The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-08-28
Paterna1isIn.

In u Overwhelmingly
agricultural 1t is hard for communism
and nihilism to get firmly rooted in
the social fabric. This is the condition
In South Carolina, the paramount in
terest being agriculture, that interest
being SO universal that every other is
In some way interviewer with ito
such extent that the economic
conditions here at the South may be
considered as an agricultural entirety.
Leaving out the negro land as q factor,
having an influence, he need not be re-
garded) this is prominently q land
lords community. Compared with the
northern communities the holdings of
the landlords at the South are larger
and yet while this is the fact the land
lords compose the great bulk of the
population or are SO related to every
other element as that the landed inlu-
ence dominates the sentiment OF the
South.
What is known as Conservatism is
everywhere, and innately incident to
landholding. They are inseparable,
and land ownership cannot exist in
communities without the constant
presence of the staid, quiet, non-ag-
gressive and, If you like, non-progres-
sive quality Of let we'll enough alone,
commonly denominated conservatism.
This has been the estate of man. at
the South for two hundred years; and
until right recently, since the trend Of
large populations to the Northwest,
the South has been q peculiar people
and constituting a peculiar civilization
in these States. Her people established
until now 10 other / Q @ S t.:
they found it to their interest
to become and remain staple producers,
and consumers of the products of the
manufactures of other peoples and
States. The result of the war left them
still landlords with the same holdings
and without capital to establish other
industries, when it became to their
interest to do so. This is the situation
to-day. BY industry and economy they
have largely recuperated and have sub
stantially preserved the peculiar fea-
lures of living which characterized
their fathers of fifty years ago. In fact
hundreds of industries formerly prac-
ticed at the South in q domestic way
have been abandoned and we stand
more exclusively than even q purely
agricultural society. With these con-
ditions it is not out Of place to look
well to the influences about us. Every
reader of the history of our Government
need not be told that the South has
been the prey Of the commercial and
manufacturing North by unfriendly
tariff and financial legislation
since the establishment of the
Government. But other enemies and
antagonisms are assailing us at this
juncture. They are so insidious that
their dangerous and deadly character
are so much the greater. The landed
interest has been assailed by Agrarian-
ism in all ages. All classes have and
do attack it. There is not q feature
OF political agitation at present in this
country that is not an indirect attack
upon land ownership as fostering and
sustaining eXclusiveness and building
up an aristocratic class in the country.
No matter what may be the PROPOSE
ton, direct ownership of railroads and
telegraphs, the assumption of the Of
flee OF furnishing money direct to the
people or any other fad or Aattering
proposition of relief in times Of fnan-
cial distress, they point to the general
idea of the Government being the fa-
Their OF the people, the ownership of
all tho lands by the State, for the use
of which the people must pay: the alb
clifton of all property except personal
property; the exclusive education of
all the people by the State: the ami
hilatlon of all individuality: the alb
sorption Of the State by the general
Government, the conversion of State
and Federal Governments into one
great consolidated communistic COM
munity. To this extent we are not
prepared to say the present leaders of
popular sentiment and office grabbers
are prepared to go, but we do say, that
YIN Unnecessary IcIucICy Vi InclF speak
ings and teachings are to these ends
and that the seed is being sown in our
land, which, if not checked, must breed
anarchy and subvert our peculiar civil
lization. For four years in our State
dragons teeth have been sown broad
cast. AS q Legitimate outgrowth of
these teachings we have the abnormal
and dangerous instance of this State
entering into q great monopoly of a
business employing thousands of
agents appointed by the chief magis-
trate, who necessarily become his tools
for the perpetuation of his party and
partizans in power, employing the peo-
pies taxes, credit, and money without
guard or check and without the oppor-
tunity awarded the citizen Of examin-
ing into its operations, it's windings
and necessary corruptions. It's agents
are armed by the government with
the bad UeS and emb1ems NJ powor nc