Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-09-15
WORK FOR EXTRA session.
Governor Gives His Ideas OF what
MIGHT Be Done.
THINKS WAREHOUSE idea is GOOD.

or Blease left Columbia, this after
noon for Portland, Me-, where he
goes to attend the National Council
of the Order of Red Men. In half
jocular vein, but perhaps with more
or less serious intent, he suggested
that he was going to see his cam
paign for the vice presidential nomi-
nation started at Portland.
In pursuance of his suggestion that
he would have something further 10
say by way of explanation Of his proc
lamation of the official and formal
call for the special session of the gen.
eral assembly, Governor Blease had
this statement prepared for the press:
II stated TO the News and Courier
CORRESPONDENT last night, when L gave
him the proclamation calling for an
extra session of the legislature, that l
did not have the opportunity then to
prepare a statement of my views in
reference to the extra session, but
that I would give them to him
this morning. I did make few re-
marks to him, as he states, among
them that was not inclined to agree
that a stay law Of some kind or
form could not be legally enacted.
MY reasons for calling the extra ses-
sion of the general assembly are clear
ly and fully set forth in my proclama-
ton. l shall, of course, when the leg
islature is convened, send them
short message. giving to them such
suggestions as think are proper, and
then leave it with them to enact such
laws as they deem wise.
Il think, however, that one of the
very things that they should do would
be to appoint a non-factional COM
mittee to confer with a similar COM
mittee from the legislature of other
cotton growing states as to what is
best to do in reference to the cotton
situation so as to get together upon a
proper and uniform law that the
benefits derived from it will be given
to all of the cotton growing people and
approved by the governors of the cot
ton growing states.
Now, individually, l am not Of the
opinion that they should pass law
protecting the poor people or the
state from being imposed upon by
the foreclosure Of either personal or
real estate mortgages during this
panic. | am satisfied that such law
can be passed as will meet every
| rpn1llrpmpnt
may not call it a stay law, but 1t most
assuredly can be termed law for the
protection of the majority OF the cltl-
zens of the state.
II also think that they should pass
| law to reduce the rate or interest
| in this state and to make 1t a felony
punishable by a long term of i'm
prisonment without the alternative OF
a fine, for any person, association or
corporation to charge any money
borrower, either by discount or other-
wise, any greater rate OF interest than
that fixed in the bill so as to stop the
usury, or you might properly say
robbery, of the man who is compelled
| to have a little money.
~ think they should also take up
| and give their most careful and seri-
Gus consideration, state warehouse
system-either such bill as was intro
duced at the last session, or such Dill
! as will give the farmers proper re-
lief. >,
And vet the most important of all
matters to be considered, as l see ",
| is to make arrangements to hnance
the state during this crisis. without
| issuing executions against the proper
" of the individual citizen who Will
| not be able to meet his tax obllga-
tions this fall. The present admins
tration borrowed all the money 1t
wanted this year-Sufficient amount
| to run it-at l-2 per cent, in the face
of all the cursing, abuse and villih-
cation and the lies that have been
told on the present governor, and with
| the bankers, money interests, all
lighting him and trying to hamper his
administration in order to cause MS
defeat. 1t certainly would seem then
that the incoming administrator,
with a very, very wealthy bank presi-
dent at its head, endorsed by all the
money interests of the state, includ-
ing capitalists bankers, railroad OF
fcials, cotton mill presidents and otn-
ers, surely should be able TO borrow
money as cheaply. If not much cheap
er, than the retiring administration,
and, in view of this fact, | heartily
payment of taxes in order TO protect
the property of the poor and help
less.
THE people are the state and each
individual. however poor he may BE-
is as much a part Of his state as Inc
wealthiest man in 1t, and should re-
ceive the same protection from It's
laws: in my opinion. it is great
deal better for the state as a whole to
be in debt than it is for the individual
to have every little thing he has
forced upon the market and his wire
and children turned out of home; and,
as the state has borrowed this year all
the money she wants at 3 12 per cent,
and no individual can borrow money
at all, or if so. for not less than eight
or ten per cent, therefore, it is better
for all Of the individuals, as one,
called the state, TO borrow money TO
run the government on until April Isl.
at 8 1-2 per cent, or even at per
cent. than to force the one individual
citizen TO mortgage all he has to bor-
row money at eight or ten per cent
in order to pay his pro rata share OF
the running expenses OF the govern
ment. Of which government he Is one
have repeatedly called the attention
of the legislature to the fact that eX-
traNaSdnt appropriations ultiue SH-
travagant levies, and if the legislature
had listened to me at Its last session,
and sustained all my vetoes, the levy
this year could have been much less
than il is: however, it is too late now
TO discuss that situation. We must
discuss the one that faces US. There
is many poor man who will not be
able to pay his taxes this fall-in fact,
he will not be able to pay for what he
and his family have already neces-
sarily had to consume in order to suS-
tain life, and will have a hard time
to make arrangements to continue to
get the necessities of life under the
present financial panic; and it most
lassuredly would be unjust, unfair and
tyrannical for the whole to say to the
one, we will take your property ana
force il on the market and force your
wife and children out in the street II
you do not pay your taxes by certain
date. particularly when the whole
knows that it is impossible for the
one. the individual, to make such ar
rangementS. or if he does make it, to
do so by the payment of an eXOrbitant
profit to the money lender. To illus
trate-Suppose corporation is COM
posed of ten men and they owe SlOO.-
|