The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-02-01

! peuQeu tUe NeAialO Va e@Ai o'oNA'
operation OF the lien law fosters ex-
travagance. 1t is too much like
dealing in cotton futures, an abom-
Unable crime, and he was, therefore,
opposed to the lien law.
Mr. Mobley asked if Mr.. Bacot
were lawyer. Dir. Bacot replied
that be wae, but his clients were
farmers, and he himself had farming
interests.
Mr.. Blease said that the men who
take liens pay high rate of interest
and get a small amount of goods.
If farmer has an open account and
lien, and takes bale of cotton to
pay off the lien, the merchant will
close the open account IN preference
to the lien, in order to keep the farm
er under his control. This lien law
is putting the negro in control Of the
farming situation, for white farmer
can get credit without lien, and
negro could not. j
Mr.. Mobley said that he had advo-
Gated the retention of the lien law. on
the stump. He said that the mer-
chants had been held up as hyenas
because they took liens. That was
unjust The merchants were, not
Shylocks. There is not in his county
respectable farmer who cannot get
money on note. The farmers know
! what they want, and asked that the
lien law be not repealed. He jump
ed on Mr. Verner's free silver dec
trine and said that he (Mr. Mobley}
was for free silver and Bryan.
Mr.. Means said that the provision
of this bill would put South Carolina
on better basis. The bill merely
proposes to do away with the lien
law, and would not repeal the "com-
mon law" permitting farmers to bor-
row money on growing crops. The
lien is given before the crop begins
to grow, and in the first three months
Of the year the money so obtained is
used up. The repeal of this law
would teach the people economy, and
they could get advances on the grow
ing crop under the common law.
MIR. CAN'T said that there was no
demand for the repeal of the lien
law. If the repeal of the lien law
was made an issue in the counties of
the State, he thought that it would
be defeated. If you repsal this law
you will force the small farmers into
the cotton mill. He made strong
speech against Mr.. Verner's bill.
Mr.. Rogers had exerted all his
efforts in this question last year, and
had failed. The whole theory Of the
law was wrong. He was heart and
soul in favor of the repeal of the law.
Mr.. Wilson said that he didn't like
to shut off debate, but as a great
many had spoken he called for the
previous question on the whole mat
ter. The house agreed, and the viva
voce vote was taken, Mr.. Verner's bill
was defeated by vote of Ga to 45.
The clincher was put by Mr.. Ashley.
The House bill repeating the met
ropolitan police bill has received its
third reading in the Senate, the
House concurrent resolution direct
ing an Investigation of the merits OF
the revolutionary claims Of this State
against the United States was passed
to third reading and sent to the
House.
The Congressional re districtipg
bill has passed the House after a hot
fight. Eird and Sharpe voted
against the bill.
A bill has been introduced to pre-
vent the use of the Palmetto tree on
dispensary bottles.
The rep1e entatives and senator
from the SO called Lea county, have
been unseated, but with a provisi< n
that they shall receive their millge
an per diem, because the act crea: ny
the county of Lee has been declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme
court.
TIE re-aietsicting bill being under
consideration, Mr.. Ragsdale, WHO
Eeld the floor when recess was taken,
said that if the Dibble law is con-
stitutional it will be in favor of few
mediocrites in congress and out #
it. The ''mediocrites' was not in
tended to apply to the entire COR
gressional delegation, but he said
that if the bill was defeated it would
be through some mediocrites in coz
gress and there were some. At the
last session of the General Assembly
this bill had come up. The General
Assembly had been importuel d bJ
congressman net to pass the law at
tcat session but to wait until this