The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-11-11

llUc Oh WdlllIIS ILiSu, oOiiiA eAio"S Az iAS
had never seen sadder lot OF faces in
all his life than these men presented.
Somehow they impressed him with the
thought that they were victims awaiting
a terrible doom, and he was unable
after the lapse of few minutes to dis-
associate them in his thoughts from s
string Of condemned culpriss who were
awaiting their turns to be led out and
guillot;ncd by Mills, the executioner.
John saw that the men were chiefly
farmers like himself, and he knew that
like him they had come there as the last
resort TO raise money to buy bread for
their families. and even in his own
deep distress he pitied them. They
were = sight well calculated to touch
the heart and claim the sympathy
Of any human being. Their sun
.ronzed features, swarthy and deep
lined, told only too plainly the
story of their suferings, while
tie restless rowing of their eyes and
the uneasy moving Of their limbs be-
trayed all too well the anxiety Of their
minds. They were thinking Of their
loved ones at home-of the wives and
ch::ren clothed in rags and pinched
with hunger, and Of the wolf that
hovcred about their thresholds, and
the picture was forbidding enough to
n.kc their hearts quake. They real
lied how dearly they would be required
to pay for Mills accommodation. y
but even this dearly-bought favor
this longed for and prayed for robbery
was By no means assured them. Mills
was particular about his security, and
even at the exorbitant rates OF interest
he charged man must put up choice
chsttels to secure ever so small al "ad-
vance;" and these men, knowing that,
trembled with anxious fear lest they
should be turned away empty handed.
After the lapse Of near an hour, dur
ing which time Green had studied the
faces ot his companions, and drew pic-
lures Of this ones and that ones conoa-
ton, he made bold to break the death
like silence and engage the man next
him in conversation.
"Aly friend he began. "our business
here is evidently the 81 me. came to
try to set some money on my farm chat
tells, and judge that is the object OF
all these men.
81 guess it is" replied the man John
had addressed. That is my object, at
least
s.Do you know" asked John, 'any-
thing Of this man and his methods OF
doing baSiness?'
NO. only from report
''W;l.t does report say of him?"
''It don't say anything good. my
friend. nor anything calculated to tickle
US poor devils who have to come to him
for .iavors,' as he cslls them. 1t says
he has no mercy on his customers,
charges them outrageouslv for little
money, loans only for thirty or sixty
days, and if payments are not met
promptly to the da.v your property goes
at any sort of sacrifice to pay the debt. F"
cts q shame and an outrage" said
John.
Yes" replied the other, sits worse
than that. It's lezalizcd robbery. Our
laws permit this man to come here like
a vulture to feed off our Risiertunes
There is nothing to reatrain his avarice,
nor law to hold him in check, and his
charges are governed by Our necessities.
He knows that we are compelled to bor-
row, aad that in our present straits we
are glad to jump at any kind OF terms
and make any sacrifice, and he is not
slow to avail himself Of that advantage,
and the terms be makes as are such as
Shyiock made with the Jew. 1t Is q
shame and an outrage indeed, my
friend, but it is useless for US to fight
against it. There is no law to protect
US, and we have no reason to hope that
there ever will be. Laws are made to
foster and protect the interests OF the
wealthy, and our interests arc not
taken into consideration. Congress Is
always passing laws to protect this in
tere.t or that, and appropristing money
to foster and encourage this or that In
dustry; but did you ever know Of the
farmers interest being considered?"
No said John, 81 never did"
s.No," replied the other. ''and you
never will. We are not in position to
be of use to the politicians, and they
cannot look to US for financial assist-
ance, therefore we are not worthy o.
their consideration. The Ranufac-
turers, the railroad companies, the ship
owners and all other rick corporations
must haze millions Of dollars in subsi-
dies to enable them to anass their mil
lions more surely and moro rapidly.
But did congress ever dceaM OF making
an appropriation to aid the poor west
ern farmers in their struggles against
every imaginable obstacle? No, indeed.
They are left to fight it out alone and
unprotected. They are left to the mercy
OF dronths. pests and graspiRg money
lender. And yet the farmers are the
salt Of the earth. Without arrogat;ng
ANYTHING TO ourselves, we can claim
that we are as necessary to the world
rs the best of the GRANT corporations.
We produce the food Of the world, we
improve and beautify the land, we add
to the countrys wealth, and yet we arc
not fostcrcd or protected. II we fail to
produce food TO feed our wives and chill.
dren thcS must suffer the pangs OF hun
ger. I; we arc without money aRd COM
pelled TO borrow it, we are placed at
the tender lnercies of such men as this
Mills. No, congress nor our state leg
islaturcS have any money to sppropri-
ate for the fostering Of our interests,
nor time to devote to the making Of
law, to protect US from money sharks" "
That. too true said Green, "too
true. ;idced. Yet we have no power to
remedy it,
NO, rot so long as money rales the
Iand-not So long as men can buy their
way into cffcc Yet IN effort ought to
be made to effect change, for as it is
we are drifting into a state of serf-
dom, and in 4 few short years these