The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-23
FERTILIZER CASES
Will Rot be Stayed by Clemson
Trustees as Asked.
FAVOR MoRE MODERATE LAWS.
But Cannot Agree to Throw
Out the Cases Which Have
Been Made A sanist
Certain Parties.

.I !
The State says the board Of trus.
tees of Clemson college held an impor.
Jant meeting at WrightS' hotel Tues.
day OF last week and was in session
more than five hours. Last summer
the board Instructed Mr.. II. NJ. Stack
house, clerk Of the fertilizer depart
ment, to institute legal proceedings
against some Of the fertilizer com.
panies doing business in South Caro-
lima, for violation Of the statute law
as to the guarantee OF fertilizers
Many goods had been found deficient
under the terms Of law. Several in.
dictments bad been entered against
some Of the fertilizer companies ard
other indictments are to be entered
as fast as practicable.
The representatives o. the several
companies whose agents are under In
dictments asked to be allowed to ap.
pear before the board to explain and
defend their good faith and dealings
with the people. Requests were made
that pending prosecutions be mol
pressed. But the board, after care
fully considering the fertilizer law,
did not feel authoriz, q to do this, nor
was it Wiliirg to stop the issuing Of
the warrants against those interested
who on the face Of evidences have
been charged with selling deficient
fertilizers.
After thoroughly canvassing the en-
tire situation it was decided that the
present. fertilizer law offered loopholes
Of escape, or appears to do so, and in
many instances the fraudulent intent
does not appear, but the board feels
that it must press straight on in the
course decided upon, and begin the
prosecution Of all delir quents.
It was determined, however, that a
committee should consider the Ques.
tion of submitting the matter Of the
fertilizer law to the general assembly
at its next session for amendment,
and in the meantime it is the purpose
of the board to continue the prosecu-
tions rather than to press them until
after the legislature meets and ad-
journs. The board will not change
it's policy unless the legislature shall
change the law, and it will press all
Of the indictments next spring and
will hold the outstanding indictments
on the dockets and not insist upon
trial pending the action Of the general
assembly in further constituting the
present statute.
In conversation a member Of the
board represented that many of the
indictments were cases largely on
technical grounds, but the board fears
that if it failed to carry out the strict
letter Of the law it would make itself
liable to censure. 1t has been sug-
gested that the Law will be amended
by the legislature, so as to make the
matter perfectly plain.
Another important matter was the
authorization OF additional inspectors
to gather samples. Additional chen
lists were also suggested to keep the
analysis Of the samples OF the fertili-
zers up with the work of the inspec
tors, so that the farmers can get what
they pay for.
The board appreciates that in scme
OF the pending cases, perhaps, there
has been tachnical guilt without in
tent; but in view OF the statute law
the board feels that it cannot consent
to drop any Of the prosecutions. 1t
must follow the chart Of the statute
law whether that be reasonable OF not
in every detail.
There were representatives of nine
fertilizer manufacturers present who
urged 1.-The propriety of dropping the
suits and pressing such as involved
bona fde infractiops Of the law with
FRAUDULENT intent. The members Of the
board present were: r. ". Simpson Of
Pendleton, president; J. E. Wanna
maker Of St. Matthews; Jesse 81.
Harding OF Chester; J. E. Tindal OF
Summerton; W. L. Donaldson of
Greenville; J. E. Bradley OF AbbeVille;
G.. Duncan Bell:nger Of Columbia; L
A. Sease Of Newberry; R. Il. Bowen
OF Pickens, and Augustine T. Snythe
OF Pendleton. Col. NJ. B. Harding Of
The chemistry department., DR.. P. H.
E. Sloan, secretary and treasurer OF
the college, and Mr H. NJ. Stack
house, secretary Of the fertilizer beard,
were also present.