Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-03-14
LIE s. O., FRIDAY, MARCH IA, 1918.

1.-the wisdom or unwisdom of compul
lsory education Is to be determined Of
this fundamental question, viz, Is tn
Gospel Of force or the Gospel Of Low
the more potent influence In the guild
ance and ultimate destiny Of the hu
man race" The senator Is utterly
fundamentally, narrowly, absurdl,
wrong. The question involves neithe
Iforce nor love, but, civilized govern
ment. Is there force" In levyinl
taxes? II the taxes levied for fire.
schools are not paid, Mr.. McLaurin'
| property will be seized by the sheriff
and sold, and II his house were all h
had he would be turned into tn
street. Is there less force" in tina
i tend those schools to 60 there? Mr.
] IMcLaurin himself drew and introduc
ed into the recent session Of the leg
islature and supported in q speech o.
more than six thousand words q GER
tain bill providing that any farmel
who should sell a bale Of cotton with
4 out paying the inspection fee thereon
| whether or not the farmer wanted hi
cotton inspected and whether or mo-
the inspection added one cent to the
price OF cotton, shall be guilty OF
misdemeanor and subject to q fine o.
not less than five nor more than ont
hundred dollars, or Imprisonment mo-
more than thirty days" Does thai
imply less force than requiring chill
dren to attend school?
The senator has refrained from
pointing out where there Is more force
in getting children into school than ir
taking them out of cotton mills.
Mr.. McLaurin also forgot to answer
our question whether, when the gov
ernment levied taxes for the education
Of the people 1t was not morally bound
to require the education Of the people
There is no more question OF the
wisdom or unwisdom OF compulsory
education" than there Is Of the right
or wrong Of human slavery. It has
the stamp Of approval Of all the ad-
vanced countries Of Europe and Asia
and Of all the states Of the Union ex-
cept those of the south, that are back
ward states, backward not only in ed
ucation but in wealth.
Mr.. McLaurin's further dissertation
upon the Gospel Of force" the "en-
tity" Of the soul, and his unwilling
ness ito put the poor Of South Caro-
lima, however ignorant, in the class
with criminals" is barren Of reason
and 80 fertile Of shallow demagogy az
to require no further comment.
The practical suggestion" by Mr
McLaurin that South Carolina, under
authority Of the common law, take
from a parent or guardian and ap,
prentice every child who has reached
the age Of IL years and Is unable tC
read and write, appears to us to CON.
template much more force" muct
more hardship on the parent and
much less justice to the child thar
compulsory education. Why abandon
the child until 1t is IL years old2 And
where will the future citizen be bene'
fitted, II illiterate at IL years, he bt
then put to work as an apprentice anc
given no schooling? II, as Mr.. Nc.
Laurin has argued, many parents car
not afford to lose the work Of the chill.
dren for five or six hours a day fol
four months in the year, why take the
children from them for all time, In.
stead Of requiring the lesser sacrifice
Mr.. McLaurin tells our readers thai
certain question We propounded II
answered in q certain speech he made
in defense Of his warehouse plan. He
inclosed a copy Of the speech-6,0O(
words-and complains that at the time
Of its delivery the State gave 1t bu'
four lines. The reporter, we think
should be commended for fine art In
condensation.
We find no answer, nor the sem
blance of an answer in that speech
and with the most earnest desire, with
q burning desire to help the cottor
growers and other farmers Of Soutf
Carolina, we can not imagine In whaI
particular the publication Of that
speech would aid their cause. Tht
State has earnestly desired to approve
Mr.. McLaurin's warehouse plan, buI
we can not force 1t to appeal to us
Hoping, however, that something
workable and beneficial might bt
evolved from 1t we have not put
straw in its path. -.
But how does Mr.. McLaurin expect
others to have confidence when he
himself is in doubt. Hear him In the
senate: II say to you, senator's, thai
unless we can get men not only OF
character, but Of supreme business
ability and wide experience In finance
we are engaged in a costly and fool.
ish experiment. believe that this
warehouse bill is scientific in princi.
pie, but, 1t Is also fruitful In practica
possibilities for either good or evil.
. II confess that when think
how absolutely essential expert man
dR6mGnI IL 10 Tie 6uCCcSS VI Jul pioa
grow sick at heart"
The bill provides three commission
ers at S. 900 a year each, and expens
es, to build warehouses capable o.
holding South Carolina's cotton crop
They are to be given fifty thousant
dollars to begin, say, five million dol
| lar task Money for continuing th'
building is to be collected In an In
spection tax Of 25 cents a bale fol
short and so cents bale for staple
cotton. Between $350,000 and $3.50,
900 a year would be collected from TIT
farmers for inspecting and gradinl
their cotton. The money in excess o
the cost Of management would be ap
piled to building warehouses. Ac
cording to the bill, some farmer
tax for many years before securlnl
the benefits Of q warehouse.
Mr.. McLaurin's speech in support
that bill consists Of generalities o
else q recitation Of long-worn facts
We shall be delighted to publish a.
argument for his warehouse system
| but must require that he do not ex
ceed $500 words; that he show, frs,
the safeguarding Of the states inter
est in making the original approprta
ton; second, when and by wha
means, sufficient warehouse space VII
be provided for the cotton desir1n
warehousing; third, the security to tn
farmer that he will benefit by havin
his cotton inspected, and then ware
housing It; fourth, how will Soutl
| Carolina, "going 1t alone" hold an
command Of the market; fifth. wheth
er the fathers Of this plan have as
surance that money will be Furnishes
at low rates to advance on a millio
or half million bales in storage; sixth
that this plan Is a hybrid OF tn
Brazilian coffee-holding plan and tn
Louisiana cotton warehouse plan, an
lacks the ability of the former to con
troll the market, and lacks the assur
ance Of the latter to secure advance
at low rates on all cotton stored Il
New Orleans, wherein lies a reason
able promise Of success here; seventh
is 1t possible to guarantee the farm
ers who pay from $350,0O0 to $3.50,
900 a year for inspection, with ware
house expenses in addition, that the
will not be paying for building splen
did political machine.
We are not in opposition, senator
we are simply from Missouri.
/