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The Press and Banner AKBlii VXT<TiEt 8. 0< Published Every Wednesday by THE PRESS AND BANNER CO, WM. P. GREENE. Editor WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1915 THE BANK EXAMINER. State Bank Examiner Mauldin has made a confession. 'In an article carried in the Supday &ews, replying to some statement previously made in that paper to th^ effect that a bank in the lower part of the State was short of necessary funds, and thnt. the hank exami?er in a recent " IC1IUUII bUdClVt til ill a v we are informed that it costs the banks as much now to have their books examined by the bank examiner as it did, before this office was created, to employ competent audi't tors once a year to audit the books. It is true that the bank examiner comes around three or four times a year, while the auditor came but once a year; but with the latter we had a real examination of the books and accounts of the bank, while with the latter, to use his own words, such an examination is not possible in the limited time available for that purpose.' Take the case of this bank. Did anybody know the condition of the bank after the examiner left? It seems that it was impossible to get at the real status of the bank without employing expert auditors, an entirely useless expense if the office of the bank examiner was doing thoroughly the work assigned it by law. And we do not mean to say that the bank examiner is neglectful of his duty. We only call attention to the facts, and prefer to believe that the trouble lies just where Mr. Mauldin says it does, and that it is not possible to make these examinations in a thorough manner with th? time available. Only last year a small bank in thin county was checked up by the bank examiner, and some small discrepant cies found; it had been regularly checked before and no discrepancies found, and yet the cashier of this bank, at the last examination, was some eighteen thousand dollars short, and had been short for a period of four years in some amount, which amount constantly grew larger. We are willing to allow that this discre pancy could not be discovered on the face of the books; it never can. And an examination which looks to nothing but the face of the books is no examination. When the books of the large corporations are examined, and it appears that there are a thousand accounts on the books, a letter is mailed to each of the debtors stating the condition and amount of the account, and asking if it is correct. If three years before the Bank of Calhoun Falls failed such letters had been mailed to those persons who appeared to owe obligations to this bank, and to'the depositors thereof, as would have been done by a good auditor, thi^ shortage would have been discovered while the shortage was still small. c AvorftinofiAri woe UUI 11110 CAOiiiiiiativii ??ao JJI ed by the fact that the legislature had provided that the banks should pay four fees a year to have their books inspected by a state officer, and they did not feel that it was necessary to have a further inspection, especially in view of the added expense. All of which goes to show that the office of state bank examiner may be a fat political job, but it does not furnish the people with the proper inspection and examination of the condition of these financial institutions. The truth is that the State should t . i ^ nave norning to ao witn examining banks. The state might properly require banks to have their accounts audited, annually, or oftener if required, but it would be safer in the long run, in our judgment, if the state entrusted the management of the affairs of its banks to the supervision of its officers. Then depositors would look more to the character of the men at the head of the institution, and rely more on them, and with safer results, we imagine than on the i . -L.. -i i . \ . examination had failed to discover this fact, Mr. Mauldin indicates that some irregularities were discovered at the examination and that these were called to the attention of the President by letter and then adds? "The fact is, as I am informed, it was the report of this examination and fhp letters nursuant thereto which brought about the employment of auditors for making a MORE COMPLETE AUDIT of all the books and accounts of the bank THAN WAS POSSIBLE FOR THE BANK EXAMINER TO MAKE WITHIN THE LIMITED TIME AVAILABLE FOR THAT PURFOSE. In the above quotation, we have italicized certain words to call atIt% fVa finof nloAA ceding this right, on what principle of law, morals or right can any man assume to say that American citizens cannot enjoy these rights, and . that if they are murdered in the attempt, the German government is not to be held accountable for the crime? May a man escape ipurder because he warns another man (in the assertion of his own rights) that he is about to be killed? The American government refuses the preposterous proposition put forward in the latest German note that this government surrender its rights upon the open seas, 'and that passengers from this country take TiAss?f?e ution certain shins desier nated by the German government, of the passage of which the German Government shall be duly informed. This is a great concession to a free people, enjoying rights under international law, guaranteed by all nations in time of peace, even Germany itself. The reply is a rebuke to the presumption of German statesmen, as it is likewise to those disciples of expediency on this side of the water, who led by one William Jennings Bryan, would escape a conflict in the assertion of our rights, at any cost. If the submarine cannot on account of its construction and its operation be utilized as an instrument of warfare consonant with the es tablished law of nations, should the law give way? or shall the submarine go? A coward with a pistol in his pocket may with as much reason, say that the law of murder must be disregarded, in order to allow the man-killer to do his work, as the German government may say that international law must be disregarded because the German submarines cannot be utilized in the war in accordance with the customs of the nations. HON. R. A. COOPER. Elsewhere in this issue will be found a clipping from the Anderson Daily Mail in which it is asserted that Mr. Cooper in a conversation al Anderson on last Saturday, madf these remarks: "I will be a candidate for Governor next summer ii r>ovt*iin mnrli+irni"; pvistAnd t.llf Mail adds,?"and the smile that followed this remark strongly indicated that he had received assurances thai these 'conditions' exist now and wil continue to exist." Mr. Cooper should not be too con dent. It is a long way to Tipper ary. Governor Manning will be ir the race to succeed himself. H( may have lost some of the strength he had in the first race last year; cer tain it is that he has gained some In a race in Abbeville county between Manning, Cooper and Blease it could hardly be expected thai Manning would lose any great number of votes which were for him ir the first race last year; we predicl that his vote" would be doubled examinations of state officials. No more banks failed before we had a State bank examiner than now. Can anyone cite a case where a failure has been averted by the examination of the State officials, or where a shortage has been discovered in time to save the bank? INDEPENDENCE. The latest American note is a deliberate and aggressive statement of the rights of the people of this country, &nd a refusal on the part of this free people to barter their rights upon the open seas for any promised concessions on the part of a government which recognizes no law, and no right, except the law and right of might. The government, which without cause and without excuse invaded and laid waste the fields of Belgium, has received a warning that this country will not surrender its rights under international law at the behest of fifty years of preparation for war, and that the American people will spill their blood in defense of the open seas, rather than compromise and surrender the principles roonomizpH hv all nations in time of war, except Germany. The German people have the same right to warn passengers about to embark on ships for passage on the open seas of the danger of being murdered, and then to murder them, that a bandit has to warn a citizen of this town not to walk the streets of his own home city, then to murder him for so doing, and expect to escape his just punishment as a manslayer. The rights of the American people upon the open seas cannot be taken away by the mere warning from Germany that if these rights are attempted to be enjoyed, a crime will be com1 mitted against the law of nations. The German government does not deny, it admits, that American citizens have a right to passage upon ,enemy passenger ships on the open seas and that such ships cannot under international law be attacked and destroyed until the ships have first been searched, and all passengers remnwoH tn nf aaft>i~v f!nn | OUR PUBL II?L. E. On Two-Cent P r^?????i The farmers of this nation are tween passenger maa wh? foii?w8 freight revenues. Some of the states have a two cent passenger rate and whatever loss is incurred is recovered through freight revenue. The Justice of such a procedure was recently passed upon by the Supreme Court or west Virginia ana me decision is so far-reaching that we have asked L. E. Johnson, president of the Norfolk and Western Railway whose road contested the case to briefly review the suit. Mr. Johnson said In part: "Some ten years ago, passenger fares were fixed by the legislatures ,of a large number of states at two cents a mile. As a basis for such economic legislation, no examination was made of'the cost of doing the boalnea* so regulated, nor was any attention given to the fact whether such a rate would yield to the hillway companies an adequate or any i&et return upon the capital Invested , |In conducting this clasa of business, j "Such ft law was passed In West Virginia in 1907. The Norfolk and iWeirtetn Railway Company pui: the '? >? ln<A Anil nulritftlnMl 'ft (for two jMfi. Ita accounting during :11mm two Tun showed that two ;,;eenta a rnOa par paaaooaar barely paid oatof-pockat coat and notbin? f/M Wft to pay any return on .capital lavaaUd. It Bought relief from i the court*. Expert acoountanta for Cooper CQiifti not expect to receive. ' ' the vote whi?h he received last year in the first primary because he was then supported by a large number of Blease men, as he was in all counties of the State, who would support j Blease instead of Cooper next year, . thus lessening his chances. , Then again Manning will be run- \ ning for his second term. He was j elected to office on the same plat-1 x form on which Cooper ran, the en- [ j forcement of the law.^ We dare say |, that he has gone about this as vigor- ] ously as Cooper would have done ' j had he been elected. He has not1 ^ been afraid to tackle conditions in i Charleston, and to close blind tigers ( and liquor shops to an extent that no ? other governor of South Carolina has done. He has stood for the enforcement of the law everywhere. Being entitled as of custom to a se- . cond term, Cooper could only oppose j him on the ground that he had made j a failure as the chief executive offi- . cer of the state. If he did this he would find himself, making the same i fight on Manning that Blease would j be making, and he would thus align < himself with Blease in fighting , Manning, and as between Cooper and ' Blease there is little doubt in our ; minds as to who would "out-Blease" j the other. And if Cooper conducted , a campaign of criticism against Man- ( ning, and should be fortunate enough to go into the second race with j Blease it would be doubtful whether ; he would be able to beat him. But this contingency will not arise. i Manning will be the leading figure in the race, both because he is a can- ^ i didate for the customary second j , term, and because he will be attack- i i ed by all other candidates who run, ^ i and will thus be one man against the i field. In a three cornered race, he , ; would easily be the leading candi- j. date. It will not do to under-esti- j ; mate this fact. Then again Man-' 1 ning will be the leading candidate i s because he has lived up to the obli-; gations of his office. He may have ; done some things which politicians believe to be mistakes, and he has ' .probably made mistakes; but he has j. ! tried to be the governor of all the j 1 people, and to enforce the laws im- ( ' partially, as he promised. For these ' reasons we believe Manning would be ! the leading candidate in a three-1' I cornered race. Cooper's chances j I therefore would depend on his ability j : to beat Blease for second place. If I he did this he could expect to win J ^ only through the influence of Blease [ ' in the second race, and after making i ^ the campaign which he did last summer, he could hardly ask for the | support of Blease, nor allow himself j to become virtually the Blease can1 didate. 5 But Manning will be re-elected in 1 any emergency. A few politicians have made considerable noise in " finding fault with him, but these politicians do not elect men to office. ' The great silent majority cast the ^ votes which elect men to office; and these men have not spoken. When 1 they do speak, they will not likely ^ repudiate the man whom last summer ' they triumphantly elected. Manning IC FORUM I Johnson assenger Rate* both the State and the Railway Company testified that the claims of the railroad were sustained by the facts. Two cents did not pay the cost of carrying a passenger a mile. The State, however, contended that the railroad was Earning enough surplus on its state freight business to give a fair return upon the capital used in its passenger as well as its freight business. For the purposes of the case, the railroad did not deny this, but held to its contention that the State could not segregate its' passenger business for rate fixing without allowing a rate that would be sufficient to pay the cost of doing business and enough to give some return upon the capital invested In doing the business regulated. This was' the issue presented to the Supreme Court Its decision responds to the judgment of the fair-minded sentiment of the oountry. The Supreme Court says that, even though a railroad earns a surplus on a particular commodity by charging reasonable rates, that affords no reason for compelling it to haul another's person or property for lees than cost The surplus from a reasonable rate properly belongs to the mUway company. If the surplus is earned from VI- ? U UUreHOIWUN I BID uiw uiat I?w should b? reduced. The 0tate may not men up -by requiring the railroad to carry other traffic (or nothing er (or leaa than coat The decision is a wholesome one and demonstrates that the ordinary rules of (air dealing apply to railway companies. The frvct that one makes a surplus on his- wheat crop would never be urged as a reason for compelling him to sell his cotton at leaa than coat. U would not satisfy the man who wanted bread to be told that' ha high price enabled the cotton manufacturer to get his raw product for lees than coal III this caee the court reaffirmed the homely maxim that each tub must a tend upon Its own bottom." ? DR. W. E. MceORD .... DENTIST .... over Dr.'Speed's frag Store Offioe Phone 242. Abbeville, S. C. vas elected to the office on the platform on which Cooper then stood, [f it is a question of platforms and lot of men, we are of the opinion ;hat Cooper could best serve the state at this time by holding up the lands of Manning and by helping lim carry out the principles for vhich they both contended. He can ifford to await a better day. If he Joes not he may be a wiser, but a sadder man. THE STATE HOSPITAL. Elsewhfere in this issue will be P/Minrl nntMn oAAAimf imnrAvamAtlffl IUUI1U OU1IIU C^VVUUV VA UU^VT VMftVMVW being made at the Hospital :for the [nsane. The improvements speak for themselves. Under the manigement of Superintendent C. Fred Williams reforms have already been inaugurated which are saving the State several thousand dollars per /ear. By the end of the year his administration of the affairs at this institution may teach the State legislature the value of appropriating salaries sufficiently large to justify the employment of men or real merit in positions demanding the best talent n the professions. And some of the politicians who have been disposed to criticise Governor Manning for employing the right kind of a man, even at,a salary :wice the size of that provided, may lave cause to take the ,\ck track. We presume, if the Statff had appropriated only half enough money to feed the wards, that every person ivould have said the governor should riot allow them to starve while waiting for the legislature to meet. If the wards are in ne:ed of the best medical attention w'nich the State :an provide, then the State should provide the best medical attention. And because the best medical attention could not be hud under the supervision of a man receiving $3,000 per year, it becar.ie the duty of Governor Manning to give the wards what the salary provided would not ?ive them,?a man qualified for the position?and the people will ap prove the action of His Excellency. MEN OF MARK. Editor Horton.in his last week's issue calls attention to the number of distinguished gentlemen, who reside on Greenyille street, and his remarks, we admit, are a deserved tribute to these notables. But the editor is slightly mistaken in saying that Col. Kerr, the gentleman who buys now, and promises to pay later, is a resident of Greenville street at present. The Col. is now ' a resident of M^iin street. Mrs. Kerr is visiting in $Jew York, and the Col., having no cme to protect him when darkness copies on, has taken up his his residence with his uncle Jim, another friend of the poor man. j ? I / ZM&999999 99999% ! PALM BEA( fa | Cleaned .and | 30 ce 4 | Wehavebou{ 'k PtiACio Paw 4-1*. I JL 1 GOD 1UA till I Try 1 Abbeville Stea T Phone t ^e 66 6 e Cigars . ?1? ?' n _ _ n? r\ speed s j-?ri Phone Always |Ready t I , Stationery Low Round FOR EVERYBODY 01 OAkof\/\A'M/f y\ -J ++ W c5c7auuai u. jn.11 jl "The Progressive Rail San Francisco and San Diego, Ca tional Exposition, and Panams For specific rate, schedules call on Seaboard. Agents, C. S. COMPTON. T. P. A., S. A. L. By. Atlanta, Ga. > j CLEAN Pai: I -DP- va 1 Iii fact Everything: i In A Mil ford . | Phone lSJBJBJ5JBI5JBJ5fSI5J5JSISJSJ5J51SI3MBJ5JSIBISISJ5JSJ5Ji Burnett's Flavorings I \. A. M. HILL & CO. h^ve a full stock of Burnett's and Eddy's Flavor- ^ ings. They are the high- ? est grade manufactured and excellent for ICE I ?p CREAM and Desserts. 0 1 Burnett's Pastes " The very best for colorings. We have all the colors, Pink, Blue, Yellow, Violet, etc., in stock o ? Sunshine Cakes The most delicious sweets tl on the market. Always ^ fresh in stock. o? f< A. M. HILL & SONS Phone 126 i 'v [ Pressed I -?"J s I rht a $250 | 3 purpose, i 1 ? W Ds f#i fm Laundry ? Zi?i?i?iCiCi i&?id? ' - - \ Candy : r. ^^?ma ig Store. J* ? ^ : '1 ' :.i is. >; d Serve You. i . V . * Toilet Goods vr : " 7" ' s.? * u . Pafno JL JL Xiy ' ' iai&3 TERED BY THE wj-.ni# Aug Railway Iway of the South" v lif. Panama-Pacific Internai-California Exposition, 1915- , .M_, or other information, , 'j. or write . ^ FRED GEISSLER, ;???r. Asst. Gen'l Passenger Agt Atlanta, Ga. " Civf -fBUT TOUR I tits, Oils, Stains, 1 , rnishes, Liquid 1 Veneer, Etc. * I n this Line from j? i & Company! 107 J II AX WELL'S ITiAKKET | P. H. MAXWELL, Proprietor! H ALL PORK SAUSAGE H HALL HAMS, KOAST PIG, I ?KESH FISH and OYSTERS H igliest Cash Prices Paid tor M Cattle, *Hogs aiid Slieep, H Green Salted Hides. PHONE 298 Mk Maxwell's Market |ffl The best 7 jeweflH liin model, nicketlfH ase Watch on eartllJH >r $3.00 at Kirk wood's J H The New Jeweler. JlH