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R: 1 he Press and Banner. Published every Wednesday at two dollars 8 a year In advance. Wednesday, Sept. 8 1909. Statewide Prohibition. Souio well-meaning l?ut crazy prohibi tionists are now urging m<it inose comities which refused to vote out the dispensary, be now placed under prohibition by a statewide prohibitory law. This newspaper is a Democrat, and believes in local self-government. But if we were a despot and thought that minorities had no rights which the majority should respect, we claim to have sense enough to know that a law should not be forced upon a people who protest. Even Col. J. L. Harley ought to know that.neither he nor his intangible league can enforce prohibition on Charleston. We believe the veriest lunatic, who is allowed to go at large, must know that a city as large as Charleston ni#ilo tr? pnfnrcft nrohihition. and welare inclined to the opinion that the representatives from the "dry" counties will have enough to do if they enforce the law at home. The proper thing for real temperance people to do is to use their influence and their talents in instilling temperance habits and temperance principles into the people. Sobriety from conviction, or principle, is much better than sobriety which may be forced by law. Sobriety from principle is dependable, but that sobriety which comes from legal restraint is uncertain.' But it is easier, theoretically, to make men sober by withholding the liquor than it is to create a sentiment or to instill a principle which would restrain the citizen from the] use of intoxicants. It is easier to run politics than to create within us .a principle. Politics, as ail know, is quite another thing from principle. Politics come from policy and prin ciple comes from conviction of right and wrong. The U. S. Government Report on the condition of the cotton crop as of August 25th is fruitful of interesting suggestions. The condition of the crop in Texas was placed at 49 per cent, as compared with an average for ten years of GO per ceut. and for July 25th last year of 75 per cent. Louisiana was placed at 48 per cent, as against 74 per cent, averaged for ten years and 63 per cent. August 25th, 1908. Conditions in South Carolina were put at 74 per cent, as against 75 per cent, for ten vears, and 76 per cent. Augnst 25th, 1008. Since this report was made, August 25th. there hais been deterioration in the crops of this State of twelve to twenty per cent, ~~"A recent estimrte made by a New York concern of which Theodore Price is the t leading spirit, places the probable yield at 10.500.000 bales. This is based on corre spondence with seven thousand producers and merchants throughout the cotton belt and may be relied upon to be reasonably accurate. The commercial cotton crop just closed was the largest ever reported, amounting to 13,825,457 bales. Even with this very large crop the price has been well sustained, old cotton now selling above 12 .? cents, which shows that the demand is not far below 14,000.000 bales. This then is the evidence that the cotton producer can bring to bear on the situation. There is every evidence that there is to be the smallest crop in years. Texas and Louisiana are raising less cotton than at any time in their history, and these two States produce one-third 'of the cotton raised in the United States under normal condition. All the other States are below the average for ten years, and all below the per cent, stated for August 25th one year ago. There is the year just closed with consumption approximating 14,000,000 " ' i 11 nnn nnn oaies ana a crop ui less umu ii,ui ,uw to meet it. While tweive cents is a good price for cotton, and we would not advise any man to hold when he can get this, we confidently expect to see some cotton sold for 1G cents per pound before August 31st, 1910, though we would not be surprised to see the market hammered as low as eleven cents during this period. These are the facts. Each man may make the application as his judgment dictates. Needed Change. The pension law of South Carolina is much in need of revision. Instead of sendinc the whole collection under the levy to Columbia, the money for pensions should beheld in the different counties, even as is the money for the maintenance of the inmates of the county home, the board of jail prisoners, and the salaries of county officers. Let each county take care of its own old soldiers. The commissioners for that purpose could as easily give a check themselves as to recommend that a check be issued from Columbia. The Columbia office would be saved much trouble, and the pensioners could be better served at home. The change to the county plan would satisfy the people that there was no favoritism. While every Confederate soldier who did x his duty in the war earned and deserves a pension, yet we are not able to give pensions, except in cases where the old soldiers are in need. But in some of the counties it would seem that nearly every soldier is pensioned. The pension boards, if the money was I>aid by their respective counties, would not be liable to the charge of making the distribution of pensions a grub game. The Henrietta. One of the most attractive shows that has ever visited Abbeville, in fuet a show t.iat rarely stops except in large cities, will be here for one night, September 14th. The play is entitled "The Henrietta." In it will appear two sons of "the only Joe Jefferson," who it is said are up to the highest mark as stage artists. This is the opening play ut the Opera House, and Manager Cheatham has no hesitancy in saying that it is one of the best on the road. Mr.T. T.Cromer of White Hall, Greenwood County, was in town last Saturday. Mr. Cromer is a plunger ana irequenuy tackles the cotton market. He spoke admiringly of Abbeville, and said that we had made great progress since he was here several years ago. The public buildings were splendid; the monument was firstclass, and the park was beaatiful. See oor guaranteed tooth bru?h at 25 cent* each. They will please you. I /.V' ' t . Jgl" samitars\TFE LT MATTRESS' $15.00 The Ptiont Men's Clc Step I r See what the I Single and Doi perfectly tailored ii "We'll take plea Parke Governor Brown Wins Laurels. For his courage and manhood in refusing to commute the sentence of one if Mitchell, who had been convicted of a ? crime against an unmarried woman, Gov- t ernor Brown, of Georgia, is being praised ii in South Carolina. Mitchell is rich, highly b educated and moved in the best circles, tl The aforesaid best circles exerted their t< combined influence with the Governor to save Mitchell from the disgrace of wear- ei ing stripes and serving on the chain gang p for one year. J d The trial judge was exceedingly lenient h in sentenciiur Mitchell, and his friends felt | y sure that their influence with Governor n Brown would save him from all the disgrace of the chain gang. o As a last resort, the plea of failing health tl was urged, claiming that service on th q chain gang would be fatal. But all to no o; effect. Governor Brown refused to let wealth, social position . and influential p friends swerve him from the path of duty, tl The sheriff of the county was ordered to (x take charge of the criminal,and all of "our set" were horrified. If a poor white man or a negro in South Carolina had committed Mitchell's crime, it would have taken a life sentence to satisfy the demands of justice?if he had h been fortunate enough to escape lynching. *a The whole country needs more such gov- S( ernors as Governor Brown. Judges would tx do their duty, and. the courts would gain sj greater respect from the people who seem- a] inglv have reason to believe that the rich ^ are sometimes less rigidly dealt with than are the poor. The courts too often, through jg technicalities, allow the rich criminal to c( escape. (j) Athens Claims Our Meteor. $i Athene, Ga., is bragging about seeing j, our meteor last Friday night. The whole heavens were lighted as far as Athens, and Abbeville is glad to have given such a brilliant show for her neighboring city. It is a matter of some regret that the thow jr came off so late in the night?about eleven o'clock, when most of our j>eople were P sleeping the sleep of the just, all uneon- ^ scious of the luminous body that could vie with the sun in its glory. As soon as it fell In its glory departed. The impact, or some- ? thing else, shook the houses, or made the (>) windows rattle somewhat in the manner of h a modest earthquake. Those of our fellow- g citizens who saw the meteor and felt the I shock had the advantage next day in tell-1 ing sound sleepers of the incident. j b; -<r' Tw That M( Pr Kerr * a. s and 1 4-t*%Ch ^ 1 1 Ulll Uliw Ma The correct th you'll be sure to This store is earliest points o: ALL THE can be found hei lished in New "X Every man w] Clothes and coi once be in syxnpa i For a M "all Season has brc lble Breasted Suit i all the new shad ,sure in showing y *r & ] The Court House. 'Upon our Court House, we believe, there i a debt of $50,000, which is to be paid by ho county. The levy for the payment of hat debt htfs been 2% mills annually, rais3g $16,000 or $17,000. The debt of $50,000 ears interest, and it Is fair to estimate hat about four years time will be required o settle it. The taxes for county purposes must necssarily be increased, or else public exenditures must be reduced. Excessive emands for bridges and other purposes ave about exhausted the money for this ear. Improvements that are hereafter lade must be done on credit. Citizens who may demand bridges or ther work ought not to be too exacting of lie Supervisor. To do so would be like reuiring him to make bricks without straw, r like expecting him to work miracles. I It is now the tax payer's time to comlain of lack of public work. Next year le same good citizens may have a chance ) complain of taxes. m ? m f Pay Off the Debt. The town of Abbeville, as we underhand, still owes some $20,000 on the city all. We hope that every available dollar lay be put to the liquidation of that debt, ) that when it may be necessary to issue ">nds. the amount mav be as small as dos ble. And if we had anything to say oout it, we would suggest that expense 3 reduced to the least amount possible. The city hall is a pride and a beauty. It an imposing monument to those who instructed it. Let not the debt be a buren. We have reason to be glad that upon the uilding, including the land, which cost >9,000, there is today only about $20,000 of ebt. Tribute to a Good Man. George Pierce Cannon died at his home i Abbeville, in the 45th year of his age. Mr. Cannon had !ust returned from rosperity where he attended as a deleute the Methodist Conference assembled lere. Mr. Cannon was a man of unassuming abits, whose whole life has been without uile. He accepted with child-like faith le teachings of his church, answering ev i-y call on his time and his means as best e could. Truly it may be said of him : A ood man has gone to his reward. By his friend, K. We ?gret that this notice was left out y oveAght last week. ' I 1 o of I )ney, Paii oduee. S Fun Boys' 1 ixig World's Best kers. ing in a Fall Suit find right here. the place to get the q what to wear. NEW FADS i 1 ( a as thev are estab 'ork. ho appreciates good rect styles will at ithy with our stock. i toment ,Ught forth. . ; ;s perfectly cut and ( 1 es and models. < * ' 1 on. Reese. "Enforce the Law." (UontriDutea.) Such has been the demand in reference ^ to prohibition. It is presumed that the demand comes from the prohibitionists. The enforcement of the law is a good thing, but did anybody ever know of a prohibitionist doing a hand's turn at enforcing any law ? As a rule, gentlemen are kept busy trying to obey the law, without intermeddling n ith the conduct of others. It is quite certain that we do not recollect of an instance where any gentleman has bothered his neighbors a s to their obeying or disobeying the law. The law ought to be enforced, but it .is the duty of officers to attend to that matter. Speaking for ourselves, we have never meddled with the. enforcement of any law. Such work is not our business, and we do not intend to try to enforce a law which we do not want. James T. Bacon III. The able and only James T. Bacon of the Edgefield Chronicle is an ill man. His friends are distressed at his condition. The whole press of South Carolina honors and loves Jim Bacon, and every man among t>io nrscc hnnAB that hp mftv live for many years yet to come. He is far advanced in . the seventies, with a mind as clear and as strong as when he was fifty. May he be restored to good health. Honored Guests. Mr. R. C. Brownlee, of Due West, and his brother, Rev. James L. Brownlee, of Georgia, were in town last Friday. Rev. Mr. Brownlee doesn't often come to Abbeville, but he does come we all love to see him, even as we are all pleased to see his brother more frequently. To the Abbeville Lumber Company has been awarded the contract for building the new school house for colored children, the contract price being $2,000. The work has already been commenced. Mr. H. T. Tusten was in the Antreville neighborhood one day last week. He hurried home on account of his fear of getting wet in the rain which we have all longed to see for several weeks. Mr. Tusten I reached home in good time to shake the M dust from his feet. i -> t m- - , The odor of orange blossoms is in the ail", and the tinkling of marriage bells is J heard on every breeze. he Best is and Skill old only by titure Cc ABBEVII v TheR.L.Dargan I \ Vou cannot afford to buy g until you have heard o quality of the goods, foi make interesting prices China Dinner X Sets " We are showing four dif- C_n ri j [erent decorations in 100- OPvCl^, piece Imported unina uin- ? ier Sets for only, per set "w SATUI Sept. ii, at Books! Books! , We are, going t 200 Paper Bound Books pieces of that be just in, each ioc. ful White Statu a i Henty, Alg?r and popular novels just in, each 25c. lOc 1 : : Only two to one * sale starts at 11 IOC UOOdS hour, or until the For goods at this price we ??????? ire always looking for the See Windo i>est to be had, and in China, ^rockery, Glassware, etc., ? jve are just now showing iom e ' specially attractive bargains. - J . / . Hie R. L. Darga.fi t Very Desirable u We offer J. E. Todd's f short time; lying on road i il/2 miles of Due West; 12 splendid barn and out-buildi door. Lies beautifully. Sc right now. Make your own Also, we want to sell W West. 7-room dwelling, 2] good well, pasture and garde Sell out or rent out and boys in Erskine and the girls the little ones in the Graded You can't afford to send you can't afford to fail to edi write 10 Inderson Real Estate ai ANDERS jt S. HOIITGN, Secretary. # - %r. Mnii $10.00 ^mTioriTr riUUOfU J - T iE, Si Cfm --fy 3o.5A lOcStore r'M A JUS m 1 < 'M roods in our line elsewhere 7 fS ur prices and compared the I . ' . V . ' r we are certainly going to this Fall. vil K Galvenized , : r Ware " v ti 1^* | For ^ few days longer the | following prices will prevail: "> . M 8 qt. Galv. Pails, each 14c :$ga 10 qt. " > 4< " 17c RDAY, " : :: IT.1A O m No. o Galv. Tubs, 18x19 36c 11.40 a. m., No>i ? ? 20xu 42C.. o sell about 216 ??- 2 " " 22*XI'*<* , 'j autltul and grace- No 3 " "24|xl,i58c y gf These are way under the regular prices. ?ach. vl - ' customer and the 30 and last one StOVeSI rjr art? an yunc. ^ave ^ strictly high grade line of Stoves and w Display. Ran^es'and theyare &uaf" ^ ^ anteed to us and we guarantee them to you. National Ranges and Enterprise/ f K- Stoves are bound to please. JfJ Drop in and see them. PC " ? m 5.1 iStotj I . ? $ Hmha fftr Salfil 11VJLLIU 1VJU MU1U i ? arm, or any part of it, for a From Donalds to Due West, -room dwelling, 5-tenants; > /*:, ings. Cars stop in front of >me of it worth $100 an acre terms. L C. Brock's place in Due 54 acres, large brick shop, in. Price very low. go to Due West. Put the 5 in the Female College and School. All free. all your children off and icate them. nil Ini/Acfment ft Am nan v . ti iiiwvvkmviii wvaii|?tiiijy ON, S. C. ?. R. HORTON, President. / . V i ? ; ' . 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