The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-10-12
Mr.. Hodges Harps
On the Lawyers
Propaganda For New Fara.
ers' Movement After the
Manner Of Ben Tillman
Seems to Lack Punch
Editor Sumter Item:

Seems to Lack Funcn
Editor Sumter Item:
l wonder what the lawyers, as
we'll as others. think as TO why 1
wrote that lawyer lambasting ar
ticle to the press some days ago.
No doubt, the average politician
will say: Hodges wants to get IN
politics. Well, such is not the case.
| have never run for Office and
certainly never expect to, SO forget
about that charge. Some might
say that it must have been from
prejudice and enmity against the
lawyers; that charge is untrue, as
the most of the layers I know are
powerful clever gentlemen and
great friends of mine.
The preacher tells US, you have
got to tell u man about his sins
and show him how mean he is be-
fore YOU can convert him. / want
to tell YOU lawyers of the state,
who have been running the affairs
of state for the past ten or twelve
years that you have created AL
kinds of rows among the people;
great enmity and strife have been
engendered, and it looked at times
as if the old ship of state was
about shot to pieces. Frightful po-
iticaI excitement among all classes
of people does great harm and es-
pecially, among our farming class.
We want protection. peace and law
enforcement and no foollshness
about it. We want you lawyers to
go en- andrrun the courts that they
may not be the laughing stock OF
all the people. There are thou
sands and thousands of dollars OF
the peoples money wasted around
these court houses that there is no
necessity for. All kinds OF con-
fusing laws are put on the books
that are totally unnecessary. Any
commonplace business man recog-
nizes that there is no business
management going ON around the
court house. You often train q
man in the science of law, and he
knows nothing about the science
of economics. This kind Of lawyer
has no right to be vested With the
power of imposing millions of dol
lars IN taxes on the people, and as
long as the people persist in elect
ing such men to make and execute
these laws, we are going to have
bitter strife and confusion in state
affairs, and gross incompetence in
law administration.
There is vast difference, be-
tween demagogue haranguer and
the speech Of a statesman. Any
back alley anarchist can fire some
parts of almost any audience to
the destruction point; but don't
believe that there is decent law
yer in the state that stands for such
rotten craftsmanship. However,
they have such men as these in the
profession and some Of them run
for Office and get elected, and then
you have the devil to play. An
educated rascal is a dangerous man
to put in authority over the peo-
pie. When the wicked rule. the
! people mourn. Then comes echolns
down the ages, a denunciatory
message from one who spake as
man never spake:" You will find
| it. IN st. Luke 11-40. And he said,
.<''Woe unto YOU also, ye lawyers,
for We laden men with burdens
| grievous to be borne, and ye your
selves touch not these burdens with
one OF your fingers" Look all over
South Carolina, today, and see
! how true is the foregoing declara-
ton. The great tax burden has
! been shifted, by our lawyer states
man from the rich and prof1t-pro-
J ducing class to the backs of the
poor devils residing in the boll
weevil district which is all over
South Carolina There is no high
er law ever revealed to man than
! that quoted above. If we be brave,
intelligent and self-respecting nen
/ and women, We viii never allow
again the states chief executive to
| be lawyer. and the general as
senably to be dominated by lawyers.
| 1t must not, and cannot be done.
! Men and women of South Carolina
living on the farms, do you re-
spect yourselves? DO You love
your children? L know you do.
Then in Gods name, arise in your
manhood and womanfood and be-
come unit, thereby saving our
selves from the Scheming, manipu-
lating lawyer politician.
There is no doubt in my mind,
that year before the elections
come off that the entire state tick
cts will have already been fixed
and, not by farmers either.
| Turn your eyes to Washington
for a few minutes, and what a
CHASTITY nationwide picture; let the
demagogues curse Woodrow Will
son as much as they please; but up
to the time Of the November cleo
tions last year, there was not a
man or woman in the United
States, who wanted a job, but who
had it and at their own price too.
The government now says that
there are six million forced idle
people in this country today. Comp