The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-05-26
Potash.

been the cause the advanceme ept in SCI
enco aud improvement in machinery. Who
receives the benefits from the in ventlon OF
improved labor-saving machin cry? Does
the laborer Mo- 1t is the capitalist, tie
trust. Generally, it is the mechanic who
| invents the labor-saving machinery, and he
seldom, if ever, has N oney enough to have
his invention patented. What does he do?
He takes it to man ufacturer, who tells
him be will Investigate. After patient
wait of several months the model is re-
turned as uuservlceable. What must be
the indignance of the inventor when he
sees the article upon which he spent so
much time and labor patented and in use
by the very man who told him it was of no
use. BE sees that he has been robbed. but
what can he do? Should he seek redress
in the courts, his lack of money and the
abundance of that commodity in the hands
of the manufacturer makes justice C0 de-
eide that the manufacturer is entitled to
everything in sight.
But that is not the worst Of it. When
ever labor-saving machinery is introduced
di scharge of portion of the force invari-
ably ensues, and the unfortunates who
have been discharged are Leld as a sword
over the heads of those who are still at
work, while reduction in wages follows.
Resistance to q cut is useless, for there are
too many idle men on the verge Of starva-
ton who would oe only too glad to obtain
work at any price.
Who are the people who do enjoy good
times? Certainly not the producer, but
the manufacturer, the banker and the
rich land owner; men who do not work
themselves, but allow others to do the work
for them, while they appropriate all the
money.
Good Times" asks: IF times have not
improved, how did they build these large
cities" The ciies are of natural growth,
and the times have improved. But who is
benefited: None but the men who have
been able to steal the most with the conniv-
ance of the politicians who are sent to the
legislative halls of our country to improve
the condition Of the whole people, but
who succeed only in making life easier for
the rich men and harder for the poor man.
The manufacturer takes extremely good
care that his employee shall receive no
more wages than will barely cover his liv-
ing expenses, for if the laborer was enabled
to lay by anything, he might become Ii
tie more independent and resent the treat
ment accorded him by his employer, which
is but little better than that Of master to
his slave.
TO come right back to the State Of South
Carolina Will my friend deny that but
few of the farmers, and they are virtually
the only class of laborers in the State, own
their land in fee simple? How many Of
them, though, are there who have given
liens on the major portion of their crops,
even before it is planted? And how very
many there are whose property is mort
gagged and not infrequcntly to the last cent
that it will bear?
| Compare this with the conditions pre-
vailing fifty or seventy.i five years ago. Then
man farmed his own land and every
thing he raised was his. He did not get
discouraged, as be does now, thinking OF
the amount Of bis crop which was under
lien to someone else and the interest due
on the mortgage. No. In those days man
knew that the more work he and his family
cid, the more would they be worth aud the
more comfortable woald they be able to
live in the bye and bye. Then. they were
more ambitious and worked hard, always
mberipg that it was for themselves and
not for the increase of the income OF others.
I do not wish Good Times" to judge ME
pessimist, for am not, andhope and be-
lieve that the laboring masses will eventu-
ally find the remedy for the present misery
and apply it. But the view taken by him,
under present conditions, is erroneous in
the extreme, and strongly suspect be is
man with good competency who looks at
things through rose-colored glasses and
entirely overlooks the suaelings OF those
| 81 tal 10 h calf
The men are NOT themselves to blame for
the hard times. Every one Of them is
willing to work, brt the opportunity is not
given them, and when the opportunity does
co they earn barely enough to suffice for
their daily needs, and have no chance to
save any money, as had the men OF the
| olden times.
"tiood Times" advice to young men to
get them small piece Of land. build one
room cabin and get q wife and prophesy-
ing that the young man would soon be
happy man was good advice fifty years
ago, when man could 50 out and selec
piece of land and pay little or nothing.
and would be to-day if land could be had
for the taking. But how can the young
men get these small pieces of land now:
No one around here am sure, has turned
philantnropist and is giving away land.
How else Will they get it? Those who work
in the stores doD't earn enough to enable
them to buy land. Another thing, how
many girls are willing to give up a home
with their parents for one such as be de-
scribes? Not one.
I shall not attempt to offer a remedy
| leave that Tor older and wiser heads to do
and wrote this simply to show the tallacy
of my friends reasoning and would sus.
gest that he study the industrial conditions
of this country before he eudeavors 70 cri-
ticize the writings Of men who live for and
study these same conditions.
MEMBER OF T. T. L.