The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-11-30
SOME PLAIN TALK
HOW THE Lion LAW EEEMoTn
THE LABoh s1TUATloN.

o. Condition That Must be Charged
Besors We Can Becomo
Truly Prosperous.
The Hlifor of She Shluda s3tandard
was In Newbersy recently aud whilo
there he learned that some OF tho
merchants OF that thriving little CITY
are afraid that they will mob he able
to meet their obligations, btoause 40
many people they have furnished will
not pay out. We regret to say that
this condition Ia not peouliar to New.
berry, but ts almost general loy + the
entire State. The Editor OF The
Standard usaa what he heard over In
N3wherrv % D text for q Law sermon
oo bls ruillOpR credit system that Is
60 prevalent In this State. Ho' says
looking 1T these conditions from the
standpoint Of q white man who has
found is!mpossible To get labor since
1t has become 30 very easy Tor the
ordinary negro to get himselj fur
nished," the situation Is not touderly
pathetic. He then goes on to Throw
cut tbs foliowing chunks OF Aorae
Il b0loO " ubV bCACou VI Gil CUllCSIuGu,
THE Newb0rry merchant who loses
very much money on the Saluda side
has nobody to blame but himBolfl
most Of his lOsBea are on worthless no.
grOes who have become too bigoted 10
work under u white farmer, and who
know that they can get q 'plag'
somewhere and become tentsrs and
20 to Newberry and get all thu lien
and kindred accommodations that
they want. Were 1t not for conditions
like these the white nan could con,
troll labor; an 1t ig con-
troll Is almost impossible, and we must
rent onr laud to tho negroes or lot
them lie out. The white man could
control all this labor and mako 8 ltv-
ing for himself and his laborers, and
the m%erohanots would then be paid.
As 1t IL, the white man can't mako
money with sill brains and no labor,
and the negro can't make money with
all labor and no brains: and go between
the upper and neither millstones the
merchant loses. And who is to
blameP Is not the merchant who
is SO anxious to 'furniab' tho negro,
which to that extont makes him in
dependent Of the white man, largely
Responsible for the sltuationP
Give the ordinary negro an inch
and he will take a mile. Let him
get 9 lien and mortgage, and on these
he will get him q buggy and harness
and other things, and before they
have hardly been used he will mort
gage them again and again to other
merchants all the time playing the
pranks already taught him bY the
merchants. II furnishing merchants
lose on them this year 1t may be q
blessing In tho long run. Let these
merchants try to do more bushes,
with capable white mon, and let the
worthless negroes work for them,
Several times the last summer we saw
young negroes Of the GLASS we mention
with mule, buggy and harness anC
clothing Of the best. but not paid for
driving In style with kid gloves and
cigarettes on display, and tho impu.
dent scoundrols would hardly give am
road In passing o would they ever
recognize the fact they met white
ladies and gentlemen In the road,
much less TO raig9 their hats. Con,
dition are getting worse and worse.
and II they get much worse thsre ii
going to be o Grange, ever If IL takes
ku-klux, red shirts, Wilde caps o.
something else 10 bring 1t about.
In conclusion he says thoso fur.
ntshing" merchants who have 80 long
thought that there money lay In the
negro trade are to som0 exde t re.
sponsible for those conditions, and we
hope they will make an effort to fnr.
nish the ordinary negro through the
white man more than before. He SAYS
there are exceptions, but that
what he says above will apply gener.
ally. There 10 much truth In what
tho Editor Of the Standard nays above
but are the furnishing merchants,
as he calls them, more to blame Than
the landowners who rent their lands
to shiftloss negroes. 1t seems to us
that they arc more to blame than the
merchant from the fact the shiftlos.
negro 10 compelled TO rent land before
the furnishing" merchant will give
bin one cents worth OF crodit. II the
land owners want TO atop tho present
suicidal policy that is being pursued
ell they have to do is to refuse to rent
their lands to negroes who ere not
conpetant to cultivate them pro1ta.
bly,, and we will guarantees bhat such
negroes will getno advances from mer.
chants. The farmers has e the whip
handle 10 their own hands is they will
only use 1t.
Our present syston will demorallzs
any labor In the world. Think Of IL
for o moment. An, idle, thrlftless
negro with no cash and no business
sense to make any cash, goes and rents
himself o few acres OF land, then
comes to town and makes arrange.
ments with some merchant to run
him" then buys o mule, buggy and
harness all on q credit and starts out
to see the county and incidentally
plant . little cotton and corn. Thir
Ia no fancy picture, but Is an every
day ocourYance In the early part
OF each yesr. When he eats ont Che
lieu he gave the merchant he goes to
some other merchant and mortgages
his outfit for Bupplies TO carry him to
harvest time. AT the end Of the veal
he Rkips and leaves hardly enough 10
pay his rent. Under suoh q eysgem
is 1T any wonder that SO many OF the
negroes are worthless, lazy, shlftless
creatures. What incentive Is there
FOR him to work whom he can 8upply
his wants sithout working. There
are many honest, hard working me-
groes doing we'll. and the sboys
does not apply, but we r0feY entirolv