcs@h Ion according TO population, WHEREBY
Charleston las five votes in the House ana
ten votes in the State Convention, which
choose our State officers, 10 which II Is not en-.
titled.
TO the zeal ard extravaganza of this ariSto-
cratic UlIgarcby, whose Sins we are pointing
Out, III promising higher education for every
class except farmers while it neglect the free
! schools which are The only chance for an edu'
cation 10 thousands OF poor children, whose
| fathers bore the brunt In The struggle for our
| redemption in lSI6. To the continued recur.
renee oi horr!bici ciynchingS--whiIh we can Dut
| attribute 10 bad laws ana their inefficient dd'
ADMINISTRATION. To the Impotence of Justice 10
| punish criminals vino have money. TO the
| failure TO cal! Il ar0hStiiu;ionHlro convention that
we may harC#n Organic law framed by SCUM
| 'arOlIiIiarS for South Caroiinians, and tied
to cur waillS, thereby IeSscning the burdens
of taxation and giving us better government
| Fellow Democrats, do not all these things
;'ry out for q change? Is IL not opportune
| when there Is no national election, lot inc
common people who redeem, Il the State from
| t.'iicni rue 10 tax" charge Gf IL" Can We III
| ford 10 leave ii longer in the hands of those
who, wcld. Il to ante-bcllum ideas, but posses
sing little Of antc-bcl!nm patriotism anu hon
or, are running |. III the interest of few fam
| lilies AID for the benefit Of q selfish ring oi
| politicians? AS real Democrats and white
men, .iIi!$r who here renew our pledge IL
ma kc ihe fight inside the democratic party
amd abide the rcsul;, VIC call upon every true
t'a:O!iii;an. OF all cl;i'S'.s and calngs, to helr
lis pnr::y and rcfurn the Democratic party
and ':!Tr MS Il government Of the leople by
! the p;n,jlr and Tor the people.
| If we control the state Democratic Convcn
| iinn, Il tr.i-laiu!c In sympathy will natural
Is follow; !i,t'Lg TO 10 this. we risk losing nj
we haze GaiEed, ana have no hope of any
| change for the better. The logic of events and
past experience sh w that VIC must nominate
Candidates ana PIT them In the field early, sc
| that the masses will understand what they
must Go to bring about the change we SO de-
sire. Such course will cause an active can
vasS, wide discussion Of tie issues presented
and the people thus learning the truth can
show whether they arc in favor of the Far
mcrs Movement or not, by elccting or reject
ing our nominees.
| We therefore issue this call for a Conven,
| tiOn of those Democrats who sympathlZe with
our views and purposes. as herein set forth, to
meet IN Columbia, In the House OF Kerresen
iatives, on Thursday, the 9th day of March
proXino, at - o'clock NJ, 10 nominate n ticket
Tor every State office, from Governor down. &c
he put In the field Tor ratification or rejection
hy the next Democratic State Convention, and
we pledge ourselves TO abide the result, wheth'
cr that is for or against us.
| Zach county Will send as many delegates rs
| it sends To the State Convention, and we sug.
ge<, that q mass meeting or convention be
called in each county to elect delegates OH
SalcsCiay IN March.
| By order of the executive committee Of the
Farmers Association of South Carolina.
| g. w. SHELL,
President and Ex Ofiiclo Chairman.