Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-28

islature they would wire back, Yes
the people are watching, because WI
are at home"
Now, gentlemen, there Is a man
want to warn you against have hat
experience in this house and yondel
both-and that Is Mr.. Professiona
Lobbyist Sometimes he is a lawyer
and paid lobbyist; sometimes a doctor
sometimes he Is man who has for
saken the Lords vineyard-a preacher
who has forsaken the Lords vineyard
and gone into the field of the profes
sional lobbyist, and Is hanging arount
the legislature, hired by somebody
When man pulls you off and begins Il
talk so much you should not pass thii
bill, or should not pass that bill, ash
him what railroad company Is paying
him to be here; ask him what corpora.
tion Is paying him to be here; ask hin
the question. my friends. Are you here
for the people Of South Carolina, or are
you paid to come here and lobby me on
this bill? That Is the question to put
to him, and when you put 1t, just watch
your man, and you will see that he Is
being paid by a corporation, and Is not
working for the interests Of the people
How many farmers do you see around
here begging you to do something for
Il
/ around here begging you to do some
thing for the people directly? Oh, they
beg you not to pass the two-cent rate
1T will ruin the railroads" They beg
you not to cut the legal rate Of interest
to six per cent. Look at the skyscrap-
ers up street. Who built them? Why,
the people who paid extravagant inter-
| est and built this town. All over South
Carolina you will find II. Therefore.
| when man comes to you lobbying for
a bill, IL he Is a fellow-member, all
right; he has q constituency, just as
you have; but II he is an outsider, say,
I"What Is your name? Why are you
here lobbying for this thing?" I am
warning you new members. Some OF
these old ones have had experience, and
they had to beg mighty hard last sum-
mer to get over that experience.
Now, my friends, understand there
Is going to be bill introduced along a
line to which want to call particular
attention. 1t Is bill to prevent mag
istrates from using the criminal courts
to collect debts. It Is serious matter.
A negro goes out here and works on
your farm. Some little agent comes
along and wants to sell him clock or
Bible, or something else-probably a
sewing machine. The agent will sit
down in this house and talk to the ne
gro and say, well, want to sell you
this machine" After awhile the negro
says he will take 1t. The agent begins
to write, and he looks around over the
house and puts down everything the
poor negro has. and very often some
thing the poor negro hasn't. He will
get the negro to sign the paper. That
agent will witness 1t. In the fall Of the
ha lr 20
collect that debt. Where Is your sew
ing machine?" he will ask. Boss,
never had no sewing machine" "Oh,
here is a paper signed by you saying
you have; don't talk about not having
any sewing machine" Where is that
agent what come here?" He Is gone. "
Where is that hog you had in the
pen?" BOSS, never had no hog" "Oh,
yes 1t is in the paper" Then he goes
for a little magistrate somewhere, and
he indicts that negro for disposing OF
property under mortgage. The magis-
trate sends and has the negro dragged
into court before him. Then he Will
say, "Now. II you will pay this man
this mortgage and pay the costs, we
will let you out" The negro goes out
81 your farm right over to another man.
borrows the money to pay this mort
gage, and binds himself up under con-
tract to work for that other man next
year. And the magistrate. in open vio-
lation of the law uses the criminal part
Of his court as a collecting agency, puts
part of the money in his pocket, and Is
threatening to ruin the labor Of this
country.
Now, gentlemen Of the general as
sembly, we fuss about law and order.
Why, I saw men up here last summer
ho!lering, Law and Order" yelling for
Law and Order" and I'VE must re-
deem South Carolina" and 1 saw some
of those same men down here at the
state fair drinking liquor and mixing It
with Coca Cola, and betting on horse
racing. Who Is going to redeem them?
Redeem South Carolina? She Is ruin
ed! Shut up the Charleston horse
races"-and slipping down here under
stand drinking liquor and Coca Cola,
and slipping up to a fellow backed up
against the fence with little box In
his hand and slipping out tickets to bet
on the horse races! Do you call that
not gambling? Oh, gentlemen, let us
also get to those higher up. Here is a
section Of your statutes that Is being
daily violated-and would like to ask
II anybody in this house Is violating 1t
of course do not expect an answer:
1T shall be unlawful for any person
to assume the duties Of any public Of
fee until he has taken the oath pro-
vided by the Constitution, and been
regularly commissioned by the govern
or The term public officers" shall be
construed to mean all officers OF the
state that have heretofore been COM
missioned, the trustees Of the various
colleges Of the state, members OF varf-
GUS state boards, and other persons
whose duties are defined by law"
Are there any men serving in office
in South Carolina today as trustees OF
colleges, or on other boards, who are
not serving under commissions II so,
gentlemen they are violating that sec
ton of your statutes-section 535-and
1t is the duty Of the attorney general to
prosecute them. There Is no punish
ment provided in that section, but the
general statutes provide that where no
punishment Is provided, the Judge shall
impose such punishment as he sees mt.
Now, gentlemen, If you want to go low
er down to sustain the law let the man
higher up sustain 1t.
Much has been said about primary
elections. I do not propose to discuss
this question very far. When the pri-
mary started last summer / offered a
reward Of one hundred dollars each for
the first five convictions Of men violat-
ing the election laws-that Is, betting
on the elections or trying to use mon
ey, whisky or intimidation In the cleo
tions. Notwithstanding all these charges
Of fraud from the state executive COM
mittee Notwithstanding the committees
running to Spartanburg and Greenville,
and other places. not a single man mas
come and said, Il want one Of those
500 rewards" No, gentlemen, and
we'll they may not come. That Is enough.
l did what could to prevent viola
tions of the election laws and for
fair election ] stand on record in this
house and in yon senate pleading for
free and fair election. 1 stand on rec
ord as a member Of the state board OF
canvassers of South Carolina as being
the only man voting for resolution
demanding 1t. There sits in this as
semblage today a distinguished ex-at-
torney general of South Carolina who
was a member of that board. and who
would have voted with me, but Illness
called him to his home. My actions
were so fine on that occasion that even
f,fa do