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PAGE FOUR. The Press and Banner. ABBEVILLE, S. C. Published Every Wednesday by ^ The Press, and Banner Co. WM. P. GREENE, Editor. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 1916. MR. COOPER IN THE RACE. The announcement that Mr. R. A. Cooper will make the race for Governor has caused new interest in political circles. Some friends of Mr. Cooper had thought that he should wait two years before again offering for the office of Governor; others have felt that now is the proper time for him to make the race. We believe that Mr. Cooper speaks the truth when he says that he desired to keep out of the race this Bummer, and that he only makes the race from a sense of duty. We know that great pressure has been brought to bear in order to induce him to enter, especially among his friends of two years ago. When they all but demanded of him that he make the race again, he was hardly in position to decline. It was needless for Mr. Cooper to announce that he would seek the office on his own merits. The people * ? ? * ?nthin(F less who know mm expccv uuw....0 from him. And that he merits a great detl, everybody knows. It is too soon now to predict the outcome of the campaign. We must all wait and see. Twelve months ago people generally thought that it Would be a great mistake for Cooper to run; now a great many think he cannot afford to stay out of the race. It will take the developments of a campaign to say whether he has decided rightly or not. But whateyer the verdict of the people as to the race, all the people, who see and know him, will acknowledge his fitness to be the Chief Executive of a great state. THE INSURANCE MUDDLE. A great deal of excitement has *" *? ?-i-:- n?oi4oro on been manliest in cwwuu ... account of the action of the legislature in driving the Southeastern Underwriters Association out of the state. One company after another has left the state, and practically all the companies now doing business here have threatened to go, all in ' fact except those which are not members of this association. But there are some left. The home companies are still here, and it is announced that the Greensboro companies, which write a large amount of the business here, will remain and do business. Then there is the Abbeville-Greenwood Mutual and the other Mutual Companies in which a great deal of insurance even in the towns may be carried. Other companies will likely seek business here. In our judgment a great part of these withdrawals amount to "bluff," but if they do not, our experience is that when a man has money to buy a thing he can generally get what he J " ?-??4. 4-* oaa incnr. wants, ana we expect, tu nw?ar.ce written in South Carolina just as heretofore, if not by the same companies, then by others. We know nothing of the merits of the fight against these companies. We have no doubt that there are some provisions in the law which should not be there. There is always an element in the legislature which goes to extremes in these matters, but past experience with the South Carolina legislature should have taught the companies that, on sober second thought, the legislature is inclined to treat them right. That has been the history of legislation in this state in the last ten years. i ne action of these companies would therefore appear to be a coercive measure which the people of the state will not approve. THE COUNTY TO COUNTY CAMPAIGN It seems to be the concensus of opinion among the people of the state that we should have no more of the county-to-county-circus, as it is called. In order to get rid of it, somebody must make a start, however, and that somebody must be the people. The people when they assemble at the respective precincts to name delegates to the county conventions should instruct them on this matter. You cannot leave the matter to the politicians. They are mere weather-vanes, and will only reflect the views which you express, So let the convention know where you stand, and where the people oi your precinct stand. And if the people decide that the county to county campaign must be a thing of the past, we hope that nc politician will be in Columbia at the State Convention, pretending to oppose the move, after he sees which way the cat has jumped. A NEW SOLICITOR. By deciding to enter the race for Governor this summer, Solicitor Cooper elects to vacate the office of Solicitor, an office which he might have held as long as he desired. It will, therefore, be the duty of the people of this judicial circuit to elect a man to fill his place. We doubt very much if we shall be able to find a man of his ability, considering his experience, but we can at least demand a man of his high character and devotion to the welfare of the state. We should accept nothing less. PROGRESS. The Calhoun Mills, of Calhoun Falls, has mailed to us a copy of the address recently made before the Community Club in that place, by County Demonstrator Cheatham, on the subject of gardening. Not being an expert gardener we are unable to say whether all the advice given is sound, but the spirit of the enterprise in having this address printed and distributed among the people of the community is good. It shows that the people at the head of the mill are interested in the welfare of the people of the community, and are willing to help them. WELCOME TO OUR CITY. Col. A. R. Rugheimer, of the prohibition city of Charleston, was here to see his friend Col. Kerr this week and to get his order for several new suits for the summer. He came early in order to get ahead of Major Style-plus. He tells us that Charleston has gone dry; that it has been unable to withstand an Episcopal State Administration, a Baptist Mayor and a Presbyterian Chief of Police. The colonel deplores the fact that Judge McDow allowed some of the lately esteemed gentlement of Charleston, accused of selling liquor, to escape on a suspended sentence. And all this in that "particular community/' which formerly had its own "peculiar" ideas about the liquor laws! THE GOVERNOR'S RACE. They Want Cooper. Wherever two or three men are gathered together the talk sooner or later runs on politics?state politics and the hope or fear that Blease can beat Manning. That thing called Bleaseism is almost dead enough to bury. Blease, considered as a candidate and not as an individual, is not the same man who tried to be senator. When he gets on the stump this time he will have something new to talk about. He won't cuss the nigger quite so much, and he won't have so much to say about standing by his friends and pardoning criminals who commit the particular crimes that appeal to him. He will talk more about law and or der. He will dodge the prohibition issue by declaring for local option by counties, knowing that there is little probability of changing the present law. He will promise the poor man 6 per cent money and 2-cent railroad fare; and he will get away with a lot of it, and pile up a great number of votes. I don't believe Manning can beat Blease. Manning has made a pretty good governor. He has been sound, conservative, constructive. There has been nothing spectacular about his official conduct. He has kept away from the spot light. Physicians say that a good digestion is one that never lets you know it is on the place. That is the sort of gover nor Manning has been. His administration has been in the nature of a mild tonic, and the state has felt the beneficial effect of it. But the swing of the pendulum that carried Manning into office has largely lost its momentum?has almost come to a full stop. And by the time of the first primary the pendulum will be swinging back in the other direction. Any man who holds office makes ' enemies. Also he loses friends, for those who expected him to prove a ; wonder on wheels quickly fall away , when he turns out to be a mere ordi nary man. Manning isn't as strong now as he was two years ago. If he is the only i strong man against Blease, he will r probably put Blease back on the job ' again. But there is a man in the state ' who can beat Blease. This year is r his time to do it. But Cooper would have been gov! ernor today if the state paper and : the News and Courier had not given their moral support to Manning at i the eleventh hour. He will be gov! ernor yet if he puts his ear close to > the ground and aqts according to s what he hears. The folks want him. The anti-Blease men are pretty well l agreed that he ought to get into the race, and the Blease men are pretty, well agreed in wanting to keep him out of it. He can get the job for the asking this year. If he doesn't take it now he may never have another chance. ?Fountain Inn Tribune. Cooper Again. In the last campaign for governor R. A. Cooper was prevented from getting into the second primary largely as a result of an underhand campaign of misrepresentation carried on principally in Newberry county. How that county, which should have polled a heavy vote for him, gave him almost nothing is well remembered. The method of the campaign more than the animus behind it was what hurt the friends of Mr. Cooper most. But mention of it at this time is prompted by a paragraph in the Spartan Herald in which it is insinuated that Cooper and his supporters are responsible for reports which it seems to have heard of Manning's weakening strength. It said: "Much of the talk of the weakness of Governor Manning is said to be coming from friends of Solicitor Cooper, of Laurens. This may be true or it may not. There are a great many South Carolinians who see nothing but the re-election of Governor Manning under any conditions, but if there is to be a multiplicity of candidates for governor this summer, there will be others than Mr. Cooper to enter from the upper part of the state, in all probability." The reader of this paragraph receives the impression, whether or not it is said in so many words, that Cooper is lending en couragement to these reports ior political gain! Those who know Mr. Cooper intimately believe that this does him great injury as did the reports in Newberry two years ago.It is possible and very probable that quite a large number of Mr. Cooper's friends have stated that they believed Manning unable to get elected again, but if they thought so it was certainly their privilege to express themselves accordingly. There is very little doubt but that Manning's friends have said practically the same thing of Cooper, but the friends of Mr. Cooper have not sought to undermine Manning because of them.? Laurens Advertiser. Cooper's Candidacy. To say that Mr. Cooper's entrance into the race for governor has met with a cold reception by the press of the state is to express it mildly. But that does not signify anything. Some four years ago a man by the name of Cole Blease ran for that same office and the press of the state almost unanimously opposed him, and everybody remembers the result. We do not claim this will be the case in this instance, but merely call attention to that fact. mu. T i" _? J 1 lie LSiXLiy xuaii nau 111/ zianu m bringing Mr. Cooper into the race, but we do know that a whole lot of mighty good people repeatedly urged him to do so. Mr. Manning's friends feel that Mr. Cooper should have remained out of the race, that it has been a custom in South Carolina to give the governor a second term, but a great many others felt that Mr Manning could not be re-elected, and induced Mr. Cooper to enter the race. A good many people have not forgotten how Judge Jones was brought out by these same people who are knocking Mr. Cooper and Judge Jones was accepted and the memories of that pitiful campaign reany uecume amusing, uuw uiav u is all over with. Mr. Manning's chief plank in his platform was enforcement of law, though we cannot say that he has done that altogether impartially. He has made mistakes, like every other man who has ever lived, but we give him the credit of being thoroughly conscientious in his official acts. He has not developed into a strong man, we do not believe any one can claim. The Daily Mail is not going' into hysterics over any one's candidacy at this time, nor later as to that. We can stand what the rest of the state can. wnen uie ume tunics wc suan support the man for governor that best suits us, and hope everybody else will do the same. What we started out to say was that we do not approve of the action of the press of the state in throwing cold water on Mr. Cooper's candidacy. Wait until he can be heard from himself; that is what we are going to do, and if he appeals to us more than any of the other candidates he will get our support, otherwise he won't. Mr. Cooper will be able to take care of himself in the campaign, and his success or failure will depend on himself.?Anderson Daily Mail. The best is yet to De, Our times are in his hand, Who said, "A whole I planned;" Youth shows but half; trust God; see all, nor be afraid. It is in general more profitable to reckon up our defects than to boast of our attainments.?Carlyle. ?Robert Browning. I'HHHHHfififfifififiMKaiS National Have yoi a uown in tne r a "to put his best fc S the world is a bu Eg often forget bow v [' Dress-up week is a l j to remind all men j | perance is a big fa< h in your favor by w !; Styleplus ?jf h Clothes.^ I ? "The same price the world over [] We endorse them i [ j get at any price. A l j ional reputation ty [i guaranteed by the i j Any one can see tl i j ored. IJ Dress up. Pay I . DT TTC* 4-"U ~ rfj X AJ U O, LUC SUll U1 3 maker's method of j? price. For sale noT I Park* I This W | at Mrs. I Another Coat Suits, tl other lot of S value for $5.i SPRIN< I March 22 and ? Come ar ^ of stylish an | take pleasur you buy or 11 Our stocl complete thii and it will pi fore you buy Mrs. Ja: 9 Abl Dress-l i read al teart 01 every e ?ot forward.'' isy place?and /e look. national camp* that personal etor. Make it cc rearing. absolutely. All . fashion artist y his work on t i fine quality lat the clothes a medium pric sensational vs specializing or vhere else in to ?r & I innnnnnnnnni ULJIJUUIJIJUIJU HBBBDBBH Peek's Ai Cocl shipment of tl hey are bcauti* ilk Dresses, a 00. 3- OPI 23, Don't Foi id see our gn d practical mil e in showing y lot. k of Millinery \ 5 season than < ay you to see o n S. 0. I jeville, S, IfiHyHaEKHfiffiEfifflfiS Week! I bout it? | nan is the desire ? But ; fgj $ we | J ,J lign . tfjjjm ! J >unt 11 mJaSSXNL* j I t.hp at.Trlft von <mn il has made a nat- fi ;his suit. Wear is [J all wool fabrics. i{ are shilfully tail- jfi p e. Wear STYLE. l| ilues?due to the |J l this suit of one [ i wn. I j e j|:| mRfOtRBRRHRRBAl rrivals Iran's Siose stylish ;s, also an= | wonderful | SNING 'get the Date. 1 ind display I Jinery. We | ou whether I vill be more ever before, ur Hats be= Cndiran c.