The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-06-30

trine. 'You can and you can't:
you will and you won't; you are
damned if you do, and you damn
ed if you DON'T That is just
what the cotton planters are
face to face with every year at
the marketing period We mark
ct our crop without any system
whatever. Beginning in the
Southwest, and running to the
northern. most limit of the cot
ton belt, there is a mad rush to
sell. We are competitors one
with the other-sell, sell for
whatever you can get, debts and
rent liens and crop mortgages
all pressing and showing the
weak and helpless. The laws
of any country which permit
such destruction of value are un
just and unworty a Christian
people. I would not see onr
farmers organize piratical
trust or a predatory combina-
tion, but I do say that, as all
seem agreed that the trust is the
devil of modern commerce, that
the best way to fight the devil
is with fire. I do advocate a
self defence trust with our State
Governments behind it. We
have tried every other plan to
secure a fair return for our pro-
ducts and interest on. our invest
ments, and we are less than men
and deserve the sting CT power
ty, if we do not assert ourselves
in defence of our rights. Our
whole scheme of national gov
ernment for fifty years has re-
volved around protection by the
government to certain classes
and individuals. Tariff, money
and transportation are the foun :
dation of commercial life. The
Gariff laws under which we live
-one of them the Dingley Act.
in it's very title, san Act to en-
courage and to protect Ameri-
can industries" Where does
the farmer get anything out of
this? He is compelled to buy in
the home market all that he con
sumes, and he sells in the open
market of the world. What
does he get out of the money
monopoly that has existed under
the National Banking Act since
1868, except the privilege of pay
ing high interest rates? What
has he got except high freight
rates from the railroads built
out of the profits of selling the
public lands, really costing the
original builders nothing? The
products of the farm must pay
dividends on the watered stock
and over-capitalization. Ger
tainly legislation comforting
special privileges is the founda'
ton of every great swollen for
tunte in this country. The farm
er has contributed every time
be bought plow, hoe or trace
chain. These great trusts fix
the price of every single thing
that is bought on the farm. Is
the farmer to have no voice IN
pricing what he sells? Our mo-
nopoly. however, does not de-
pend on special legislation. God
gave it to US. He safeguarded
it's possession by climate and by
soil. Let the Legislature of
every cotton State follow the
| lead of South Carolina and say
to the balance Of the world that
from now henceforth and forev-
er we, too, intend to have a mo-
nopoly price for a monopoly
product, Place ourselves in a
position to make this no idle
threat, and the victory is won.
What chance have morgan
lied millions, scattered over
thirteen States, in contest
with expert financial strategy
backed by unlimited capital?
When the people can not do for
themselves individually is with
in the province and the duty of
the government TO do for them.
The government helps the cit
izen to help himself. This is
not socialism, it is patriotism. l
care not whether you call it pa.
ternalism or not. Better pattern
alism than agricultural impov
erishment. Better that cotton