The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-19
why Times Are Hard.

Many people cannot understand why
times are hard, and numbers of them are
ready to try almost any wild. Illogical
means of legislating hard times away.
They look at the question in the abstract,
and fail to take proper notice of the de-
tails which go to make up the whole
matter. An object lesson clearly Illus
trating why times are hard, and indicat-
ing that they will be harder, is to be
found just across the river, in South Car
DINA. And the case is not exceptional
The South Carolina phosphate commits
sion, by Gov Ellerbees deciding vote,
has rendered decision which will drive
the Coosaw phosphate mining company
out of business. Ten years ago Coosaw
was very prosperous. The "reformers'
in South Carolina politics hated the COM
pany because of its prosperity, ana set
about to throttle" It, They have now
succeeded. The companys fault was its
prosperity. In ten years it paid into the
state treasury, in royalties and taxes,
about 100000. It's pay rolls for labor
contained the names of probably 1000 men,
and 1t furnished the means OF livelihood
to probably five times that number of
persons. The vast majority of its en-
ployes were negroes. The stoppage of the
company's works throws them out of en-
ployment
Many of them, it may be said, might
work in the rice fields. But here comes
along the delectable republican tariff bill
with its horizontal reduction in the rice
duties, making 1t almost IL not quite i'm
possible for rice planters to produce
crops. At all events, the wages of the field
laborers will have to be cut down to the
very lowest notch. And with decreased
wages, the laborers. because of the tariff
bill, will have to pay increased prices for
everything they must buy. Very few Of
the phosphate laborers. by the way, will
be able to get jobs on the rice fields
The market for that class Of labor is al
ready full. The majority of the phos-
phate negroes, therefore, will drift into
the cities, where there are already too
many idle colored persons and where they
will become charge upon already over
burdened labor.
There is entirely too much legislation.
anu lit uulh VI II sttiu0 10 DC III. the ui-
rection OF making 1t harder for poor peo-
Pile, white and black. TO earn an
honest living. The efforts Of democrats,
republicans and populists are about equal
ly effective in making times harder for
the laborlng classes one class Of politl-
clans seems to conceive IL to be their duty
to antagonize and get even" with every
corporation which Is prosperlng, and en-
ploying labor. and the other class sells
It's power ana influence TO the really harm
ful trusts and monopolies IN return for
campaign contributions. We are witness
ing some strange sights IN this free coun-
trgi
Rovertiug to the condition OF the rice
field and phosphate negroes IL Is lucky
for them that they live i'm section where
hsh. crabs and shrimp abound. and where
"old Massa' may be appealed to Ia times
Of distress. otherwise % might presently
Doe found necessary 20 send out appeals to
the charitable to divide their contributions
between the starving IN India. the dcsu-
tute IN Cuba ana the suffering blacks on
tho southern coast