The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-03-13

ontented-better Off than they would have
been under other circumstances.
Today heard good men, as good as there
are anywhere, express this view. They de.
preciate abuses and agree that cruelty and
iliegality must be stopped. but they say that
ihe men who started the system intended no
harm, and wopld have done none. They
point cut that "Jud" Fowler. "Press' Alien
and "Quint' Hammond, the three largest
farmers concerned, are all good citizens
reliable business men, lacking in cruelty or
iDhumane instincts.
You could search Anderson county over
and not find another three men more in.
tiusntial than Fowler, Hammond and Allen.
knowing this fact, one can realize the
bravery, the devotion TO duty which prompt.
ed II Jury Of Is men 10 make such present
ment az was handed In.
A COURAGEOUS PAPER.
1t is a courageous paper, and the grand jury
Is desei wing of all honor for IT. 1t Is only
fair to state that the presentment was written
by Capt. H: II. Watkins of the law firm o!
Bonbam Il Watkins. The facts were gathered
by a committee of jurors consisting or Fore
man II. y. Sullivan. j. i. I.ever.tt (ormerly
representative) J: s. McFall. j. Il. Milford
and +. b. Hail. Foreman Sullivan is a sub
Stantial farmer OF the "Fork section" and o
the Is there are IA farmers. men who know
the conditions with which they were dealing
The effect Of the paper will be to
ABOLISH THE SYSTEM.
There can be no doubt about that II has
been abandoned already by some OF the
farmers who practiced 1t. and 1t will go out
of existence altogether very soon. Solicitor
Boggs has the papers and the evidence; ana
what he will do no one knows, for julie Boggs
Is essentially conservative. He will ray no.
thing except that the matter will not he
brought up again In court until the June
term.
There has been another-an unintentional
effect of the agitation. The negroes have
conceived that because Judge Benet declared
these stockade contracts illegal, all labor
contracts are void. The result has been q
more or less
GENERAL DECENTRALIZATION.
of negro labor In this comfy. Many negroes
have left farms where they were bound TO
work under legal and just contracts. ANY.
Wli vet ,hls es0S Illogical es @ Impression. Judge
Benet tried to make the distinction plain to-
day in his charge, but the trouble is not easy
TO correct. In a short while, however, the
excitement will suoside and the negroes can
be brought back TO their leglmate work. But
at present the negroes are badly deInoralized,
and for this reason many regret that the mat.
ter has been given such wide publicity.
| have said that casual observer could not
add to the grand jury's thorough report, but
u case In point was accidentally brought 10
M attention today.
AN INSTANCE.
A relative with whom / dined apoogiZed
fer the absence OF her butler. She said that
he-a young pegro-had been carried of q
short while ago to work on one of the stock
ade farms. His father had signed q con tract
bI nding himself and several sons to servitude
on the plantation Of a certain farmer named
ip the presentmeDt, and not long ago this
boy and his brothers were taken from their
town jobs and carried 10 the farm, where
they are now at work. Naturally, the lady
thinks the system Is quite abominable
This is only an instance. While the system
has never been known, rs Judge Benet says,
to the courts officially until recently, 1t has
been known to the citizens OF Anderson Tor
long time, and the vast majority of them,
even those friendly TO the men concerned,
are glad that 1t Ia now abolished. For II
must be abolished since the force of law and
public opinion are ngainst it. How II ever
originated is a mystery. A prominent law.
yer said today that some time ago he told
one OF the labor contractors that his contracts
were not worth a cent; that no court would
uphold them. Yet the contracts were con-
tlnued.
Tonight the town is quite deserted. The
large crowd here today has dispersed and
the matter IL virtually ended. No one
doubts that the proven ilIegality and mani
fest Injustice Of the stock ade syatem will be
sufficient to cause Its abandonment. And
no one is sorry. Jas. A. ROyt, Jr.