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r" - > ,The Press and Banner. 1 1 J ; ABBEVILLE, S. C. Published Every Wednesday by The Press and Banner Co. WM. P. GREENE, Editor. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1916. THE CHAIN GANG. It seems that a county chain-gang is costing money in otner counties besides Abbeville. According to the supply bill for Greenwood county, as published in the Daily Journal, an appropriation for the maintenance of the system in that county of $19,000 has been made, and along with it is an appropriation of about $7,000 for ''Roads and Bridges." We do not know how many convicts are worked on the roads of that county, nor do we know the number of guards, nor the amount of salary paid them. But the annual report of the Board of Charities and Corrections shows that the price paid for these guards is about $30 to $50 per month each. We hazard the guess that the chain-gang in Greenwood county is about as expensive a luxury as it is in this county, though the roads over there appear to be better worked than in this county, aue in some measure to tne fact that the county as a whole, fur- ; nishes better conditions for road : building. . A few days ago? a gentleman re- , marked to us that he was with us j on the fight against the chain-gang 1 in this county. He stated to us that some two or three years ago he f passed the force *at work on one of the roads in this county, and that 1 Mr. R. E. Cox was one of his com- i panions, and that Mr. Cox remarked, 1 as they passed, that no county could afford to maintain the system; that he had made some accurate figures in the matter and that every convict ] dn the gang was costing the county * one thousand dollars per year. Mr. E Cox had an intimate acquaintance j with the financial affairs of this coun- < ty, and his figures were no doubt i accurate. ( Of course they will tell you that ^ some of the money buys fine mules, and that some of it buys horse feed and that some of it buys this and the other thing, but it is all "chaingang expense," and without the sys? tem there would be no excuse for any of these expenditures. And after paying five mills for current expenses for the past five years, and in the neighborhood of one and a half mills each year for 1 past indebtedness, and an extra one * mill levied by the county commis- ( sioners, and spending all the fines ? and other income of the county, in- ] eluding the commutation road tax, i we are told that the system presents ] us now with unpaid bills of more , than FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOL- i LARS. I AND MR. TAX-PAYER, WHEN t * THE MONEY IS COUNTED THIS 1 TIME NEXT YEAR WE WILL OWE ] STILL MORE, AND WE WILL CON- i TlNUE TO OWE MORE UNTIL I ' THE SYSTEM IS ABOLISHED, OR J THE COUNTY IS BANKRUPT. i THE COUNTY TO j COUNTY CONTEST \ Now that we are face to face with another campaign year, the time is ripe for the people who are not interested in political excitement to get together and demand a cessation pf the political methods of past years in this State. The people should j elect men to office on issues, and not j on partisan feeling and political ex- ' citement and hatred. j The position will be taken that it , would hurt this or the other candi- J date to do away with the present plan. We do not think it would, 1 but we have nothing to do with can- ' didatesA Everyone has preferences j in political campaigns, but these pre- j 1 ferences should not determine the | s kind of campaign which is to be j waged. It may help Manning, or , Cooper or Blease to have the state-; ] wide joint contests, or it may hurt j 1 each one of them. We do not see 1 that it will, but we are not legislat- j' ing in the party councils for any j man, but for the party, and for 11 means of carrying on a campaign for 1 the enlightenment of the people on ; the issues, which will confront them. , We believe that every man in the > race should visit, if not all counties, < then all sections of the state, where , the people may have the opportunity to see and hear him, but when he has gone to that trouble he should be allowed to make known his views on +Vin cfnmn frmpVnntr tVio npprlfi fi"f t.llP U1V k>VWi**y VV UVUiii^ ?<IV ? ? ...? state, and not be forced in twenty minutes to answer some charge made 1 against him in the heat of debate, j and with no present opportunity to ' answer the same from the records, j And a campaign conducted by ev- , ery man on his own responsibility, j ' will relieve the people of a lot of , E&-. candidates traveling around the stats attacking other people's records, creating furor and excitement from which no good can come. The needs of the people and of the state is what should control those in charge of the conventions, county and state, and we trust that some -i . _*?!n i J- T? arrangement win ue mauc uyt nwvu the people of the state m^jr hear each and every candidate on his merits, and that each and everyone will have an opportunity to make known to the people the things which he stands for, and the principles which he advocates, and that the people after hearing them all may make a decision on merit and nothing else. THE QUAIL AND THE WEEVIL. A statistician has estimated that the cotton farmers of Texas lose between $40,000,000 and $50,000,000 a year because, in spite of strict game laws and active game wardens, the quail, which is one of the enemies of the bool weevil, has been killed off. GOVERNMENT WHITEWASH Clemson College, Feb. 26.?At this season when many farmers have whitewashing of one kind or another to do, they will be interested in the following directions for making what is known as "Government Building Whitewash." Slake one-half bushel fresh lime I with boiling water, covering it to keep in the steam. Strain liquid through a fine sieve and add seven pounds of fine salt, previously dissolved in warm water; three pounds of ground rice, boiled to a thin paste and stirred in, boiling hot; one-half pound bolted gilders whiting; one pound white glue, soaked first in cold water until swollen, then carefully melted over fire. To this mixture add five gallons of hot water and let it stand covered a few days. A pint of the whitewash will serve to cover nearly a square yard. It is very white and will last well when ised on outside jobs. TOP DRESS SMALL GRAIN. Clemson College, Feb. 26.? Farner3 who desire to get the best results from their oats and wheat ihould make preparations to apply i top dressing of nitrate of soda to ;hem at the proper time, advises Dlemson College. Nitrate of soda s especially desirable as a top-dress*r because of its ready availability. On poor land that has not been veil fertilized, oats should receive >art of the nitrate of soda applica,ion early in March and the remainler of it just as the oats begin to >oot or joint. On good land, where fertilization is ample, the entire ap>lication may be made when the oats ire beginning to joint. Wheat should eceive the same treatment. THE DUE WEST RAILROAD. Mr. A. Selden Kennedy, cashier of ;he Bank of Due West and as good i citizen as a man can find in several lays' journey, was a visitor to the :ity yesterday, having run up to spend his holiday with his sister, Mrs. Brice. Mr. Kennedy is one of the nen who helped to make Due West ;he good town it is. He reports that ;he colleges there are having a good fear and that the Donalds and Due fVest railroad is still observing the Sabbath. By the way, we suppose this railroad is probably the only one in the country whose charter provides that 10 trains shall ever be operated over t on Sunday?or the Sabbath as all ?ood Associated Reformed Presbyterians say. The late Capt. Billy Smith, for years and years conductor on the Columbia and Greenville railroad, ised to hollen out on Sundays when :he C. & G. trains were arriving at Donalds the junction of the Due West railroad: "Donalds, Donalds, junction for Due West, but you can't get 1 * ' n irr 1 :i mere toaay over me uue w est rmiroad for that train has gone to Suniay School."?Spartanburg Journal. RELIEF WORK. The Charleston Branch of the National Allied Relief-Association, work ing under the auspices of the Colonial Dames, has been encouraged by voluntary contributions received from various parts of the State to believe that there are many people in South Carolina who would like to :ontribute to this work. The officers of the Association in Charleston will be only too glad to receive such contributions. The needs ire urerent. The money which has been raised thus far has been devoted to purchasing hospital and surgical supplies and comforts for the woundad. Outfits for destitute children have also been forwarded. Three shipments of such supplies have already gone and in addition to this the Association has sent to the American Ambulance Hospital in Paris a :heck for $150. This organization, which is supported entirely by voluntary contributions from Americans, has been doing very valuable work in caring for wounded soldiers. It has been faced lately with a threatened shortage of funds, the war having lasted so much longer than was anticipated and the work of the Ambulance Hospital having been correspondingly heavy. The Charleston Branch of the Al lied Relief Association will be glad to receive contributions from any persons in South Carolina and checks may be sent to Mrs. W. H. Brawley, 9 Lepare street, or Miss R. D. Bryan, 110 Broad street. A minister says the rieht path is often left. The evil that men do is soon forgotten?by themselves. A shopper considers the price, but a buyer considers the value. GLORIOUS VICTORY FOR THE NEW COUNTY 2 U The McCormick Messenger. JJ It is generally known, we presume, U that McCormick County advocates n won a glorious victory before the "J general assembly, the bill passing |j both houses without a dissenting vote r and the governnor signed the bill at 3 about eleven o'clock on Saturday, Ij February 19th, in the presence of a jj happy delegation from the territory 3 involved. J The bill, in section two, names the j following as commissioners of elec- y tion: J. E. Britt, T. J. Price, J. T. Fooshe. J. B. Harmon, R. F. Morris,. | J. C. Kennedy, L. N. Chamberlain, ? Warren McDaniel and W. R. Parks, whose duty it is to mark the boun- L daries and provide a suitable court f house and jail at the county seat. * They are further empowered to re- L ceive all money, bonds, gifts, now J donated, or which may hereafter be given, towards the erection of said ! public buildings and other duties ; provided for in the act. C This section of the act provides T for a special election, to be held on ? the second Tuesday in April, giving L I Hip o-ftvernnr auth'oritv to nublish no- f tice of same for three weeks, at which time there shall be elected, a sheriff, a clerk of court of common pleas and general sessions, a probate judge, a coroner, a superintendent of education, a supervisor, and two county commissioners. The term of office shall expire at the same time as the term of all similar officers in other counties after the general election of 1916. This being election year, the reasons for the provisions referred to, are easily understood, that is to say, the general election this year shall be conducted in McCormick county as in all the other counties of the State. At the time of said general election we will be entitled, in addition to the officers .mentioned, one senator and one representative in the general assembly. We desire to make McCormick the banner county in the State, and in order to do so, we must have good officers. Let us remember that we do not elect officers for their own advancement or emolument, but in order that they may serve us, therefore, the electorate should be careful, and let fitness be the first qualification. We are gratified to announce that we have, in the territory composing the new unit, men eminently fitted to fill these positions, if they can be induced to serve us, and they should be urged to do so, though some might have to accept offices at a financial sacrifice. The bill provides the following salaries: Sheriff, $1,000, payable monthly, and the fees allowed by law; clerk of coftrt of common pleas and r general sessions, $500, payable ? monthly, and the fees now allowed ( by law; county supervisor, $1,200, Q payable monthly; county commissioners, $100 each, payable quarterly; superintendent of education, $800, payable monthly; coroner, $100, pay- S able monthly, and the fees allowed by law; probate judge $300, and all the fees now allowed by law; county treasurer, $900, payable monthly, $300 of it is to be paid by McCormick county, and $600 by the State treasurer, according to law; the au-' ditor $750, payable monthly, $250 of which shall be paid by the county of McCormick and $500 by the State *! ] ^11 treasurer, accorainjj'xo mw, ?nu mi fees appertaining; each member .of the board of supervisors of registration shall receive an annual salary of $75 payable quarterly, to be paid by the State- The Sheriff shall be allowed thirty cents per day for dieting prisoners. LINKS WITH THE PAST. The Greenville Piedmont of the 24th of February, editorially says: "A recent contributor to the Abbeville Press and Banner makes a plea for an Abbeville Historical Socitey. Tl _ _ XT X _1 ..1 J it is a piea mat, suuuiu &lhivc a responsive chord not only in his own county but also in every county in the state. The majority of us know Something of the history of the nation; we even have a smattering of the history of South Carolina, but there is so little interest manifested in local events usually that they are allowed to survive only by word of mouth and by passing from father to son. There are many aboriginal names of streams and places in this vicinity, that are names and names alone, the original meaning having been forgotten long since, when the only ones that could have told were nnrolpsslv allowed to carrv their se crets to the grave. Dates of important events are allowed to go unrecorded, until some one in after years awakes to the fact that it would be very well to know them; then it is too late. The only one to appeal to is some of the older inhabitants in such cases, and often their answer is "about 70 or 71 years ago," or else. "That happened the same year that my son John had the chickenpox for I remember," etc. The Spaniards have a., saying: j "Writing is the best memory," and j that is certainly the case in the case of dates, and old time events. The country taken from the Cherokees was erected into Greenville and Pendleton districts, the latter consisting of what is now Anderson, Pickens and Oconee counties and tho this is the youngest part of the state of South Carolina there is much of historical interest bound up with the vicinity. One or two little circulated works have been published dealing with the history of northwestern Carolina, but they are few and scattered, -1 1 1 +V?ATVI oiron iri I it Deing naru tu imu mun public libraries. There is a fruitful field for someone with a historical turn, in some of our local associations, one that should be made use of before it is too late." America! half brother of the world! With something good and bad of every land. ? ?Philip James Bailey. ?f " ^SfSfilfiSfZlilfEISSfZiZfSfvSRKl ^ jJ3J2J2J2Jg|2J3J3]3J2f3MSJ5I3MSJHf5JSMSM3M3JSJ I I i 3 iNj2J3J3I5JSf3M5ISI3JSJSJ3JSJSJSJ3I5l3J3JSM3ISJSJSI3jl j GOOD SHIRT MAK I The Shirts.are c I possess special features j dates. ] We have an unusui | patterns in these new W J moderate? 1 $1.00-$ j Silks, Mad ; Let us show you tl i Parke VSRSaail&RRBRRnRR Silk Hose r* Keceivt other shipn Hose in bla< i ii r new boo Call in 1 can show y I will interes Mrs. Jas Abbi ? liUEiiUziaigiziBiBfHiaiiual I HAVE YOI i] a OUR a a I NEW SPRINi 1 1 | ? a 1 a 1 They're far ah< | you usually are ? 1 stores, judged standpoint that < ING. ut generously?full i of finish that every ally strong showing o ilson Bros. Shirts, and 1.25?$1 JO?$2.1 ras, Soisettes, Percali hese new Spring Shirl r & lafisrararafiifaiiuzfiLiram ,1 Gillf 1 li U11JY J id this weel iient of Gordo ck and colors. is Arriving Dai and take a loc ou something it you. . S. Co ?:n~ c r CY11IU) Ui V< . ;V LI SEEN ![ i 'I G SHIRTS I , I 1 I J I 1 II i j I sad of those iJ -I | | shown at most S from every jj | contributes to I! 1} i I! j I and long?and |[ wearer appre- j | .. >f bright Spring | j 4U/\ n MA A WM IC me priued aie ip | )0 ij j! 1 |i /vuv ' ij ajErafaimgfgfnnijaij j IT 11 tlUoO!! " c anil Silk > 1 h ! SWT jy. >k; we j t f that j chran I