The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-01-26
MILLER'S IDEAS.
Says Labor avs and Trial JUS.
tice System Drives
NEGRO FARM HANDS
Prom the State, and That There Is No
Desire for Social Eqaulity on
the Part OF Negroes, Who
are Under Obligations
to the Whites.

President Thomas e. Miller, of the
Colored State Coll ,ge, made a some
what remarkable speech at that In
stitution on Emancipation Day. In
order that our readers may see for
themselves what highly educated
colored man thinks Of the problems
that confront the South we make
some extracts from the spet ca. After
speaking Of the Emancipation of the
n;gro, he took Up the subject of his
address. which was,s the things that
effect the negroes in the South after
forty years Of freedom Here are
some CT the reasons that he claimed
was affecting the negroes for the III:
First, the law making body Of
South Carolina is responsible for the
destruction of our labor. II they had
been Employed by the enemies of an
agricultural South to run Off the la
Dor from the South they could not
have done the job any more thorough
" and completely than they have
done it..
E 'ery law that has been enacted in
the last % years has been intended to
protect the agrioulturists and keep
them full supply of labor; the rights
or protection Of the labor has never
been considered in a single one OF
them. Hence as the labor law was
against the laborer he has become
more shy year after year; and when.
ever and wherever he could get away
from 1T he would leave first to little
towns, then to the cities, then to the
N orth.
The second cause Of the unrest of
the laborer is the trial justice system
with it's plenary powers, and Its ir-
responsible constables.
have seen the irresponsible CON
| stable In the country uss his ready
revolver on helpless accused charged
with the slightest misdemeanor-with
no punishment coming to the consta
BILE.
If were an enemy to my dear. shaSs
loved Southland I would have paid
agents and lobbyists begging our
Legislature to continue In power the
Irresponsible, harassing trial justice
system.
OF all the Ills that sff CT, retard
and prevent the progress of the South
the trial justice system, with It's un
limited power and lack OF responsi.
biiity to cd or man, Is the greatest.
Hence the things that afr oct US and
the South, above all other ils and
destruction, are the labor laws and
the trial justice system. Continue
them as tney are and we shall not
only succeed In driving away black
labor, but we will never get white
immigrants who are so greatly needed
to come AMI stay In our limits.
The third Ill is the lack Of protec
tion In the little towns. Hence GU
| people run away from tho labor Law
and the trial justice system to the
little to wns for police protection; and
when they fail to get 1t there they 60
TO the big cities, and from the big
cities to the North.
What Is the worth to community
I'm money of an honest laborer man
or woman-between the ages of 16
and 60?
Under the slave values laborer
was worth 81 900; but the best teach
ers Of political economy claim that
we must take into cons deration of a
laborer the power to consume and
produce. This would make the value
Of each laborer to our Common wealth
about S6, 900. The price Of his pro
duction annually plus the price OF his
consumption is not less than $400
This Is 10 per cent on s4 600. And
to his producing and consuming pow
er must be added the wealth tina
comes from his increase In offspring,
which would make his value to the
Commonwealth greater still.
Hence, every able bodied man or
woman that has left Siuth Carolina
In the last % years Is n loss of not
less than 81 600 for each.
II the United States census is relia
BILE we have lost by reason Of our peo
Pile having left the State not less than
rs, 900 able bodied laborers In the last
30 years; each one of them valued al
not less than $4,000.
We have lost from the field Of pro-
duction and consumption $75 O0(
multiplied by $4,000, or $500, 600, 900
And for what? Why did we not keel
these peoplep Why, because we arc
short sighted. We have legislated II
the wrong way. They are gone, ant
what2 We must now appropriate
annually thousands of dollars to Goa,
and beg the Huns, the Poles and th,
Italians, and in time the Chinese, f.
come here and take their places.
/, as q negro, want prosperity II
the South; and If had 1T In my pow
or would bring here and locate ever
nationality from Europe and by en-
couragement, and repeal Of the obnoy
ioua features OF the labor law, and b
the curtailment Of the great powc
Of the trial justice system keep ther
here
The South needs their presence
r their coming cannot in any way In
4 jure us negroes, but instead will hel
r to develop our country and eplarg
d the sphere Of their own and the nj
t gro's usefulness az producers.
}. We want tiiis LABOR and tine cheal
8 est, easiest and readiest way to get
Is to turn the pages Of our statute
and blot therefronn every labor Ia
that r., detrimental to the commo
!, man, lite and black.
l. The. is another matter that
II touch upon lightly. In Massaoh,
n setts, Rhode Island or Iowa 1t tax,
d about 40, 900 legal voters to elect or
Congressman, while In Mississippi