Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-06-26
ny THoniPsoN, SMITH = JAYNEs. #
Tillman on Butler.
CAPTAIN CAPITALS riILsfAN WRITES AND DE
IlyERs HIS CHARGES AGAINST
COL. uUpLER.

hSH fcitufklilS InaG ne nau
something very particular to say:
something SO particular that he had
written it out, Captain ,rillman
proceeded to read n statement about
tho Department OF Agriculture, rs
follows:
In my speech at Anderson / made
allusion to tho failure of the Agri-
cultural Department. topunish frauds
in fertilizers. | charged in sub
stance or charge now: 1st, that
the bureau has made no honest cf-
fort to protect farmers against being
swindlcd by buying guanos below
the guarantee; I'd, that it has not
enforced tho law or its own regula-
tions; Sd, that although tho law is
known to be defective and the pun
ishment inadequate no attempt has
been made by the board or commits
sioner to have it amended, except
that the matter was mentioned in
one of Che department. reports seve-
raj years ago. Commissioner Butler
in an open letter addressed to me,
and which has been widely published
in the State papers says: 81 chal-
lengc you to point to one instance
whore farmers have been defrauded
by manufacturers of fertilizers
where such fraud was not punished
with all the power the department.
had at its command and that you
make good your charge or retract
| it,"
will chccrfuliy comply. | have
prepared the data and facts in writ
ing so they can go in the papers in q
correct shape. 1t is to be supposed,
though / have not experienced it
thus far, that sense of fairness will
make every paper which published
Col. Buffers letter publish my reply
in full, whether it gives any other
part of my speech or not.
As to the first count:> The Com
missioner, in his letter, acknowledges
hat the penalty of confiscation I'M
posed by law against fertilizers that
arc below tho guarantee cannot
be enforced for sufficient reason
that when the analyses are made the
fertilizers arc in tho ground out of
reach, etc. The distribution of fer
tilizors to points of consumption
commences generally in December
and they arc not all Gin the ground"
till the first of May or later. Dur
ing tho last ten years, at u rough es-
innate, one and quarter million
tons of fertilizers have passed this
quasi "inspccti Il" of our Agricultu-
raj Department and tho amount paid
by farmers for this farcical protcc-
tion has been upwards of 100000.
In the letter quoted above the Com
missioner says:
81 will say that in my opinion,
based on official experience, the manu-
facturcr who deliberately attempts
to dcfrand tho farmer is the excep-
ton, and further I believe that in
every case where yhis has been at
tempted it has failed OF success be-
cause of the departments supcrvi-
sion."
Here is an acknowledgement that :
t"Attempts to dcfraud" have been
made. There have been exceptions
to the rule of honesty. Has he ever
coniiscated a single sack? No.
Then certainly "thc departments SUI
pervision" has not caused failure of
"evcry attempt to defraud." Up to
eighteen months ago Commissioner
Butler had at his command a State
chemist employed by the year at a
salary of $4,000. Analyses of fer
tilizcrs could be begun as soon as
samples were takon-say the middle
of January. In 1885 thirty-ninc per
cent of the ammoniated fertilizers
analyzed were below the guarantees
and twenty per cent of tho acid
phosphatcs were ditto. In 1886
twenty per cent of ammoDiatcd and
nine per cent of acid were deficient,
and this is about the average of the
last three years. Is it possible to
suppose that none of these deficient
brands of fertilizers were ever ana
lyzed or could not havc been analy-
zed and this brand found out in time
so that an efficient aud Jealous officer
could not have found an opportunity
to "seize and sell" some of it before
all twas in tho ground ?" No rea-
sonablc man in South Carolina be-
licvcs it, Suppose, rs Col. Butler
claims, that the saycrage of manu-