The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-07-10
SOME PLAIN TALK
HOW THE LIEN LAW kFFEOTS
THE LABOR SITUATION.

A Condition That Must be Changed
Besore We Can Become
Truly Prosperous.
The E litor Of the SRluda Standard
YVES In Newberry recently ard while
there he learned that nlsome Of tho
merchants OF that thriving little city
ara afraid that they will not be able
10 meet their obligations, because 30
many people they have furnished will
not pay out. We regret to say that
tbs condition is not peculiar to Now.
berry, but ia almost general ovsr the
entire State. The Editor Of The
Standard usas what no heard over In
Newbsrry IS . text for a Law sermon
on the ruincuz credit system that Ia
20 prevalent in this State. Re says
looking at these conditions from the
standpoint of . white man who has
found it impossible to get labor since
it has become so worry easy for tho
ordinary negro to get himseB fur
nished," the situation is not tenderly
pathetic. He then goes on to throw
out the following chunks OF horse
sense for the benefit Of all concerned.
1.-THE Newberry merchant who loses
very much money on the Saluda side
has nobody to blame but himself
most of his losses are On worthless ne
groes who have become too bigotsd to
work under . white farmer, and who
know that they can get = plug
somewhere and become tenters and
20 to Newberry and got all tho lion
and kindred accommodations that
they want. Were it not for conditions
like these the white man could con-
troll labor; az it 10 con-
troll is almost impossible, and we must
rent chr land to the negroes OF lot
them lie out. The white nan could
control all this labor and make q liv-
ing for himself and bis Aborers, and
the merchancts would then be paid.
AS it is, the white man can't make
money with all brains and no labor,
and the negro can't make money with
all labor and no brains: and 30 between
the upper and neither millst0nss the
merchant loses. And who Is to
blame? Is not the merchant who
Is 30 anxious to furnish the negro,
which to that extent makes him in
dependent Of the white man, largely
responsible for the situation?
Give the ordinary negro an inch
and he will take . mile. Lot him
get q lien and mortgage, and on these
be 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
prsnks already taught him by the
merchants. II furnishing merchants
lose on them this year it may be q
blessing In tho long run. Let these
merchants try to do more business
with capable white men, and let the
worthless negroes work for them.
| Several times the last summer we saw
young negroes Of tho class we mention
With mule, buggy and harness and
clothing of the best, but not paid for,
driving In style with kid gloves and
cigarettes on display, and the impu.
dent scoundrels would hardly give any
road in passing nor would they oven
recognize tho fact they met white
ladies and gentlemen in the road,
much less to raise their hats. Con.
dition are getting worse and worse,
and If they get much worse there Is
going to be . change, even If it takes
ku-klux, red shirts, Wilde caps or
something else to bring it about.
In conclusion he says those FUR.
nishing" merchants who have SO long
thought that there money lay in the
negro trade are to some e1tel t re-
sponsible for those conditions, and We
hope they will make an effort to fnr.
nish the ordinary negro through tho
white man more than before. he says
there are exceptions, but that
what he says above will apply gener.
ally. There is much truth In what
the Editor of the Standard says above
but are the furnishing" merchants,
as he calls them, more to blame than
the lando wners who rent their lands
TO shiftless negroes. 1t seems to Us
that they are more to blame than the
merchant from the fact the shiftlsss
negro is compelled to rent land before
the furnishing" merchant will give
him one cents worth Of credit. II the
land owners want to stop tho present
suicidal policy that is being pursued,
sill they have to do Is to refuse to rent
their lands to negroes who are not
competant to cultivate them pro1ta.
oily, and va will guarantee that such
negroes will get no advances from mer.
chants. The farmers have the whip
handle in their own hands Is they will
only use 1t.
Our present system will demoralizs
any labor in the world. Think Of it
for o moment. An, idle, thriftless
negro with no cash and no business
sense to make any cash, goes and rents
himself q few acres OF land, then
comes to town and makes arrange.
ments with some merchant to run
him" then buys a mule, buggy and
harness Ill on q credit and starts out
to zee the county and incidentally
plant 8 little cotton and corn. This
:s no fancy picture, but is IN every
day occurrance In the early part
Of each year. When he eats ont the
lieu he gays the merchant he goes to
some other merchant andumortgages
h;o o,,tft FOR cupnltce IN carrv him IN