The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-06-16
Back OF the Force Bill.

It Is difficult for the southern people to
single out and understand the moving
cause of the sectional legislation proposed
by the Republican party.
What is back of the force bill9 Parti-
san feeling and sectional hatred can hard
ly be 80 intense, after generation Of
peace, as to prescribe the fairest quarter
of the union,
What, then, is back of the force bill Z
Precisely the same passions and inter-
ests that started the anti-southern crusade
ending in the late OWL war. In plain
English, the same economic and CONNER
ciaI differences that set the manufactur-
ing north and the agricultural south
against each other in the early history
Of the republic are at work now. The
north was opposed to slave labor In the
south because 1t was cheap labor. It con-
tirues its fight against the south because
we still have cheap labor.
The Chicago Inter- Ocean in an editorial
on the aouth and the force bill, says:
"When it tries to induce foreign capital
to come to it, it offers the Inducements
of "cheap and docile labor" In one or
two states OF the south In which the iron
industry has taken root there Is deter
mined and unconcealed hostility to the
like industry of the northern states, and
resolute desire to supplant 1t by the
product of The "cheap labor" Of Alabama
and Tennessee. 1t is notorious that work
that is paid for by S1.25 in the north Is
paid for by rs cents at the south, and the
southern rate would be reduced still FUR
ther could the southern demand for free
grounds alone, every wage Garner In the
north has an interest in full and fair
exercise of the ballot by the southern
people,"
See how the matter Of cheap labor
looms up as the grievance most complain
ed of by the plutocratic section.
The iron Kings of the north look with
frowning faces upon region whose mex
haustible fields of iron, mined by cheap
labor, make them feel the disastrous
effects Of competition. Only few days
ago the cotton mill owners Of New Eng
land testified before legislative COM
mittee that they could not afford to
shorten the hours Of labor because 1t was
all they could do to compete with the
southern mills, and they were compelled
to strain every nerve to hold their own.
It is the same old cry-northern capital
fears that cheap labor will enable the
south to get ahead, especially now that
our cheap labor is being utilized In rapidly
multiplying manufacturing and mining
industries.
The real object Of the force bill is to
retard the prosperity Of the south.it Is
more ofa business trick than anything
else, And yet 1t Is short sighted policy.
Our cheap labor will disappear In the
course Of time, when our diversified In
dustries olamor for more toilers, and when
xo;1oro haoopoa or m ft,1 On
tho other hand, if the force bill should
paralyze industry and traffic in the south,
our 100000 blacks and millions Of
whites would be driven to accept very
low wages at home or migrate northward
and westward to better labor markets,
thus coming In direct competition with
other wage workers who would not be
disposed to accept the situation in pa
oiih mood,
Viewed from any standpoint, it is a
mistake for the north to attempt to injure
the business interests of the south. Our
progress and prosperity will benefit every
quarter Of the union, settle the alleged
Face prohletp, aud eliminate the old war
issues from our politics, But nothing
could be more dangerous than to place
dozen or more states under the ban. and
attempt by hostile legislation to interfere
with their local affairs, and deprive them
of the right ofhome rule. This would be
mere sham Of republic, with one
fourth Of its states practically unde. s.
bayonet regime.
This, however, Is largely speculative:
If the democracy will 20 Into the fight
with the right platform and tho right
leader the fate OF tho force bill will be
settled forever, and its baleful shadow
will never disturb Us again.-tfRaAta
Constitution.