The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-02-03
PROPOSED LEGISLATION.


PROPOSED LEGISLATION.
The House and Senate have passed
the bill introduced by Representative
Moore for the repeal of the acreage
reduction bill. The object of the bill
was praiseworthy one. Everyone
knows that the South has been fol
years impoverishing itself by raising
only cotton. The high prices of this
staple for several years past has but
aggravated the situation. More corn
and grain should have been raised
these several years. But the people
who sowed the wind are they who
| ARE reaping the whirlwind. Some
proper lesson from the situation in
which they found themselves during
| tie past fall was inevitable. Conse-
quently, farmers all over the state
have sowed grain greatly in excess OF
previous years. We believe that the
figures show that a half.million acres
more of small grain has been sowed
than was sowed the previous year.
This will reduce the yield of cotton
lin the state some two hundred thou
sand bales. With the increased acre
age in corn, and smaller consumption
Iof fertilizers, the yield OF cotton will
be reduced still more. No doubt the
Act passed at the extra session Of the
lGeneral Assembly caused some OF
this grain to be planted, but the
greater portion of the increase should
be attributed to the fact that farmers
| in this state have as much common
sense as the average man. Sizing up
the situation, they have turned to the
crops most likely to serve their own
| ends. And because they can manage
their own affairs it is but proper that
the legislature should not appoint it.
self their guardian.
The same may be said of the Ware
Ihouse measure then acted into law.
We have not studied the situation as
others may have done, and we have
no reliable figures. At the same
time, we are prepared to believe that
lthatthe farmers of the state will not
tamely submit to system of private
warehouses that amounts to robbery ;
nor to a system of marketing the
lcotton crop which amounts to. the
same thing. We have farmers in the
state and in this county, able to own
and operate their own warehouses.
Surely men of this class will not per-
INIT themselves to be plundered by a
few other men who happen to be in
the warehouse business. Can these
men not build and equip small plants
| of their own and store their own cot
| ton or cannot several of them by
banding together do the same thing
| and cannot they take care of their
less fortunate brothers.? Our expert
ence has been that when great rates
| of interest are to be made out of any
business, and the door of ofopportunity
Is open, the yankee spirit, which is
| in all of US, dares to enter. Itmay
be true as stated by some, that the
warehouse receipts of private cor
porations are not marketable, and
that money cannot be had on these
receipts as readily as on receipts is
sued by state officer; but credit has
to be built in any business, and SOON
er or later the loaning public will
know whose paper is. to be bought.
If any security is to be required
as to these receipts, the same may be
secured by the state placing such re-
|strictions on the business as will pre-
vent the storage of cotton in ware
houses on which liens exist, and the
value of the security offered may be
guaranteed by requiring bonds of
public warehousemen. AS Repre-
sentative Graydon said on the floor
of the House, governments were
made to govern the people and not to
enter business. Let the government
regulate the business, but do not sti-
fle Individual effort.
And because a government should
not enter into private business, we
cannot favor the Land bill of Mr..
Graydon's. This bill is printed else
where in this paper. The object
sought to be obtained is a most laud-
able one. The author of the bill has
|given it considerable thought. The
bill is in many respects ably drawn;
lit throws many safeguards around
the proposed purchase of lands. But