The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-03-01
SOBER TRUTHS.
The Way Southern Development il
Retarded - Ignorance and Blind
Hate n Great Curse to the Country.
By Col. j. B. Killebrew, AM, Ph.D.

The Way Southern DevelOpment IL
Retarded Ignorance and Blind
Hate n Great Curse to the Country.
By Col. j. B. Killebrew, AM, Ph.D.
H2sop never compressed more wis
dom i'm fable than in that in which
he represents the avaricious farmer
killing the goose that laid q golden
egg every day. This fable deserves
the patient study of the members of
the legislatures in several OF the
Southern States. Many of these bod
les have enacted laws that repress de-
yelopment of manufacturing indus
tries. These pernicious laws are usual
ly introduced and supported by
the rural members, with the idea that
the more a rich corporation is taxed
the lower will be the tax on agrictural
lands. There never was more llogl-
cal conclusion. The reverse IS true
the more aggregated capital is taxed
ont of proportion tc the value OF other
nrcpertv the more burGensoine will be-
come the tax on the lands of the far
merS.
LANDS OF THE FARMER ARE ANCHOR
ED-THE CAPITAL OF THE
RICH MAN MAY GO TO MORE
FRIENDLY COMMUNITY.
In the first place unjust taxation re-
neIs investments and makes those that
are in existence Improbable and drives
them away. This gives bad reputa-
ton to the locality, and no new IN
vestments take their place. AS re-
suit the value of all property declines,
and taxes are relatively increased upon
the farmers, for the farmers are an
chored to the soil their lands cannot
be removed to another State that gives
more favorabl conditions. This is not
the case with the manufacturer. He
can take his establishment to locality
where prejudice does not exist and
where ignorance does not rule the
public councils. Of all clases, there
fore, the farmer shoulds should be the
most liberal in the encouragement OF
the creation of new industries and OF
the advent of associated capital. Eve
ry dollar that comes helps to bear the
burdens of the government; every do'-
lar repelled is an additional load
thrown upon them. A broad policy
and a wise one is to treat all associatal
capital as belonging to one individual
and to tax it in the same manner. IL
is always suspicious circumstance to
a capitalist to see long and intricate
laws enacted to tax corporations. 1t
shows a venomous feeling. 1t has the
appearance of trying to squeeze out OF
a CORPORATION what would not be at
tempted in the case of a single indivl-
dual. Such laws kill the goose that
lays the golden egg.
UNJUST DEMANDS UPON CORPORA
There is another view of this ques-
tion that more intimately concerns the
farmer. By stringent and exacting
and often unjust demands on corpora.
tions engaged in manufacturing, and
thus repelling them. the farmers lose
their best markets. No markets are so
good as those at home. No markets
are 80 constant. Every manufactur-
ing establishment that employs 500
men will give market for 25O average
farmers for all those products neces-
sary for subsistence. The greater the
number of manufacturing establish
ments, therefore, in any locality the
more prosperous the farmers in that
locality become. A striking instance
is given by Ex-Governor MacCorkle in
the January number of the Farm
Magazine, where the effects on the
agricultural interests of establishing
factory in his own State are given.
This factory employed 400 men, who
were presumably taken from the agri-
cultural laborers in the vicinity.
Some of the good results were a more
contented population, higher and
more constant prices for labor, thrift
ier and more profitable agriculture,
a greater diversification of crops, a
rapid increase in the prices of land,
and, with all these, higher and
broader intelligence throughout the
community.
DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIES BRING
WEALTH.
Do the members of our lawmaking
bodies recognize the benefits and bless
ings that would flow TO our section by
giving every possible inducement for
the investment Of capital in man ufac-
lures, III TallTOauS duu III OtueT dSeu-
cies that create wealth and consume
agricultural products? What is going
to give relief from the depression caus-
ed by four-cent cotton except diver
sification of employment and diver
sification of farm products? Take
one-fourth the people now engaged in
the growing of cotton and put them to
manufacturing it, and, at the same
time. let the planters not only produce
the cotton to be manufactured, but all
the meat and broad, fruits and vege-
ables, milk and butter for the su bsis-
tence of the operatives, and the plant
er's income would be quadrupied and
a prosperity would be generated that
would gladden. the hearts and fill the
pockets of the people in every part of
the South.
THE KIND OF POLITICS THAT is AS
BARREN OF GOOD RESULTS AS
THE SANDS OF SAHARA.
A wise legislator for the South should