••
.1 I.
ullfp 9un
(After The Rising Sun—1856-60)
1218 College Street /
Newberry, S. C.
O. F. ARMFIELD
Editor and Publisher
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Published Every Friday^
Communications of Interest are in-
all.
Application for second class permit
pending.
SHOULD BE STOPPED
The exploding of fireworks in the
city limits is something that should
not be countenanced longer. They
are a nusiance as well as a danger
and city council should take action
now to aviod a recurrance of the past
few days.
People sick in their beds were for
ced to listen to the eternal banging
for days, helpless to shut out the re
sounding blasts. A neighbor who pas
sed away during the holidays no
doubt went to her death with the con
stant popping of fire crackers in her
ears as the street resembled the scene
of war.
If fireworks must be exploded at
Christmas time, and we do.not argue
there is no fun to be had from them,
let those who enjoy such sport take
them out of the city limits.
The peace, safety and comfort of
the people should not be disturbed by
the sport of a few.
A TASTE OF PAP RUINS THEM
Once the average negro gets a
taste of government pap they are not
worth killing. Having need of a ser
vant (the last one was about to carry
off the house) we made a trip into
the St. Luke’s section where there
were two girls in the family—one or
both of whom had Seen on the gov
ernment's payroll. Asked to come and
work they hemmed and hawed;
wanted to know in detail the hours
and work to be done; seven o’clock
was too early and so on and so on.
Disgusted we left her at home where
the family is living from proceeds of
pensions of the welfare board—$8
a month for the blind mother and a
like sum for the 65-year-old father.
We have no quarrel with the old
and blind Negroes for taking the
handouts. They no doubt need and
are entitled to it. But we do con
demn any system which allows health
buck Negroes to sit at home and live
off the same handout.
This fanger in old age pension was
foreseen, but since the recipients of
pensions can spend the money as they
like there is little to do about it.
A houseful! of trifling Negroes can
and will live well on $16 a month plus
what they can forage off the neigh
borhood.
It is not fair for the hardworking
taxpayer to have to pay out his mo
ney to keep up a lot of trifling Ne
groes and then beg and plead with
them when he wants a little work
done.
The government started this thing
of ruining Negro labor and now the
State has joined hands. Where it
will lead to no one knows. Our state
lawmakers should know that the av
erage Negro is not going to work if
he can eat without working and the
reputation these shiftless Negroes
bring to the worthy ones is unjust The
whole race bears the odium of the sor
ry ones. There are many industrious
Negroes—the rest of thef should be
made to work—or starve.
WILL THEY DO IT?
The City Board of Health bought
space in local papers recently to say
they were going to publish at regular
intervals th e bacteria content of milk
produced in local dairies. They even
invited the public to be on the look
out for such a publication.
We do not know whether there has
been an inspection since, but that l* *
beside the point. The questirn is, will
they do it? We think not. Certainly
it should be done. In fairness to the
dairy trying to turn out a good pro
duct it should be done. But more im
portant it should be done as a guide
for the milk-buying public. However
we know the ways of small politics
and we believe it will get in its work
before anything is published.
Along with the facts about milk
should be given some facts about the
way meat is handled here. There is
no inspection of any sort and those
who know the facts little doubt but
that diseased meat has been sold in
Newberry.
This newspaper AGAIN calls upon
the Civic League, that organization
of go-getters, to do something about
this meat inspection. The health of
the whole city is at setake.
NEW HEALTH MAN
We do not know how it happened
but we do know that “Uncle Dan”
Wicker has been shelved and in his
stead the Board of Health has picked
young Tommy Long for its enforce
ment officer.
Mr. Yicker we believe did his best
for the town but it was just in the
cards for him to get the gate and
young Tommy taken from his filling
station to Dll the place.
Tommy will make them a good man.
Though young he is married, settled
and serious; of pleasing and accom
modating personality, h« will likely be
very acceptable to the people as a
whole.
We trust he will not be pestered
and annoyed with the friction that has
long existed between the health de
partment and city council.
DOWN MEMORY
LANE
20 YEARS AGO
The Dutch prophet says that he ex
pected this snow, and he says that it
is not the last of the foul weather.
However, he declares that he has
never knov/n a better winter for
small grain crops.
Information was received at the of
fice of Governor Manning yesterday
from Provost Marshal General Crow
der that no further drafts of men will
be mobilized at training camps before
February 16. By this order, 19 per
cent of South Carolna’s full quota will
not be called into service until that
time. The State’s full quota is
10,081 men. Approximately 2,000 men
remained to be called.
Dancing is one form of amuse
ment being provided on a large scale
for the men of the army and navy.
It is one of the ways the war camps
community service, under the direc
tion of the war and navy depart
ments, provides wholesome pleasure
for the troops.
Mr. Robert W. Houseal, from the
medical department of Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, will spend the
holidays at his home in Newberry.
The fifth deserter captured in New
berry county through the sheriff’s of
fice was taken to Camp Jackson and
delivered to the military authorities
there by Rural Policeman D. J. Tay
lor Tuesday. His name is Hezzie
Pitts and he is a negro that failed to
show up when Newberry’s quota of
colored men left for Columbia. The
five deserters were all caught within
the past two months and delivered
promptly *t Camp Jackson by Sheriff
Blease's officers.
Miss Estelle Bowers, teacher at
Campobella, was the Christmas guest
of her father, Dr. A. J. Bowers, and
family.
Miss Sadie Goggans, her numerous
friends are delighted to know, has re
turned from the hospital alright.
Capt. M. M. Buford is the only ex-
Confederate soldier who is a member
of the lately mustered in Newberry
company.
The Gaffney Ledger tells of a
county man who hauled wood to that
city during the late freezing weather
and refused to take advantage of the
utter helplessness of suffering people.
By not overcharging for his wood he
has gained the everlasting gratitude
and appreciation of the people. What
a contrast to the man in Newberry
county who charged and made shiv,
ering people in Newberry county pay
enormous and outrageous prices for a
little wood. The man who would thus
take advantage of people ought to be
ostracised. The man who would rob
people in this way during their nec
essity and distress would steal money
from your purse if he had a chance.
We have a man in Newberry county
who is the equal in nobility of the Gaf
fney man, Dr. W. C. Brown. There
may be and no doubt are others, but
we have heard of Dr. Brown’s fair-
mindedness. But everybody knows
that nothing less was to be expected
of Dr. Brown’s high sense of honor.
The terrifis screeching of a freight
locomotive engine coming up Thurs
day made people in the neighborhood
jump up and take notice; they didn’t
know but that the end of the world
had come or the batle front of the war
had suddenly changed to Newberry.
The ladies and children hurrying to
the overhead bridge saw a freight
train with a box car on fire dashing
to the tank as fast as steam could
make it go. The fire was in a car
loaded with bricks.
THOMAS LONG NAMED
CITY HEALTH OFFICER
Thomas Long, operator of the
Homestead Service Station, was nam
ed health officer at the meeting of the
health board last Tuesday. Mr. Long
replaces Dan R. Wicker.
A. F. Bush is chairman of the board
of health with B. O. Creekmore ser
ving as vice-chairman and W. B.
Thornton, as secretary.
EMPLOYMENT OFFICE OPENS
The National Reemployment office
will be opened here each Wednesday
until further notice, managed by H.
G. Hartzog of Greenwood.
The office will be at the former lo
cation, 1103% Boyce street.
BUS COMPANIES ARE
REFUSED CONCESSIONS
Permission was last week denied the
Carolina Stages to operate buses be
tween Newberry and North Carolina
state line by the South Carolina Pub
lic service commission. The company
proposed to operate from this citv to
Charlotte. The Carolina Motor lines
was also denied the right to operate
between Newberry and Lancaster.
THE
Spectator
There are some matters of concern
to our people which call for immed
iate decisions: Wages and Hours,
CIO, and Anti-Lynching bill.
The thanks of the nation are due the
National House of Representatives for
sending back to the Committee on La
bor the Black-Connery bill to fix
wages and hours. It is just another of
the loosely conceived plans to reform
the nation without understanding the
foundations on which the commerce of
the nation is built. The bill is not
dead and the Idea which motivated it
is not dead; so let us not relax our ef
forts.
I am unable to accept the reasoning
of those who think a minimum wage
will assure prosperity. We may as
sume for the sake of argument that
some individuals will receive more
pay, but the question for statesman
ship involves a careful study of the
whole field of industry so as to as
certain the probable effect on work
ers in the mass, not a comparatively
few individuals.
Many peonle in discussing this mea
sure seem to think that wages come
from the air and are not dependent on
earnings. Break down this proposal
of fixed minimum wage and fixed
hours and you find that most enter
prises which can pay and operate on
that scale are doing so. Our indus
tries are paying cut most of their
earnings in wages and taxes; stock
holders receive very little in compari
son. But industry must operate. Even
when shut down it has enormous ex
pense. So management will pay what
it can to keep good men on the job
and to maintain steady operation. If,
however, a plant cannot operate
profitably under the wage and hour
bill it must shut down. That will
leave the employees without a job.
It is the first rule of investment
that money shall earn a profit. Who
is going to risk all the hazards of
business for nothing? A man with
money can buy Government bonds and
have no risk; So why put out his mo
ney for taxes, wages, insurance and
depreciation if there is no clear indi
cation of profit? I’ve heard men talk
about destroying or forgetting the
profit motive in business. It strikes
me as very odd that these men are
themselves enjoying salaries. No man
should urge investment without pro
fit unless he himself is serving with
out pay and is not enjoying an income
from the saved and invested profits
of others.
This whole matter of wages is with
out justice, but it cannot be reformed
by legislation; nor can it be remedied
overnight. I put the question: Why
should my plow-hand follow a mule
from day-break to dark for sixty
cents a day, while his brother may do
half as much work in a nearby vil
lage for a dollar? There is no ques
tion of skill involved. Why should a
bookkeeper in a small store work for
sixty dollars a month and his brother
in the bank receive a hundred and
fifty dollars? And a thousand other
whys like that?
Men are paid not for the intrinsic
value of their work, but for the
market value of their work; and the
market value of a man’s services de
pends in pan on the income of the
concern which employes him.
If a man makes a watch his labor
will sell for more than that of a man
who digs potatoes because the watch
will sell for more than the potatoes;
likewise a man making a watch worth
$500 will get more for his work than
a man making a dollar watch, even
though the same skill may be neces
sary. In seme industries wages may
be quickly increased because the ad
ditional cost can be absorbed by high
er prices; but that cannot be true
where prices are fixed in large mar
kets beyond the control of the local
enterprise. Again, even in markets
which are more or less dominated by
big corporations the prices may be
come so high that buying will fall
off. Observe the great steel manu
facturers. They raised wages and
prices. Buying almost stopped, and
the industry which was operating at
89 per cent of capacity a few months
ago has since dropped to 27 per cent of
capacity. What has happended to the
employees? And so with the Rail
Roads. Men have been laid off by
thousands. How could minimum wages
help those men?
It is said by some that the minimum
wage and hour bill would put money
in circulation, but these men always
want to make an exception of farm
labor and employees of small indus
tries. Is that fair? If we were try
ing to put money into circulation why
exclude anybody? Why not put the
money into the hands of those who
need it most and will's pend it at once ?
Why exclude a vast number of our
fellow men and women? The reason
is plain; small industries and farms
cannot pay wages so far out of pro.
porton to the value of their products;
but does not this very reason disprove
the whole argument advanced for the
bill?
Here come champions of this wage
and hour bill weeping copiously for
the poor wage earner, yet deliberately
excluding the greatest number of
workers we have!
Great corporations can easily take
over all the business of the country.
Already their processes are so mo
dern that few men can dothe work.
If we shut down the small concerns it
may dry up small towns and agri-
clutural communities; it may add a
great army of relief seekers, but so
far as the productive power of the
nation is concerned a few great North
ern concerns can quickly expand so as
THE SUN
to absorb all the business.
Do we want to put the small enter
prise out of business? Do we want
to lose it from our community? Do
we want to concentrate all industry
in the North?
DELEGATION HEARS
PLEAS OF CITIZENS
Our northern textile leaders have
naturally looked with a jealous e ye on
the coming of mills to the South. This
Black-Connery bill is aimed directly
at us; it would take from us the ad
vantages which climate and raw ma
terials give us. The Government may
be vigorously advocating this bill, but
the Government reconizes even in
charity, in Government hand-outs, a
difference in the cost of living North
and South and pays a far higher wage
for WPA labor in New York than it
pays in the South! Is that frank re
cognition of a difference in the cost
of living; or is it a wage bonus for po
litical purposes? I prefer to believe
that it is a differential to equalize
the conditions in the two sections.
But if so, how great is the differen
tial adopted by the Goverinment it
self! ,
There are certain political funda
mentals which labor might well con
sider. Labor and management bar
gain for wages and hours based on
earnings. Labor wants a fair share
of the profits. Business fluctuates;
earnings fluctuate; so wages fluc
tuate. When business is good labor
asks for an equitable part; but it is
the bargaining power of labor dealing
with the management. If the Gov
ernment may set wages and hours la
bor will surrender its bargaining pow
er for government control. It is a
principle that labor ought to resist
to the last ditch. A reactionary ad
ministration, or Congress, might fix
wages down and hours up. The prin
ciple is wrong.
Is the government prepared to
guarantee prices and profits? If not
the Government would do well to let
business adjust itself. Having given
Labor the Wagner Act and the Labor
Relations Board Labor can take care
of itself.
The five man Board to administer
the Wage and hour Bill is bad. It is
a centralization of control that will
put the hand of the Government into
every man’s business. Assuming that
five superlatively competent men of
the nation were chosen,, there are not
five men whose knoledge is so com
plete that they can adequately and
equitably administer an act that would
touch every one of thousands of di
verse industries in this vast nation.
It follows that a change in the Board
from five to one could not possbly be
an improvement. The Czar of all
the Russias never exercised such com
plete control over his dominion.
They tell us about such things done
in England and France and the Scan
dinavian countries. But in comparson
with this great nation those are small
countries aqd of simpler conditions.
Ignorance of our geography, our tra
ditions, our complex population, leads
to many blunders. In one day a man
travels from on e end of England to
the end of Scotland; but it requires
five days to cross the United States.
England is full of Englishmen and
Scotland la full of Scots; but the U-
nlted States is a polyglot population
and our industry is as diverse in type
and size as our population is hetero-
geneoua.
I have an interest, but it is that of
a consumer. I am told that nearly
everything I buy will cost more if
such a bill be passed. My fertilizers,
lumber, groceries, dry goods, clothing
—everything. We consumers have all
the bills to pay. The Rail Roads
granted a wage Increase and must
pass it on to us In higher rates. We
pay the bills. So in this case either
we consumers must pay the increase
or else the factories and processors
must ntroduce even greater machines,
which, in turn, will displace labor. In
any case the bill is bad. It will sup
plant labor, or destroy investments in
closed mills, or it must tax the con
sumer.
Reading in the papers of the activi
ties of the CIO affiliate in the effort
to organize the Ford plant in Kansas
city it appears that it is not the Ford
employees, but outsiders who are try
ing to force Ford to sign a contract.
Now what is the contract? It is an
agreement by the management to
take from the pay of every worker a
sum of money and send it to the CIO
and the CIO will govern from the top.
It is not a democratic orginazation
expressing the will of the employees
of a plant, but the order from head-
guarters,
Of all the conditions which are ne
cessary for profitable business steady,
peaceful operation comes first.
The strife and terrorism, which gov
ernor Davey tells about make us won
der how much our people would stand
of this. We are still under the in
fluence of generations of law-abiding
people and would not tamely submit
to armed hordes from other states, if
such an invasion should be attempted.
We oppose the anti-lynching bill
not because we advocate Inyching, but
because it undertakes to establish
the right of the Federal Government
to intervene in the purely local po
lice functions of a State. If the Na
tional Government may punish a
county official for allowing a lynching
and then may entertain a suit in the
Federal Courts against the conuty we
have no local self-government and
State soveriegnty becomes just a mem
ory and a myth. The National GovI
emment may just as legally control
elections or other local matters.
This Anti-lynching bill is said to be
inspired by the two million Northern
negroes who left the Republican party
All Funds Are Amply Insured Treas
urer Tells Delegation at Tuesday
Meeting
The county of Newberry now has
on hand $295,170.37, all secured, in
several depositories of the county, ac
cording to a report of Treasurer J.
C. Brooks before the county delega
tion Tuesday. $15,864.60 of this a-
mount is in the S. C. National bank;
$5,989.38 in the American Bank of
Whitmire; $5,000 each in the Pros
perity depository and the Newberry
Federal Building and Loan association.
The balance is represented by bonds,
a deposit in the Chase National bank
and deposits in defunct'banks amount
ing to $51,743.46. Mr. Brooks stated
to the delegation that all the funds
were secured and that he intended to
do all in his power to keep them so.
He stated that heavy payments on
bonds would -be due within the next
fifteen days which would deplete the
present reserves. Mr. Brooks also
stated that the Newberry school dis
trict had recently retired ahead of
payment date $1,000 in bonds out of
their surplus and was in the 'market
for more bonds at the right price.
Judge Eugene S- Blease appeared
and spoke in favor of an addition to
the probate judge’s office, or of some
arrangement to provide more room
for this office. He stated that he had
not come at behest of the probate
judge but as a member of the bar and
a citizen who realized the acute need
of more space in this office. This
writer called attention to this matter
in an editorial more than two years
ago.
Eugene Spearman appeared in be
half of the hail sufferers of the
county and was assured by Senator
Abrams that this situation would be
taken care of in a similiar manner
to that of the drought sufferers. The
levy, he said, was fixed with that in
view.
J. Frank Hawkins appeared and
spoke of the condition of the Hartford
road.
A delegation from the Chappells
community wanted a rowd built from
the Intersection of route 56 to the
Laurens county line.
Present at the meeting was the full
delegation, the Senator presiding and
Thomas Pope acting as clerk.
and voted Democratic. The colored
man in the South has made remark
able progress in three quarters of a
century. He is building himself aa a
man and establishing credit. His
progress will be arrested if well-
meaning, but ill-advised efforts are
made to catapult him into the poli
tics of the South.
Every American who believes in
State government should oppose such
an encroachment on local autonomy
and the States should solemnly de
clare against it through their legisla
tures.
Let no man think this is an an
guished cry of a southerner; it is the
plea of an American to Masaaehussetts
as much as to South Carolina.. What
may be done to South Carolina to
day may be done to Massachusetts to-
morrow. What about your admini
stration of criminal law—and that of
New Jersey? Did not the nation even
the world seen to protest against your
courts? Would you have the Feder
al Government call your local officials
to account?
AUDITOR’S TAX NOTICE
I, or an authorized agent, will be at
the following places on the dates giv
en below for the purpose of taking
tax returns of all real estate and per
sonal property. Persons owning prop
erty in more than one district will
make returns for each district. All
able bodied male citizens between the
ages of twenty-one and sixty are
liable to $1.00 poll tax; all persons
between the ages of twenty-one and
fifty outside of incorporated towns
and cities are liable to pay commu
tation tax of $1.00. All dogs are to
be assessed at $1.00 each.
Whitmire—City Hall, Tuesday, Jan
uary 4th, 1938.
* Whitmire—Aragon-Baldwin Mill,
Wednesday, January 5th, 1938.
Longshorea—Thursday, January 6.
1938, from 9 until 12.
Silverstreet—Thursday, January
6th, 1938, from 2 until S.
Chappells—Friday. January 7th,
1938.
Hollingsworth Store—Tuesday Jan
uary Uth, from 9 until 12.
Klnards—McGill’s Store, Tuesday
January 11th, 1938, from 2 until 6.
Prosperity—Wednesday and Thurs
day, January 12th and 13th, 1938.
Little Mountain—Tuesday, January
18th, 1938.
Glymph’s Store—Wednesday, Jan
uary 19th, 1938, from 9 until 12.
J. L. Crook’s Store—Wednesday,
January 19th, 1938, from 2 until 5.
Peak—Thursday, January 20th,
1938.
Pomaria—Tuesday, January 26th,
1938. '
St. Lukes—Wednesday, January
26th, 1938, from 9 until 12.
O’Neal—L. C. Fellers Store, Wed
nesday, January 26th, 1938, from 2
until 5.
Maybinton—F. B. Hardy’s home,
Thursday January 27th, 1938, from 9
until 12.
Reese Brothers Store—Thursday,
January 27th, 1938, from 2 until 5.
At Auditor’s office to March 1st,
after which time a penalty of 10 per
cent will be added.
Pinckney N. Abrams,
Auditor Newberry County