The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-07

could be protected equally with tn,
manufactured products of New Eng
land, ths South would soon be indie
pendent and her laboring people il
| far more comfortable circumstance
than they are now.
FROM THE NEWS AND COURIER.
I am not discussing this question
from a theoretic or philanthropi'
standpoint, but simply demanding
equal rights and full share for my
own section of the benefits which
may accrue from legislation, whethe,
such legislation accords with my po
litical creed or not. That I do no
stand alone in this demand I quote
from The News and Courier, ot
Charleston. s. c., one OF the ables
journals of the South. In answer tc
a correspondent who demanded s
duty on cotton, this journal, under
date of December 81, 1896, says
(Here Mr.. McLaurin quoted the edito
rial in FULLY
Mr.. Speaker, what this article de
mands for cotton should be demanded
for every industry. agricultural or
manufs curing, in the South.
NOT A PRoTECTIoNIsT.
I saw this not as a Protectionist,
(since believe in the practical appli
cation of a revenus tariff,) but as 6
matter of justice and fair play among
all the people, of all the sections o1
our country. At this point l propose
to give some facts and statistics con
cerning the different sections of the
country with reference to the increase
of wealth, the accumulation OF wealth
and the distribution of capital, and
wealth. I expect to disclose such ar
unequal distribution in favor OF New
England and the North, as to force in
quiry as to its cause and remedy from
all who love equity and despise favor
itism.
NEW ENGLAND AND ITS ALLIES.
Out of these forty-three States anc
Territories only twelve show an in
crease of property valuation, while
the remaining thirty-one show almos
uniform decreases.
The total increase for the twelve
States is $685., 7,SOO,753.
Of this amount $235, ,883, ,482 come:
from New York alone. Seventy Fsl
cent. it is seen comes from New York
and 70 per cent. of the balance come:
from Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania
The total increase in the remaining
nine States is $50, 1922, ,092.
The thirty.one States and Territories
show a falling off. This decrease ir
property valuation amounts to the
enormous sum of $500, 1876, ,795. It il
widespread, there being no such radi
cal decrease as New York shows in op
position. New Hampshire and Yer
mont show a decrease, but taken as 8
whole the entire New England ano
Middle Atlantic States show a net in
crease in property valuation for taxa
ton of $312, 110,555. Only two of the
Western and Middle States show an
increase, and the net decrease from
that vast territory foots up $319. 1924,
785. In the twelve Southern States
given, four, North and South Carolina,
Florida and Louisiana, show small
increase. I am at a loss to account
for such an increase, unless it be from
the same cause as in South Carolina,
where a reassessment of railroad and
bank properties was effected which
materially increased the taxable valua
ton of the State.
But with this increase the net loss
for that section is $50, ,2S4, $50. Bear
in mind that the year 1894 IS compared
with the panic ysar of 1898. These
figures are startling. It is story OF
stupendous losses the people have sus'
tained and of the extraordinary gains
that have been made by the money
and manufacturing centres of the East
at the expense of the other sections.
It is a story of increasing poverty
and disaster on the one hand and in.
creasing power and wealth on the
other. AS I understand it this i'm
mense sum refers to the loss in proper.
ty values usually listed for taxation.
It does not refer to or include the de-
probation of the products of labor,
the depression in business and It's
losses, or the enforced idleness or
waste of labor efforts. Such losses
cannot be approximated much less be
given in detail.
Such a statement as this ought to re.
veal quite clearly that vast difference
of conditions and degrees of prosperl,
ty exists among the people OF this
county.
THE SECTIONS COMPARED.
In order to sustain my contention
that the East is and has been pilling
up vast accumulations of wealth while
the great producing sections Of the
nation barely holds their own, I will
give some comparative statements
taken from the census reports OF 1880
and 1890.
If the figures just given ara surpris
ing these will be found more so. In
fact, to analyze them carefully is to
discover the most monstrous system OF
exchange brigandage of this or any
other country. 1t Is enough to con
vince any right-minded man that this
system must'bs changed, and that al
once, if we would preserve our free
institutions or national integrity.
I shall quote, to some extent, from q
synopsis of the census bulletins by Mr..
S. S. King, found in his book entitled
"Bond-holders and Bread Winners.
I will begin with the States of Indiana,
Illinois Iowa, Nebraska, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama. Georgia and
North Carolina. These nine States
are those upon which the country de-
pends for the production of wheat,
corn, and Other cereals, meat, dairy
products, sugar, cotton, tobacco, rice