The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-18
An Appeal to Reason by 7. Larry CAN'T.
ARTICLE VIII.

When King William III, of Eng
land was making those clipped coins
into full-weight pieces there was a
serious dearth in the money market.
On one occasion a bowling mob sur
rounded the residence of one Of the
members responsible for this bill, and
demanded that they be given new
money for their old coins. The as
sailed gentleman, in answer to this cla-
NOR, came to his door and announced
to the crowd that he was ready to COM
ply with their request, and asked that
they at once pass up all of their mu-
tilated coins to him, and he would give
them new pieces in exchange. After
ransacking pockets only two shllllngs
were found in the whole crowd. 1t is
often the case that men who only pay
poll tax have most to pay when as
sessment on property is increased.
The South constitutes not only in area
but in wealth, a very small portion OF
the United States. have not the
figures at hand, but don't suppose the
cotton-growing States pay much more
than one-twentieth of the general tax.
But, at the same time, we must keep
in mind that the poorer the man or
section, the harder to bear is the bur
den of taxation.
The above is a prologue to what I
will write about what is known as the
ship subsidy bill. If as my esteemed
friend Col. John B. Cleveland most
forcibly argued in his Union speech,
the Southern cotton manufacturer and
cotton grower will be most benefited
by this law, we should remember that
the East, North, West and Pacific
States must bear the bulk of the bur-
den.
never discuss a question that l
know nothing about, and I must con-
fess that this ship subsidy agitation is
an an entirely new issue to which have
given but little consideration. I heard
Senator McLaurin's explanation of the
bill in Spartanburg and also read Colo
mel Cleveland's Union speech, and both
of these gentlemen, from a Southern
standpoint, presented every song
reasons in support of the bill and which
arguments I have never as yet seen
satisfactorily answered.
If I mistake not Senator Tillman
voted to pay the Southern Railway a
subsidy of 10000 q year to secure the
rapid delivery of our Eastern mails.
In fact, in our new and undeveloped
country, it is often necessary to back
great Individual enterprises with public
money, to secure their completion.
There is not a railway line entering
Spartapburg that the people were not
taxed to pay q subsidy to secure. All
the great Pacific railways were given
subsidy in the way of public lands or
government endorsement. The Won
derful development of that sandbank
and mosquito incubator, Florida, is at
tributable to the same liberal spirit of
giving subsidies.
Our pension laws are subsidy for
Union soldiers. Every river and har-
Dor opened and improved through a
government appropriation is a subsidy
given to the Immediate cities and Sec
tions thus benefited at the cost of the
public. The high duties levied on
foreign goods is simply a subsidy TAX
en- from the pockets of the people for
the benefit CT home manufacturers. In
fact, every capitalist who invests his
money in developing this country is
SIGuSE OtISCUlS VI 4AC4A OSIiS SGiO q
subsidy by the government.
Now, if some scheme can be devised
by which the honest and hardworking
tiller OF the soil can also reap like
benefit, am in favor of him having it;
or if any class of our people need a
helping hand it is the Southern cotton
grower.
One of the principal planks in the
platform of the Farmers Alliance was
demand for government ownership or
control of railroads. I favored this
plank, for believed the interest Of the
masses would be best subserved did the
general government control those
great iron-bound arteries of commerce
that checker our land. In several
European countries their governments
operate railways and freight and pas
senger traffic are much lower than in
America. Now, does it not appear, if
it is right for the government to con-