The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-12-08
CONGRESSMAN LEVERS ADDRESS AT NAN,
MING.

CONGRESSMAN LEVERS ADDRESS ATMAE-
MING.
i remarkably curious contra
diction IN our economic law is the
fact that in eFecting the sale Of
bis products, the farmer is al
ways the beggar. 1t is reason
able to suppose that man IS
master Of that which he controls,
and this is true Of all classes ex-
cept those who place upon the
market either their labor or the
PROD Of their LABOR. It IS a
strange anomols-a curious kink
IL our economic custom-which
tolerates a system that forces the
producing class to accept for the
efforts of it's labor the price set
upon It by the middle man, or one
who stands between the producer
and the consumer. It IS a contra
diction hard to explain that the
class which neither produces nor
consumes, il an appreciable de.
gree, should be able to fix prices
both to the producer and the con-
Sumer.
The farmer brings into the
market a bnshel of potatoes, rep
resenting to him the expenditure
of time, labor, money and brains
and offers them for sale - the
Visiting merchant. The merch-
ant has neither lien. mortgage
nor clam upon the potatoes. They
belong wholly and entirely to the
farmer who has produced them,
and yet, the system, which we
counteaance. puts it within the
power OF the merchant, without
claim, to fix the price to the farm
er, with fail claim, upon the bush
el of potatoes. The farmer must
beg to &c given reasonable price
for that which IS his under every
known law Of right and justice
and ownership. He must uIake
himself pitaole besgar for a
reasonable recompense for his Ia
Dor. The merchant gives him
that price which Is satisfactory.
not necessary 70 the farmer, the
producer, but tnat is satisfactory
to the merchant.
Reverse the situation: the farm.
er comes into the market without
any potasoes-with an empty
wagon-comes to buy potatoes
which are on the market for sale.
The farmer is now the buyer,
lust as in the first instance the
merchant was the buyer. Who
fixes the price in this transaction:
the farmer or the merchant:
You know, as I know, that you
will either give the merchant the
price fxed by him, or you will go
home without the potatoes; and
vet, the situation in both cases is
identical. In the first instance.
the merchant was the buyer and
the farmer the seller and the mer-
chant fixed the pric~, in the next
instance the farmer was the buy
er and the merchant the seller
and the merchant again fixed the
price. In other words, il both
cases, the merchant fixed the
price. Why should this be. and
is it not a strange, curious, unex.
plainab!e and unjusti6able con.
tradiction in our economic law
that has governed conditions
since the stars first sang together
in the garden of Eden in the
morning Of time. AS it is with
the bushel Of potatoes, SO it is
with everything, every commod.
ity produced by the great pro-
ducing class-the South Carolina
farmer and the farmer of the
world. If be has raised . mule
colt during the course of the year
and offers it for sale the price is
not usually fixed By the buyer
and not by himself. So it is also
with the great money crop of the
South. crop which has made
the South prosperous, a cro2 up,
on which it must depend IN
large measure for it's prosperity
in the future. To the southern
farmer has been given in fee-sim.
pie, without encumbrance and in
clear title, a complete control in
the worlds price of cotton.
Every effort Of every country
of the globe to grow cotton in
competition with the Southern
States has failed. Our climate
and soil and natural conditions
give as as complete monopoly
over one of the worlds great nee.
essities, as it is possible to give
monopoly to any people, and yet
with this monopoly, the produc,
ers Of cotton, the man who puts
in it his energy and his labor and
his brain, has least to say in FIX.
ing the price. Why should not
the producer. the worker, that
force which makes nature pay
tribute to brain and brawn. as the
seller, FIX the prce to the other
party, the buyer, and why as in
all cases when these two parties
come together in the making OF
contract should the on-produc-
ing party and not the producing
party fix the terms of the con-
tract. Is this as it should De:
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