The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-07-10
SITUATION SERIOUS.
Judge BraWIey's Decision Places
Land Owners in Bad Fix.
Mr.. e. c. Fcatherstonc Thinks, How
ever That a Constitutional Statute
Can Be Enacted To Meet Case.

Nt'A DC EuaCleu 10 -HeeC case.
The article on the discussion OF
Judge Brawley by Brother Bob
published in the Laurens Advertiser
OF June 26, and reproduced in The
News and Courier has been much
discussed by the thinking men over
the State. The Hon C. C. Feather
stone Of Laurens, one of the leading
lawyers OF this State, and one of it's
most prominent citizens, in speaking
Of the matter said:
There is no doubt but that Bro
ther Bob understands the full sig
niticance OF Judge Brawley's decision
The facts that he presents are true,
and he presents them in such a way
that any mind should be able to see
the probable disasters to the land
over. AS he has so apply said in that
article, the decision Of Judge Braw-
ley, holding the labor contract law
Of this State unconstitutional, has
placed the farmers interests in an eX-
tremely serious perdicament- and
the negro in the saddle
The farmer, in order to get hands
at the beginning Of the year. is fore
ed to make large advances in the
way Of cash and supplies, absolutely
without security. The laborer can
work with him for While and then
leave him in the lurch.
mo more serious situation ever
confronted the farmer. He must have
labor. He may get it to start with,
but he cannot hold it in the present
demoralized condition of affairs.
What is the remedy?
In the first place. I think it is
probable that a new statute can be
enacted by the next General Assembly
that will stand the test Of the Courts.
The thinking men Of that body
ought to put on their thinking caps
and frame such statute, and nave
it ready for introduction at the meet.
ing Of the General Assembly next
January.
"A great deal of the time Of the
General Assembly is spent in the
consideration of small, frivolous at.
fairs that cannot benefit anybody
costing the State annually an expen-
diture of thousands Of dollars. II
is high time for such nonsense tc
cease.
What we want is practical. com
mon sense Observation-Disclosures
! that Will benefit the peoi.le along
practical lines.
The labor situation can be RENE
died if it is gone at in the prope'
way.
Can Stop Theft of Labor.
Second. If a statute cannot be
enacted that will bind the laborel
and that will stand the tests Of the
Courts, one can be enacted that Will
indirectly, bring about the same re
suit
Il mean a statute that will keep
mans neighbors from enticing ava!
or interfering with his laborers.
The contract between the land
lord and laborer is all right on thu
civil side of the Court. In a civi
action the Courts will sustain it. The
trouble is that, under Judge Braw
ley's decision, a violation thereof vii
not sustain an Indictment vic
lator cannot be punished criminal.
'Of course, as between the farme
and laborer this remedy is useless tt
| the landlord-the average lahore
being without property that can D'
reached by execution.
! But why not punish, and punlst
severely, the third party. who eithe
entices away the laborer or harbor
him after he leaves?
"Laborers are not going to leave
unless they can get employment else
where.
The Wrong Sort of Neighbors.
The great trouble with the labo
situation to-day is that too frequent
| ly mans neighbors are waiting
with open arms to receive the lahore
who has violated his contract. Sucl
men are more dangerous to the farm
! ing interests than the negro who
violates his contract. They are more
intelligent and know better. One
half the time they are the cause o
the negro violating his contract.
"Such negro stealers ought to bt
dealt with severely. We already
have some law upon this subject
more than we enforce-but, in m!
Judgment, the law ought to be
amended and made broader anC
more stringent. When this is done
and we make up our minds to en-
force such law believe that the
labor question will be greatly i'm.
proved. if not completely solved.
White men who are anxious tc
employ laborers who have violated
their contract have always been the
principal trouble.
Third There is another matter
of vital Importance along this line,
viz: The rigid enforcement of va
grancy laws.
There are thousands of negroes
and white men, too, hangers on about
towns and cotton mills. who ought to
be made to work Their failure to
work not only tends to embarrass the
labor situation by decreasing the
number Of laborers, but this class of
i6lers interfere with those who want
to work-suggest and put new ideas
into their heads that cause them to
become dissatisfied and demoralized.
In addition to this the crimes
Courts are, as a rule. committed by
this class of idlors; in fact, the idle
people al over the country are
menace to the country in various
ways.
They are opposed to the proper
enforcement of law. If they get on
juries you will always ind them op-
posed to conviction. and IN hundreds
of ways they contribute to the de-
moraliZation Of society.
No country is safe that has a
large idle class.
We already have yagrancy laws
that are broad enough to cover the
majority of cases. What we need is
strict enforcement of these laws by
magistrates and solicitors,
all along the line.
In this enforcement the farmers
are ritally interested and can be of
great assistance 10 he officers of the
law. They should not hesitate to re-