The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-06-29
THEY CRY UNCONSTITUTIONAL. /"

ed the lower House of Congress,
and the South Carolina delega-
ton took an active part in the
debate. There is some division
among the Democrats on this
measure, and it is possible there
will be an effort made to kill the
Scott RilI"in the Senate Those
opposing the bill to make it un-
lawful to deal in cotton futures
claim that 1t would be class leg
islation, and unconstitutional.
The representatives from the Cit
les OF exchange centers will fight
the bill bitterly and these inter
ests have On their side some Of the
brainiest lawyers in the Senate,
while the other side must rely
upon the efforts of our own E. D.
Smith, who has made the en-
changes Of New York. New Or.
leans and Chicago study, and is
authority on the subject of com
mercial gambling.
When Senator Smith unfolds
the information he is possessed
of to the Senate we hope he will
be able to satisfy the majority Of
that body, that Wall Streets
methods is a menace 20 the farm
ing industry of the South espec-
tally, and that when the govern
ment permits an aggregation Of
monieG men to form combinations
which effect the product Of the
soil, til a party to the crime and
it should not be. Il is to be hoped
that gambling on the necessities
Of life such as food and raiment,
will be made q penal offence at
this session Of Congress. Every
sane man knows that it is against
the law for men to gamble, and 1t
is also known that municipal bod
les do not hesitate to punish gam.
bling when it is done in d small
way: let few men sit down 70
play cards for a stake, and the
police pulls them and they are
punished, but let few million
aires get together, form a con-
spiracy to mouopollze the produce
Of the cotton farmer, and gamble
on the price, frequently pressing
it down far below its actual value,
the world calls It speculation, and
it goes on as Legitimate, and when
the result proves menaclng to the
country's welfare and there is an
effort made to protect the cotton
farmers, the spectators through
their lawyers in Congress set up
the cry that legislation OF that
character is unconstitutional.
We have often wondered why it
is that these lawyers in law. max
ing bodies never discover, Or even
think Of the constitution until
their interests become affected.
We never hear the word '.uncon-
stitutional" when the farmers
rights are in jeopardy, but the
moment any Of the big corpora.
tions. or the great exchanges are
about to be looked into. the mass.
es are reminded Of the conStitu-
ton.
Our understanding Of the con.
stituticn has always been to oe Il
guarantee Of the peoples rights,
and if it does not mean this the
sooner the thing is torn up and &
new one made the better. II every
effort that is made to protect the
masses from the enccoachments
Of the classes, is to be adjudged
'.unconstitutlonal" then indeed
are the people in q bad plight.
There is a constant and growing
tendency to concentrate trade re-
lationS, so that it can ue limited
to the few. the result is, the mass
es are between the upper and the
neither stone, and are gradually
being ground to dust. Relief
must come. and come soon. II It
does not this country will get IN
10 the hands Of a few land sharks
who are gradually. through q few
money lenders fastening their
tentaclcs into the unsuSpect!nS
masses. tits time the country was
aroused and the people should see
,c it that their Representatives
are in sympathy with them and
not with those who would keep