Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-10-14
MORE ACTION, FEWER WORDS.
Senator Tillman Thinks Il Time for
All to Get Busy.

man wrote the following letter to j.
II. Collins, Of Chester, in reply to a
request for advice:
My Dear Sir: Yours of October 5
received. | realize your condition
| perfectly and sympathize with the
farmers who owe you, too. | do not
know what to suggest or how to help
our fellow citizens who are in this
| prediCament. Sad to say, there are
very many of them in distress. | am
hoping that the Legislature will enact
a law promptly providing for a sensi-
bic warehouse scheme, and that the
State will get behind its own citizens
with its credit by voting a constitu-
tiOmdi amendment to increase the
public debt fOr this purpose. Pos
seSsing the power of taxation as it
| does, there is absolutely no reason
| why it should not do this. Until
| South Carolina and other Southern
| States show their Willingness to back
their own people. it is idle to expect
| 1l'' 'l't' l'lt"l S'N ~ IlIltlll " uO IL.
| believe the State Supreme Court
would declare proper warehouse
! law constitutional, provided the peo-
| pie at the next election vote to in
crease the public debt for that pur-
| pose. The Legislature can act i'm
| mcdiatcly, and as the election comes
off in November everything could be
satisfactorily adjusted in this way.
South Carolina can thus save its own
citizens, whether other States do or
| not. doubt very seriously, how
ever, whether any law looking to the
decrease OF acreage or forbdding the
| planting Of any cotton at all will
stand the test Of constitutionality. 1t
is worth trying. however.
Il myself expect to SOW all the
| oats | can get in the ground and
will fcrtiliIc them we'll with cotton
seed meal and acid phosphate, two
! home products. The land may wait
for potash until the Germans are
| licked Luckily most OF the land in
| this State has enough potash in it al
| ready 10 make one or two crops, for
! it is a mineral which does not leach
out. All the soils above the falls in
| our rivers have a natural supply
Il believe the reduction Of acreage
will settle itself without legislation,
simply because nobody is able or
willing to advance money or supplies
to grow cotton at cents per pound.
1t is like lifting ones self over
fence by his boot straps.
'Ths European war has certainly
hit the South hard blow. We have
before seen cotton very low, but
everything else was low then, too.
Now everything we have to eat, espe-
cially meat and -four is very high,
and the cost Of growing cotton is
probably double what it was in 1880.
81 see no reason why the national
government does not hasten getting
the national reserve banks in condi-
tion to begin operation. We have
lltpl u iol d lohS " IlIlt JHdl the ma
chincry would begin to move on Octo-
Der |. The national government
could recognize warehouse receipts as
good collateral, and | believe it will
do so. provided the States first take
sensible action in regard to this mat
| ter.
II do not think Uncle Sam will, or
ought to be expected to, come to our
help until we have exhausted all of
our own resources and nave done
! those things which are necessary.
There never was time when the old
adage God helps those who help
| themselves, was more applicable and
had more truth. If the people of the
State demand Il sensible and practi-
| cable law, the Legislature will enact
it, and the Governor will sign it, too.
Our home banks, if they would
only cease being greedy hogs and do
their duty towards the people, could
| get us all out Of the wilderness. 1t is
prepOstcrous and criminal for those
banks to draw more money from the
United States government at 3 per
cent interest TO assist the farmers in
marketing their CT ton crop and then
give it to merchants and manufactu-
rers, and then If some few farmers
are fortunate enough to be able to
put up the proper collateral charge
them per cent and per cent. Sec
retary MCAdoo has the machinery al