Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-05-17
EVILS OF THE LIEN LAW.
A Problem Tint Challenges the At.
tentiOn of Real Statesmanship

A Problem Tint Challenges the At
tentiOn Of Real stntesmanship.
1t will soon be time for the county
campaign to begin and for men, wish
ing to represent us in the legislature,
to announce their candidacy, and 1t is
only fair that we should have some ex-
preston from such candidates on the
lien law, because a great many Of our
leading men are attributing the great
er part Of our hard times to this law"
have never seen a copy Of 1t, but
have seen enough Of its workings to
know that it Is running the farming in
terests of this state. This law, in my
opinion, Is the greatest curse ever put
upon the people Of this state and allow
ed to remain there by body Of intelli-
gent men. It's bad effect can be seen
in almost every business, but more es-
pecially in the farming business.
The present law was passed more
than 16 years ago, but has been amend
ed many times and the people for
whose benefit it was made have been
getting poorer every day since 1t has
been in force. The more amendments
| 1t has the poorer they, or rather we,
get, for the country generally is get
ting in the same condition, with the
exception of merchants and a few 9TH
er men who are able to take advantage
of the opportunities the law presents.
They, however, are not to be blamed
for making the best Of their opportu-
mites. The fault is not with them, and
am not trying to place 1t there, but
with this law. 1t was passed princi-
pally for the benefit Of the farm labor
er and the farmer without capital with
which to farm and they are in far
worse condition today than they have
been any day since 1t has been a law.
Twenty years ago-before we had such
law-it was an insult to a white man
to ask any kind of q claim on his crop
and almost as much to the Negro, but
today how different! They are begging
some one to take a lien on the crop
thew expect to plant.
| Landowners have lost and are losing
their lands, and some who were once
Landowners have lost all their land and
even their homes on account Of this
inIquitous law. In some cases 1t may
have been only the indirect result, but
nevertheless the result Of It.
| The evil effect in this direction may
easily be seen in this one illustration: A
man having land to be worked, not
having the money or supplies with
which to work 1t, and not wanting to
borrow it, valves practice far worse
than borrowing-his right to his part
Of the crop that is exnected to be made
and sits quietly by seeming to think
1t Is all the merchants risk while his
laborer. "cropper" or RENTER" leafs
him up" We have all seen enough of
this to know what the result Is when
the account Is due, some times-and It
was many times last year, the mer-
chant find the debt side Of the ac-
count mucm larger than the credit side.
Some lien law defender will say all
this Is due to the failure IN crops. I'll
admit that this has a great deal to do
with it. but we have not always had
bad crops and cases like this have
occurred. And, too. it has driven away
all effort Of some to raise grain, corn,
hay and fodder sufficient to supply
themselves for a year, just simply try
ing to raise cotton with which to pay
a debt obtained by giving lien for
the provisions that should be raised in
stead Of so much cotton. 1t has drlV-
en- nearly all the white people, who not
being as fortunate as some others, have
to depend on their actual labor for
support, away from the country to the
factories. 1t Is driving our labor from
us. Some will say this is the best
thing for us. With a certain kind OF
labor I will admit that it Is, but this
depends upon who has controlled 1t.
| I attribute all this reStlessness of Ia
bor about which we read, direct to the
negligence of the land owners and this
in turn direct to this law. This law,
like all others, has been abused, and
all this I'll admit is not a direct fault
of the law, but 1 do say it is a direct
result of 1t. I have talked with but
few defenders of this law and about
the only thing I have heard advanced
as an argument was this: What Will
the people do without it?" 1 will ask
what have they done with it? Moth
ing to advance the interest Of the peo-
pie for whose benefit 1t was intended.
Without this law labor could be con-
trolled better, not better for the per-
sonal advantage of the landowners on
ly, but for the advantage Of the labor
err as we'll. Both of these working al
an advantage would advance every
other interest in the country, for as
every one knows. the greater part OF
the prosperity of the town depends on
the degree of prosperity the farming
people enjoy.
| Now, as l have already said, let us
have the opinion of each one of our
candidates on this subject. 1t Is only
fair to know, not so much for whom
we are voting, but for what we are
voting. All candidates say they wish
to do the will of the majority, and that
is the proper thing for them to wish to
DO; but how will they ever know the
will of the majority on this thing un-
less they make it an issue in the cam
p1.gn? If the candidate advocates this