The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-02-11
CAPITOL CORRESPONDENCE.

CAPITOL CORRESPONDENCE.
Columbia, S. c., February 7th:
The general assembly is now
hard down at work with a view
to reach the end of it's labors for
this season. So far, very little
constructive legislative work
been dene, the tendency has
been to make as few general
laws as possible, hence, most of
the laws that have been enacted
are of local Importance mainly.
But from now on to the end the
general laws Will have more
attention. The McLaurin ware
house bill in which, not only
this State is vitally interested,
but the several cotton growing
states of the union are watching
with an intense interest, and II
South Carolina takes the for
ward step there is no doubt in
my mind that most of the soutk-
ern states will follow, with the
result, the cotton growers will
have full control of the cotton
situation.
I find a great deal of opposl-
ton to the measure, but this
comes largely from those Sec
tons of the state where cotton
mills are located, and their rep
resentatives are working with
might and main to prevent the
enactment of such a law. Why:
It is because, if the farmer is
encouraged by the inducement
of state endorsement to ware
house his cotton, and market it
to supply the immediate needs,
it follows sure and certain that
the manufacturer will be forced
to pay a higher price for his
material, not only so, the cotton
warehoused cannot be secured
in the haphazard manner as it is
now, it will be graded and sold
according to grade, thus giving
to each grade the value it de-
serves. as it is, cotton is bought
without classification, other
than good cotton and bad cotton
without'regard to grade dlstlnc-
tinctions. A bale of cotton may
be a little trashy Or slightly Off
colored with the staple Of the
highest grade, but for lack of an
official standardized grading it
is sold considerably below it's
actual value; there may be a pos
sible loss of FIVE dollars on the
bale, all because the farmer sell
ling has no means of demanding
the value, but with the system
proposed by Senator McLaurin
this difficulty is obviated.
How often is it that. cotton is
put upon the market, subject to
the limit the local buyers have
on a certain day, but when night
comes the buyers for the export
ers take over the cotton from the
local buyers, based altogether on
grades, and so classified that 1t
makes it profitable to the origi-
nal purchaser, but the purpose
of this bin is to prevent the
forcing of cotton on the market,
making it so the growers can
obtain money at low rate of
interest to enable them to meet
their immediate demands, at the
same time be in a position to
have their product controlled by
the natural laws of supply and
demand.
I do not know what the ulti-
mate decision of the Senate will
be, but I do know that the prin-
ciples of this bill are based upon
wisdom and progressive states.
manship, and whether or not this
legislature takes advantage of it,
there must come a time when
the demand of the masses will
be so great it will become the
law possibly with more drastic
features, 1t is dangerous to wait
until forebearance ceases to be a
virtue, for when the people are
aroused to a pitch of excitement
they are likely to demand Of
their representatives extreme &C.
ton, therefore, I say, it is best
to consider the proposition calm
ly: divest it of partisan politics
and treat it cody and deli5er-
ately from the viewpoint of busi-