The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-12-14
CREDIT CHEAP AND RUINOUS.

The farmers as a whole are IN
a greatly demoralized condition
lust now, not so much because
of the low price of cotton, but
the prospect Of obtaining labor.
This is a problem which must
sooner or later be solved, or the
white man will be forced to give
up planting and depend upon
other means to earn a support.
It is urged that our lawmakers
are largely responsible for the
demoralized condition Of the
labor system, and the argument
maintaining this view has q
strong foundation. It is conten-
ded that the lien law was enacted
to bridge over a period of destl-
tuition brought on by the rayages
of war, and its purpose was good
and benevolent, but that con-
dition no longer exists, and in
stead of the law being Of benefit,
it isnow ruinous, and is daily sap
ping the existence from the
country's dependence. Polite
lars may harp on the supremacy
of the white man, but it amounts
to nothing compared to prosper
ity. Take the means from the
white man and his usefulness is
destroyed, and when our law
makers continue to permit a law
to remain upon the Statute books
which they know is ruinous to
the agricultural interests, we
must indeed cry out to be saved
from our friends.
The lien law encourages a kind
of credit which can only main
tain itself by the honest man
paying the swindler's debts; the
swindler does not mind the ex-
horbitant prices demanded, but
the honest man is forced thereby
into a condition of slavery. He
is, by his dire necessity, COM
PEELED to submit to the exactions
ofshylocks, and once the yoke is
fastened upon him, nothing short
of the extraordinary can release
him from his miserable bondage,
but if we had a credit system
which would make. honesty &
basis for credit, and only those
who are worthy of credit could
obtain it, it would put stop to
the bull-ox collateral. and the
farms would not be lying waste
for lack of labor. Many are dis
posed to blame the merchants,
because they furnish supplies
upon liens, and to them is at
tributed the demoralizing con-
dition Of labor, but before we
pick the moat from the merch-
ants eye, we should examine the
landowners and see if they do
not share much, if not more, of
the responsibility. The merch-
ant would not furnish supplies,
unless the party to be furnished
has land whether owned or
rented, he must have place to
plant. and before he can get a
lien he must first procure land
from a landowner, who usually
is a farmer interested in having
a better labor system. We there
fore say the merchant should
not be blamed, because he takes
big chances, his is a second mort
gage Of the crop made.
If our people really believe
the lien law is responsible for
the scarcity of agricultural labor,
the most effective way to cripple
the law, is for landowners to
refuse to rent lands to those who
must rely upon a credit based
upon the lien. If this position is
taken for two years those
who have heretofore rented land
without means Of credit to run
their farms would Of necessity
be forced to seek employment.
AS it is now. credit is too cheap,
almost any man who has rented
oro,7D1 ca,, Obtain 2, credit. and
as long as this system obtains
just SO long will agricultural
labor be unstable, because the
ordinary farm hand will not work
for someone else when he can
work tor himself, even if he does
not make as r1uch.
While the world at large is
watching the mortal combat be-
+-oo,, 41,a P,cciops and TananpSa