The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-05-20
FARMERS
UNION NEWS
Practical Thoughts for Practical
Farmers.
Conducted by f. w. Dabbs, Pres
ident S. c. Farmers Union.)
Some Random Thoughts.

Some Random Thoughts.
DO not think / can do better this
week. and next week, than to re-
produce from The Progressive Farm
er some striking comments on til.
trend OF the times both agriculturally
and politically, as politics apply 10
the farmers problems.
First l would call attention to the
comments of j. u. Green, organizer.
lecturer of the North Carolina FARM
ers' Union on Absentee Landlordis:n,
the South's Greatest Menace"
Whatever may be your individual
opinion Of this question MIR. Reader,
it is a live question today in every
assemblage of farmers that l have
been in outside of South Carolina. We
have SO much Of it in this State, cs-
pecially in Sumter County, and it
comes so near home to so many Of MS
who are labOring for better marlletins,
better credits, ETC., that we are shy
about discussing it. Besides we
usually think of the absentee land
lord as one who lives in another
State. when in fact it applies to our
many landowners who have gone to
the cities, towns and villages to live
because of the better schools or So
cial surroundings, as we'll as the
lawyer, banker, merchant ia .mei
who live in town-leaving to IL few
of us to keep up our schools and
churches and battle for a white mans
civilization.
There are many men among us
who arc thinking about these things,
and in a quiet way talk about them,
who would never write line or make
public comments on them. There is
u strong current to exempt from tax
alton for term Of years the small
farmer so strong that some candidates
Will put such plank in their plat
forms, and there is another strong
sentiment to tax large landhOldings,
and especially absentee holdings.
These will be live questions in the
coming years and it behooves all good
citizens to study these matters and
endeavor to find right solution.
Clarence Poe devOtcs a page to the
undue proportion Of lawyers in the
councils Of the nation, States and
party machinery. | hope the printer
can find space for the extracts which
have marked; they arc a temperate
discussion of this phase Of our poll
tics. and the matters touched on by
j. 4. Green can only be settled in the
arena Of politics unless a public SEN
timcnt can be created SO strong as to
cause men voluntarily to correct
these evils. We know this is not
probable, for men to live in town and
rent their lands they will do so re-
gardless Of the results to their lands
or their former neighbors.
But a few words of comment on
Mr. Poe's statement: 1T is sgnli-
cant that even in South Carolina.
where the farmer revolution in poll
tics is supposed to have gone farthest,
the handful of lawyers in the State
have exactly twice as many members
OF the patty executive committee as
all the 10000 farmers have" The
revolution might have gone farthest
in South Carolina in &c and 80 for i
seem to remember that it was said at
one time about rs that there was
need of lawyers in the legislature to
keep the farmers from passing laws
SO imberfectly drawn that they would
not stand. But by 80 there were so
many lawyers that there was a dis
tinct farmers revolt Since then the
pendulum has swung to the extreme
noted by Mr.. Poe.
Now, who are responsible for this ?
In Sumter county, ask a. Il. San
ders, Marion Dorm, j. *. McElvecn,
DR.. Dwight j. T.. DuPrc and others,
as we'll as the writer. The returns
will show that it was farmer clubs
that defeated each one Of the above.
The city of Sumter save each of these
men Il better vote than some of the
country clubs. Let any farmer in the
county now offer for the legislature
(and l could mention the names of a
dozen farmers who would be safe rep
rcSentativcs of the whole people rs
well AS of the farmerS). And un-