The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-01-19
THE LIEN Law.
Capt. W. c. Shaw Believes that his Pre-
dictions and Being Fulfilled.

Lowndesville, S. c., Jan. 10, 1910.
Editor Press and Banner:
As I was one Of the number who fought
the repeal Of the lien law, will you allow
me space in your valuable columns to say
something about 1t now2
The readers Of the Press and Banner, !
have no doubt, well remember what I said
in reference to the repeal of the law. l
said, that whenever the Legislature re-
pealed the lien law it would be the greatest
mistake for the general good OF all classes
Of our people that they could make; that
the lien law was the best law on the stat
ute books; that it was the best law for the
farmer, the best law for the merchant, the
best law for the stable man, and for all
business of the country. I said again that
the repeal of the lien law would tear the
business Of the country all to pieces, and
il the people will hunt up the communica-
tons that I wrote in reference to the re-
peal of the law, they will see that it has
turned out just as I said. I told the peo-
pie that time would reveal whether / was
right or wrong, and I think that the time
has fully come when a one-eyed man can
see that l was right. II there has ever
been a time when all the business Of the
country was in as bad a fix as it is now, it
Is not in my recollection. I told the ten
ant farmers in the<Press and Banner and
on the stump that if the lien law was re-
pealed that they would not have the poor
privilege OF trading with the merchant of
their choice,-they would have to trade
where Gap" and BOSS" said. Just so, I
have heard Of them following Gap" and
BOSS" around from one store to the other
like the Indians around the Allegheny
mountains, till they have made a trade.
/ told the people again that the repeal of
the law would demOlish the labor Of the
country; that it would drive the labor out
Of the country. How about it nowp Ac-
cording to the statement made by the
newspapers, thirty thousand negroes have
lett the farms in the State already. The
prosperity Of every country on earth de-
ponds on its labor, and when you legislate
against labor and make laws to Cypress
the labor of the country, the prosperity of
the country is just as sure to go down as
the sun sets behind the western hills.
Take the labor away from the farms, and
the farm will 60 down; take the labor
away from the cotton mills and they will
go down; take the labor from any bust
ness and it will 60 down; take it from the
streets Of Abbeville and the streets of all
other cities, and they will go down. I am
satisfied that our honored Representatives
see by this time that they made a mistake,
so let them come out like men and ac-
knowledge their mistake and re-enact the
lien law; put it back on our statute books
just like it was. 1t has been q bridge
across a bad place for a long time, and
everybody crossed over safe for 1t will
not do to Cypress or deny the poor. The
good Book says that he that giveth to the
poor lendeth to the Lord, and it also teach
es that Lazarus lay at the rich mans gate
and begged the crumbs that fell from his
table; and 1t is said that the rich man
Dives, lifted up his eyes in hell, and saw
Lazarus afar off in Abraham's bosom; and
so everyone who will read that portion OF
the Holy Word will know that it was never
intended for the poor to be oppressed OF
denied. w. G. Shaw.