Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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E. H. AULL, EDITOR. Entered at the Postoffice at New berry, S. C., as second class matter. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1905. At the request of the editor of the Herald and News. Dr. V. E. Pelham has been furnishing some very inter esting descriptive articles of his re cent trip to Canada. We feel sure our suscribers have read these letters with a great deal of interest and prof it. Another appears to-day. and prob ably there will be another on Tuesday. Tt is a matter of very little concern to us. but is does seem a little too en terprisin; for the Augusta Chronicle to take the interview which The Herald and News published on Tues day. with Senator Tillman. by a men ber of our staff. and say thac "Senator Tillman was seen at his home in Trenton several days ago by a repre senative of the Chronicle" and pro ceeded to use a portion and a greater portion of the interview which ap aeared in The Herald and News. It due the local correspondent of the Chronicle to say that he told us that .n sending this from Newberry. he gave The Herald and News credit for it. The investigation which has been going on in Greenville county in re gard to the financial condition of the county, has brought out some very startling developments, and how such a condition could exist so long with out being discovered, is also a mys tery. According to the last report of the comptroller general there were some nine counties which needed in vestigation either on account of bad bookkeeping or on account of short age. In Abbeville county it w-as neces sary to employ an expert to check up the books but there developed no shortage. In Barnwell county the investiga tion resulted in finding a shortage of something over SiI.ooo. In Greenwood county an expert was necessary. There was also discovered a short age of something over $4,000 in the county of Horry. Laurens county the balance amount ed to nearly four thousand dollars and a special commission was ap pointed 'by resolution by the last leg islature, to investigate the the books in Richland county. The Greenville county shortage, it seems will amount to bringing the county in debt some $30o,0do. The investigation which has been going on in this county has been adjourned until September. Now there must be something somewhere, either in .the selection of' the nien, who are filling these posi tions,* who are incompetent, or who are dishonest. We believe it would pay to employ a few experc account ants whose duty it would be to ex amine and check up the books of the county officers, at least once in two years, and better if it wvorld be done annually. The grand jury of each county is supposed to examine the different county ofEcers. but in the timle which it takes for this purpose it is impossible to do it thoroughly. and then as a rule the grand jurors. while good and true rdin. are not ex pert accountants, and the result of the cursory examination wh ichi they make is simply contained in the stereotyped phrase "That we have examined the various county offices and find the books well and neatly kept." The employment of an expert accountant would make the count'- officers who handled public funds more c2ref:-. he cause they would know their books and accounts would be thoroughly ex amined by one thoroughly competent to perform that duty. The Dispensary Situation. The News and Courier of WVednies day published a resume of the dispen sary situation in the stat, from their correspondents in the various county seats. Thirty-six 'of the fortv-one counties were heard from and of th.ose not reported. Mlarlboro and Greenwood have never had dispen saries since the dlispensary system was inaugu.rated. There are four counties in the state in which the sale ted by law. In Marlboro they have h:td prohibition f lr man' years, and t has obtained in Greenwood coun v since the estabishment of the coun :v. In Cherokee and Pickens. the iipensary was voted out recently mnder the provisions of the Brice law. In eighteen counties of the State :lections have been ordered. or peti :ions are being circulated asking for m election to remove the dispensary Those counties are Marion. Saluda. Newberry. Edgefield. Horry. Ander son, Chesterfield, Union. Collecon York. Lancaster. Williamsburg.Ocon :e. Spartanburg. Florence. Darling ton, Lexington. Laurens. In severa .f these counties according to thes< reports, the chances of success seenm to be on the side of The prohibition ists or anti-dispensary people. Ir some of these counties no agitatior has been started. and no discussionm have been had but it seems the senti ment is against the dispensary. In twelve counties there has beer n4 movement and no agitation to v te out the dispensary. but the senti men: seems to he undoubtedly in it_ favor. These counties are George t( wn. Sumter. Beaufort. Richland Charleston. Banberg. Orangeburg )arnwell. Abbeville. Kershaw. Lee andl Berkeley. It will be notice< that in this group are some oj th< cunties that were most bitter agains the dispensary when it was establish ed. as well as against the Tillmat movement. The old factional lines however, seem to have been wipe< out, certainly so far as the dispensar system is concerned. and in Richlan< where the Columbia State is publish ed. and inl Charleston where the New! and Courier is published, it seems tha these counties are satisfied with th< dispensary system, though the Stat< and the News and Courier are both opposing it. The explanation of this is probably in the fact that the reve nue to the cities and counties is yerv large, and the counties and cities need the revenue to help run the govern. ment. In addition to this. especially in the city of Charleston. the blind tigers supply the wants of those whc desire to secure their whiskey and beer in the old fashioned way. It is highly probable that in mos1 f the counties where elections hav< been ordered, or where peti-tions are being circulated. that ,vhen it comes to a vote. the vote will be against th< dispensary, and in our judgment this is due largely to two things First. tha't it is. in the minds of the people that there is something wrong vith the management of the state dis pensary somewhere, and that there is too much graft somewhere, ane hether it is true or not, and whethei tr not it can be proven, it is in the minds of the people all the same Second, whether'true or not, the'peo* pie say that the dispensary is furn ishing a very inferior grade of whis key. We do not know as to these two things, but if the dispensaries arc voted out in many of these counties these two things will be the ruling :ause, and they are not going tc vait on the report of the investigating :ommittee appointed at the last legis tature. If it should be voted out in ll but fourteen counties it is probable :hat the state institution will not have :ough patronage to support it. and :e will have no use for the big bot :ling plant and the millions of litho. %aphi labels. which are saidl to have een bought lateiy. The truth of the matter, what hould be done, is to wipe out 'the :ate dispensary and the state con ~tabulary, and let each county regu ate the sale of whiskey under the >rovisions of the constitution in such imanner as that county might deem est. by the vote of the people, a:nd et it control and regulate th : traffic i whiskey without regard to outside nterference. That has been our po ~ition for quite a long while, and at ne time we would have advocated he high license system, but we be eve now that if left to county con rol we would favor the dispensary as he lesser of1 the evils. Mr. F. H. Dominick. cle>k of the 'unty board of commi.aioners. bas statement in The Herald and News da. in regard to the work of re ising and comparing the petitions or an election on tihe dispensary with he registr ation books. We have not card of any criticism of the suiper isor or his clerk in this matter, and able or just foundation for any critt cism. if there has been any. Mr. Dominick. when the petitions were tiled with the supervisor, proceeded to copy tthem and arrange them alpha hetically. which expedited very great lv the work of comparing the peti tions with the books. In fact while it took one day to do the work. if he had not made the preparation for it as indicated it would probably have taken three or four days, and then it would not have been done as satis factorily as it was. in regard to holding the election. we are inclined to believe that Mr. Dominick is correct in his position. which is explained. and set forth in the letter of the supervisor to the at torney general. The Brice law says after stating that an election may be held that "upon the pe:ition. etc., be ing hied with the county supervisor. he shall order an election submitting the question. etc.. which shall he (on dhicted as other special elections. Other special elections are conducted by the comrnissioners of election as indicated in the supervisor's letter to the attorney generai. and we do not see how this election could be "conducted as other special elections" except it were torough the comniis sioners of election. There is another provision in re gard to our election laws. and that is if this election is not ordered be f.re the first Monday in August, ir cannot be ordered until some time in September, as the law provides that the books of registration shall be closed at least th.rty days before any election shall be held. Of course if the eleciion is ordered before the first Monday in August. it can be held diring the month of August. but if it is not, the books of registration. ac cording to law, will be opened on the first Monday in August, and no elec tion can be held for thircy days. As soon as the supervisor ihears from the attorney general. he will proceed with Sthe election, and it is probable that a re'plv will be received in the next few days. and that the election will be ordered before the first Monday in August. which will close the books of registration on that date. \When the supervisor and committee appointed. compk ted their work of comparing the petitions with the books of registration, and struck off duplicate signatures, and those who were not registered, it was found that there were 1,047 qualified electors on the petitions. There were on the pe titions 1.384 names. Some of these were not registered, and some had signed more than one petition. The number of bona fide electors signing the petitions. how.ever, is sufficient to comply with the law, and the -election wi.ll be order.ed.. There is one thing brought out in this matter to. be emphasized, an.d that is, tihat our people should be -more careful in seeing to it, that they are properly registered. We are informed that the commit tee appointed to go over the books with the supervisor and his clerk, testified to the fact that they weiT treated with the utmost courtesy, and were given every assistance possible to expedite tihe work. EXCURSION TO ATLANTA. Lot of People Will Take Advantage of the Cheap Rates and Visit the Gate City of the South. The fifth annual mid-summer ex cursion to Atlanta, Ga., will be run from Columbia, Monday July 31st., (iver the C. N. & L. and S. A. L. rail x'ays. T he train will pass Newberry at 8:30 a. in., and the fare wvill be only 2.00. The special will arrive at At lanta at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Returning the special train will leave Atlanta at 9.00 p. in., Tuesday, but tickets are good till Thursday I p. mn. Atlanta is one of *che largest cities in the south, and no one will ever re gret a trip to that city. Ample ac commodations will be provided and there will be room for all 'xvho care to go. CITIZENS MEETING. A citizens' meeting is hereby called to be held in the opera house at 1o o'clock ai. mn.. Monday July 3!. 1903 13 hear the report of the trustees of the New berry graded schools for -the year ending June i. 1905. Alan Tohnstone. F. N.lartin. Chairman. ... THl Walk-Ovi Easily walks petitors in st; comfort anct Its superiority a over all other Shi leader of foot-wear WALKING M. when you wear th Shoes and Oxfor C &G because every c bones in the foc fortable resting pl Shoes and Oxford ioned to fit every them at REASON C.& G.S. A THE PLACE FOR RF STATE! Of the condition of The ( Newberry, S. C., at the ci 30th, 1905. Published i Act of the General Assern RESOURCES. Notes discounted .. .. ..$267,427 48 C Furniture and fi.xtures . . . 3,051 93 D Due from Bnks.. .. . - 9..6 Overdrafts...--..-.-.-.- . 902.18 Cash adcash items .. . . 18,094 54 Re :328,&73 66 Personally appeared before me Z.] named bank who swears that the above of his knowledge and belief. Sworn to before me this 3oth day c Attest : Jno. M. Kinard. L. W. Floyd. W. H. Hunt. EIGHTH CAR Choice Ten Expect4 ARRIVE TH While it lasts it goes for: Best Patent, Cotton, Best Half Patent, Cotto Best Straight - - We are having a big run to remind the public we .a and summer goods, havii nice new effects. Don't be misled by loud advertis and red hot prices, and a compar Moseley Bros. are in the lead, and the place to trade. Some are cut off. They are just about getting ii MOSEL r Shoe over com yle, shape, economy. nd popularity >es makes it a for everybody ADE EASY a perfect fitting ds sold by the lower Co., >ne of the 26 t finds a com ace. We have s cleverly fash foot, and sell ABLE PRICES. lower Co LIABLE GOODS ENT ,ommercial Bank of se of business June 1 conformity with an bly. LIBLILITIES. terest paid) ..... . 33,478:31 Discounts. .. .. .. ..45,000 O(0 $328,073.0 . Wright, Cashier of the above statement is correct to.the best Z. F. Wright, Cashier. f June 1905. J. Y. McFall, Notary Public. OF THAT ssee Flour ad to IS WEEK. - - - - $5.60 2, - -4.75 - - - 4.65 on Flour. We want re leading in spring ig full line, knobby, ements, we have the goods ison will convince you that for an all round bill, arnd is ing prices 10 to 25 per ct line with our prices then. EY BROS.