The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-03-10
TILLMAN AT NEWBERRY.
HE GIVES HIS VIEWS ON AGRICUlT
- URAL DEPRESSION.

Tho Enac!nnrt of tho Lion Law Hasten
ei 1t and tho Sock Law Conn ets Il 1t.
Dsb's Cannot Ba Paid by Raising Cot
ton at II Loss.
NEwBERHY, $. G., Feb. 81 Governor
Tillman spoke here TO day to il meeti ng
called Tor The purpose OF discussing he
agricultural situation and the necessity
OF reducing the cotton acreage. The
opera house in which the meeting was
held was well flied by about TOO people,
most OF whom was from the country.
Governor Tillman devoted himself al
most exclusively to the subject Ia hand
and although his recent Illness had left
him week and incapable OF any extend
ed effort, made an address full of sound
sense. ana which highly commended it.
self to the audience and evoked fre-
quent applause.
On the stage were DR.. Sampson Pope,
Col. J. l.. keitt, Rev. w. &. Shafer, Hon.
}. A. Sigh, j. ). Hare, DR.. w j.. Lake
and the inevitable and Indispensable
newspaper men. Among the audience
were several prominent men Of the
County.
The meeting was called 10 order by
lion. ). y. singh, and prayer was offer
ed by Rev. w. G. Shater. AG,cr a few
Introductory remarks, Mr.. S.ith, Presi-
dent OF the County Alliance, introduced
governor Ililman, who was greeted
with louu and enthusiastic applause.
and SPOKE substantially as follows:
Mr.. Chairman, Fellow Citizens of
New Derry County:
l aV always glad TO respond to any
Call trolL the citizens Of any County to
confer With them On any topic affect
ing the iuhlic welfare. Your invita-
tlOn is to dlSCii3S he agricultural out
look and the condition of the lal ming
interest and kinured iuteicsts bearing
on it.
Agriculture is the basis of all wealth,
the foundat on on which society rests.
Advice i something which every one
mas SupCraOundance and is willing to
give Oh all occasions, but Which lew
ever take.
We are confronted by condition
which l. blue, in deed. Never III LILY
recollection since 1865 have We been
lace TO face with prospect so gloomy
Before the war every plantation was
self-suStaiuing. Oar farmers bought
very little OF the ncceSSarieS oi life, and
cOtton Was Il surplus crop. From causuS
which Twill point oEt we have reversed
the order Of thugs. We have changed
the economy Of the farm and in large
measure depend on one crop TO buy
every thing Wa'are compelled to have.
The present condition Of ovcrproQuc-
tion--toU much cntton-was predicted
by me seven years ago in Il speech rs
BennettSVille, and | set to work to bring
about some change as far rs discussion
would do it.
What has produced this revolution ?
l say in SobernesS and truth that by
i'm how
driven ""r people 10 the culture of cot
con alone. How? One Of the greatest
causes was the enactment Of the lien
law. The enactment Cf this law placed
credit on the crop before it is planted.
1t placed the man OF character and the
man without ii on the same plane. The
honest, and dishonest, the Intelligent
and ignorant, the industrious and lazy,
were all placed on the same level. 1t
paced the value of the crop in the
hands or those who did the buying, and
all went to planting cotton because
deDtS were payable in cotton. The
Legislature is largely responsible for
the condition Of cotton.
The effect has been to make cotton
the crop to buy everything else with,
and this, together with the rental SIS
TEN, brought about the enactment of
the stock law. The people said we
can I make money out of stock, so why
keep up the fences, AMI SO the stock
law cane. Stock raising disappeared
and people turned their attention more
and moIo TO cotton.
Other Ills have followed the culture
OF col ton. One is the incre ;sed use of
IerIlllZerS. Every year we pay over
$5,OOO,OOO. There Is no rotation of CROPS,
ana nc attempt to preserve the Land.
we XIII grass nine months in the year
ana then buy Northern hay. ForCsec-
ing tins condition of affairs, [, with
others, endeayored to put on foot Glenn
son College, where or young men clud
learn Something Of diversified farm
ing.
10 pu@ us on the right road aDpears
plain case. We need no cDnyeition
to do It. Whether the present price of
cotton II due to speculation or leglsla-
ton, Wc cannot afford to raise il at the
present price. When a man knows he
loses money by raising cotton and does
not PROPOSE to raise food, h., has oniv
himself to blame for his cJnditi0n.
But the cry is We are in drUt, what are
). we to dor How will yen get out of
%?Dt by raising a crop on which you
lose~one cent Il pound? II nur people
don't undertake SurtiSf meat and bread
starvation is before us.
lluenced by two causes: the dcmOn0ti.
Zation OF silver and the conduct Of our
financial affairs in the interests S Of Wall
street. we are systematically and per-
SiStently ROBBED ter the benefit of man.
ufacturing industriesand money sharks
of the North. The cry goes up from
millions Of homes, give rs RELIEF or we
perish? The Alliance has sprung up
and sprt al like fire. The farmers stand
together and ask relief. If It goes too
tar aud touches Oh agraria'lSm, cen-
trallsm Or patcrndiiSm ;i3 has been
charged, am air;ud the rainbow of
promise will disappear from our skies.
If we aje men and stand shoulder 10
shoulder and vote for measures of relief,
If we don't get all we ask, we shall get
some measures of relief. We must not
quarrel about means.
We want Il carrency which does not
centre at New York, to be let out from
there by men who can let 1t out or with
hold 1t as their interests dictates. We
want u currency scattered broadcast