Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-11-14
Mistsllanron5 Readins.
MARLBORO COMMITTEE REPLIES
Farmers Do Not Like Tone of Gov
ernors etter

ernors Letter.
Bennettsville, November 9.-Mr. ]
j. Evans, representing the COMMITTEES
appointed by the mass meeting ot
Marlboro farmers, has made reply t.
the letter Of Governor Blease. Thi:
committee, which, is composed , OF
Senator J. B. Green, Representatives
]. j., Evans, F. p. b. Pegues, Dor
McQneen, Mr.. Charles Crosland and
former United States Senator .McLau.
rim, following the Instructions Of the
mass meeting, telegraphed the gov
ernor asking for hearing for next
Monday in the matter of calling an
extra session Of the legislature to
consider the cotton situation. The
governors letter was received here
yesterday, 1t having previously ap-
peared in the press. The committee
had hoped, at least, that the governor
would extend to it the courtesy of a
hearing. The letter Of Mr.. Evans is
as follows:
ITO His Excellency, Hon. Cole L.
Blease, Columbia, South Carolina
Dear Governor: I have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your let
ter Of this date, in response to my
telegram requesting hearing for the
representatives from this county on
the subject Of an extra session. The
request was made in response to the
decision Of a mass meeting Of Marl-
boro farmers, held last Monday in
the court house. My message to you
was not through the public prints,
and l regret sincerely that you did
not accord US a hearing before reach
Ing your decision.
"Waiving, however, the discourtesy
to US, 1t does seem that a mass meet
ing of Marlboro citizens might have
expected an opportunity to present
the reasons which caused them to
make this request. The right of the
people to speak In mass meeting in
free government is supposed to be
sacred and will be protection against
injustice long after the ephemeral
power Of the willy politician has pass
ed away.
THE old-time theory, and the only
valid reason for a democracy, Is to
do the greatest good to the greatest
number, and I do not conceive that
there Is any manner in which you
could better employ the functions of
your great office than in assisting
the farmers Of this state to secure
better prices for the products of their
labor. 1t is not a good shepherd, my
dear governor, who would sit on a
stump and impartially allow the bears
and the sheep to fight 1t out. The
crafty and the strong should not be
allowed to compel the weak and the
simple to fight them on their own
grounds, and the government take no
consideration Of mercy, justice and
the eternal moralities.
Your excellency says that the hold
ing of the cotton crop now will do
no good except to a few wealthy
farmers Most respectfully, we beg
leave to differ with you on that 'ques-
ton. Any advance in the price Of
cotton would be Of great advantage,
not only to a few wealthy farmers
but to every man, woman and child
in the south. Cotton is the basis Of
our wealth. In this county not one
half of the crop has been ginned.
Much is being held in the hope of help
from somewhere,
II believe that a call from you for
the legislature of South Carolina to meet
in extra session to do what she could
constitutionally to aid In the present
holding movement, would of itself ad-
vance the price of cotton materially.
If the crop of South Carolina Is 1,200,-
900 bales, cent a pound would mean
s6,OOO,O0O to the people Of the state.
Il think, governor, that you are
mistaken about the poor farmer get
ting no benefit; it il the poor farmer
who needs 1t most; the rich farmer
can hold his cotton. 1t Is the poor
farmer operating under a lien and
mortgage, that these times are liter
ally crushing into the earth. Com
PEELED to buy his supplies at exorbi-
tant prices, he is now forced to sell
at a cruel sacrifice. The fact Is, my
dear governor, the rich farmer Is a
myth; the last one evaporated when
cotton went below 10 cents.
You speak of the mill mergers be-
ing the cause Of all this depression.
think 1t goes deeper than that, gov
ernor. The mill mergers are the out
growth Of the business conditions and
policies of the past half century. We
are living In a new era; the princi-
pie of individualism dominant over
the past Is exhausted, and when the
conseqences of a principle are ex-
hausted, the structure built upon 1t
crumbles away.
we are living in a time when the
principle of association Is the con-
trolling force, and with all the varied
interests combined into trusts, there
Is nothing left to productive labor.
whether on the farm or in the shop,
except to make their governments the
vehicles through which, by unity OF
action, they may have some voice in
fixing their share of the fruits Of their
own toll. It is a misfortune, COVER
nor. even If people were able to hold
their cotton, for them to be forced to
do so, unless adequate provision be
made to borrow money. To tie up
100 bales of cotton means that much
money retired from circulation. A
warehouse certificate Is now merely
an asset in certain localities or chan
nels of trade.
IF the name of the state of Louisi-
ana makes her certificates good in all
the money marts of the world, why
should not the name Of South Caro-
lima be equally good? Why cannot
you do for our state what Governor
Jared Y. Sanders has done for Louis
lana? Why could not the magnificent
harbor and terminal facilities of
Charleston be utilized for this state,
90 those of New Orleans are for LOU