The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-08-15
A GOOD SPEECH
On tha Ona Great Nsed Of SouiE
Caroline
BY MR.. w D. MAYFiElD,
Who Is a Candidate for Railroad
Commissioner. Hs Gives
Us Food for Thought.


railroad commissioner, on the freight
rate IN South Carolina is well worth
reading:
The Railroad Commission is CON-
posed CT three members who are now
elected by the people. There cannot
be less, but may be more than three
menb bers. Each member Of this COM
mission holds his Office for six years
AS nos arranged, one member has to
be elected every two years. There is
now one vacancy oo this board and you
have seven candidates before you ask
ing you for our support for this Office.
Two yeats ago there was one vacancy
and you had before you eight candi-
dates for it, and the man you elected
then went in for six years. The man
you elect now will hold for six years.
Two years hence there will be another
vacancy and the man elected will hold
for six years, unless the !a& is changed.
The salary Of each member Of the
commission is 81, 900 per annum and is
paid by the railroads The people elect
the commissioners, one every two years,
but the railroads pay their salaries,
furnish them with an Office, their sta
tionary, stamps, fuel aud lights, pay
their clerk, aud give the meMbers and
the clerk pass over all roads, to be
used when on oficisl business. This
is wrong. The State should have free
aud iBdt p ndent board to look after lis
interest. TIE law should be changed !;
the salaries should be paid BY the State;
the term Of Office should be made two
years, aud these officers, like all other
State off GERS, should be made to come
before the people every two years and
give an account of their stewardship.
l sound the note Of warning and urge
the people to make it an issue in the
county campaign and to demand of the
.anlidates for the house and senate to
:hsrse this law. When. this is done,
,ol will have board free and indie
o=ndent Of all obligations 10 the rail
roads to look after the interests Of the
people of the State. The cry goes up
from every quarter demanding protec
ion from trusts and corporations. The
corporate railroad interest in this State
is already immense and it is high time
the people we're protected against un-
lawful encroachments upon their
lights. 1t will be too late to lock the
table door when the horse is gone.
No man can serve two masters; for
either he will love the one and hate the
other; or else he will hold to the one
and despise the other"
Uoder the laws of this State the Rsil-
road Commission have full control Of
the railroads in this State, subject to
the right of appeal to the courts. Not
withstapding this fact, what are the
condition of affairs in this State? Why,
we have the highest freight rate Of any
State in the South, except Florida.
This is not right. There is no good
reason why South Carolina should not
have as good freight rates as North
Carolina and Georgia. Uotil We get
the best Of rates allowed on all horti.
cultural, agricultural aud manufactured
products and all commercial articles
We cannot hope to compete successful
ly with the people of other more fortu
nate States.
We have variety and great quanti-
~ of splepdi; timber Ia this State but
it csonot be manufactured into furDi-
ture, vehicles and farming aod mecbi-
cal i'm plements and placed on the mar
ket because your freight rate will not
allow eqlsl competition with other
States. North Carolina even can sell
your merchants cheaper than factory
in your State could sell them because
of the highness Of the local rates IN
this State Is this right?
Great quantities of tobacco is now
being grown in this State and We should
be able to manufacture it here, but We
cannot compete with North Carolina
and Virginia in freig ght rates aud to-
bacco factory in this State Sould likely
prove poor investment, if not fail
ure Is this right?
Our soil is we'll adapted to truck
farming and fruit growing and to a
limited extent our people have entered
these fields; but these industries must
Of necessity remain small comparative
ly SO long as other States have better
rates than we have. Cars are loaded
with truck and fruit in Georgia and
shipped north, through South Carolina,
at less rate than our people have 10
pay. Is this right?
Our people are now growing wheat
in certain sections and -four mills are
being built, but these mills cannot COM
pete with mills in Georgia in selling to
or o>u merchants because Of the high
ness pt orr local rates on -four. Is
this rish,?
OIs cotton uii.s should be able to
buy the cotton raised in this State and
lay it down as cheap as they can buy
and ship cotton from Georgia, Alabama
and Mississippi, but the local rates in
this State are such that they cannot
buy 10 certain sections Of the State and
they are forced to go outside Of the
State for large part Of the cotton they
need over that raised in the mill Sec.
ton. Is this right:
Our manufacturing interests should
be diversified as much as possible. We
should not limit ourselves to the man
Of cotton. We have taken
the lead in the manufacturing of cot
tou. If We are to hold cur lead our
mills must be able to buy our cotton,
or in futule new mills will 90 where
they can get cotton cheapest. Just as
We took the lead in manufacturing cot
ton so will some southern state take
the lead in knitting mills, furniture
factories, broom factories, soap facto-
ries, buggy and wagon factories, rope,
glass and shoe factories, Sc. Why not
this state be the leader in all Of these
-,