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>1 J Pape Four. THE CLINTON CHRONICLE Thursday, May 22, 1952 £1)? (Eltnlmt (Cljnmtrlp Established 1909 WILSON W. HARRIS, Editor and Publisher HARRY C. LAYTON. Assistant Published Every Thursday By THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY Subscription Rate (Payable In Advance): One Year $2.00 — Six Months $1.25 Entered as Second Class Mail Matter at the Post Office at Clinton, S. C, under Act of Congress March 3, 1879. The Chronicle seeks l.ie cooperation of its subscribers and readers— the publisher will at all times appreciate wise suggestions and kindly advice. The Chronicle will publish letters of general interest when they are not of a defamatory nature. Anonymous communications will not be noticed. This paper is not responsible for the views or opinions of its correspondents. MEMBER: I SOUTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION National Advertising Representative AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION New York Chicago Detroit Philadelphia A History of The Clinton Chronicle By DONNY WILDER, Journalisip Student at Furman LIniversity Publishers’ Note—Donny Wilder, ok this city, rising junior at Furman University and recently elected editor of The Hornet^yfor dhe com- . ing year, has written the following History of The Clinton Chronicle. . Donny was given the assignment as a term paper for credit in the jour nalism department. The Chronicle is indebted to Donny for the “history” which fol lows below and required a consid erable amount of work on his part in assembling the facts. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Wilder. From the year 1853 when the small country village of Clinton be gan to show some progress until the late 1880’s there was no news- papcr to take care of local news. CLINTON. S. C., THURSDAY,, MAY 22, 1952 Running Late Senator Maybank, speaking in Gieenville this week, said, "wild spending, u nless "halted, witT bank - ri at the United States.” The senator is about sixteen vears late in denouncing free During this period W. T. Crews of Laurens, opened the first news paper in Clinton, The Clinton Gazette. His father, Col. Tom B. Crews, was publisher of the Lau- rensville Herald. After a short time Mr. Crews sold the paper here , , . , , . to Wade J. Dendy, and from that ates, and friends of the entire com- time until 1900, The Gazette was m unity are invited to attend com- the only we ekly paper in Clinton. mencement. . ^ ; j n j p Jacobs founded the Religious Press Advertising Syndi- J. Boozer and Mrs. Boozer were among the original settlers of Clin Association in its annual ratings. The many offices which Mr. Har ris has held also denotes the im portance of The Chronicle to the Clinton area’s community life. In ( the past he has held the following positions: president, secretary and ton as they came here following the j treasurer of the Clinton Chamber Civil War. He was a general prac-1 of Commerce, a member of the ticing physician. Mr. Harris’ fath- General Assembly of South Caro lina (1915-1916), a founder, charter member, president and director of the Clinton Kiwanis club, and Lieu tenant Governor of the ninth Caro- lihas Kiwanis district, a member of! the City Council of Clinton for six! er, Dr. William R. Harris, followed in Dr. Boozer’s footsteps and was also a practicing physician in the county. Mr. Harris married M^iss Cornelia Bethea of Dillon, S. C., a graduate of Converse college. They hgve one daughter, Cornelia Bethea logical seminary, Louisville, Ky., and a graduate of Presbyterian college. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Reid Fuller; one daughter, Mrs. John P. Ashmore. Jr., and one son, Fred A- Fuller, Jr., of Green ville. He was a veteran of World War I. A member of Earle Street Baptist church, he was active in the religious and civic life of that city. City years, a member of the Laurens Harris, who graduated from Win- County Board of Education, a mem- throp college in 1950 and is now as-1 her of the Board of Trustees in sociated in the business with her Hunter School district (Clinton), fathei. Mrs. Harris is also connect-' president of the South Carolina ed w^ith the paper. Press Association, and he served as Through the many and varied campaigns and crusades of The acting president of Thornwell Or phanage in 1943-1944. Chronicle, Clinton grew through j ' /1 present he is a member of the the years and The Chronicle grew Knights of Pythias, IT member off i cate with Chaney C. Little (a Clin- rf Let's Remain Free “ When the recent state converrttbTi ton son) as an advertising solici was held a motion was adopted that tor for the firm. The Southern Spending and -deficit financing.^ a subsequent meeting be held if; Presbyterian, a religious weekly During the New Deal and Fair Deal necessary after the national con- owned locally, was headed *by Dr. administration, like Senator John-j vention. The big political leaders |W S. Bean as editor. Mr. Jacobs ct n and the congressmen of the were loud in their praise of Senator' later bought the Southern Presby- *tate, he- has had a promrnerrt part --Russell -and? the- body - went, all-out. terian_ and_ran it fpr severaj* j^ears jn the spending and hand-grabbing, rfor his nomination which we have after which he sold it to one of the Time to get on the^ mourner’s i never expected him to receive be-1 Converse Brothers of The Christian tench passed long ago. [cause hd is not acceptable to the. Observer. Soon afterwards Mr. » ^ Northern political machines and Converse came here and moved the ^innnl leaders of the Democratic party in paper to Atjgjitfr. It-was then that jignui iNecUciJ power the past sixteen years. < The! Mr. Jacobs organized the Religious t is noted that an electric stop , j' ruman cr0 wd most likely will Press Advertising Syndicate which jiri—has.-been installed al. the. dailt.. 4faft -Stevenson,-a party New Deal- Llater was changed in nam% to Ja- __t. r ous corner of Florida and North —Pair Dealer—and if this hap- 1 eobs & Company. Adair streets. It should have been p ens i s now speculated he will- Mr. Jacobs and Mr. Little eon- 1h ^' e long a8 °' accept the nomination. ceived the idea of publishing anoth- i here are several other points in j Q ur delegation to the national er weekly newspaper in Clinton, city where the installation of convention while committed to But to them, it was largely a Side- exv.ilar lights is badly needed. One Senator Russell, should not tie its, line. The paper was. named The especially dangerous, is the corner hands if and when it appears he has Clinton Chronicle but due to the < i South Broad and West Centen- no chance as a winner. It’s alright|^ ac f that jt was more or less a hob- 1 opposite the First Bap-; ^ endorse Russell, but tight inflex-i by with them with their advertis- hui\ .. where there is heavy j^le linstruetions is a mistake. in K business coming first, the paper :tic. including a continuous flow There w ill be bargaining power at; was not dependable in meeting i ars and enormous through box- ^he convention and we should re- publication deadlines. If the syn- trucks, and- added to this haz- free as a state to act for the dicate was too busy with their ad- and inconvenience is consider- hest interests of the country, with vertising business it wouldn’t both- r- s ^ ou l^ be | principle placed above party. Wej^ 1- t° put out The Chronicle. ” * v ’” —."U-- 1 s ^ ou j ( j a gain to be led down !— with it. When Harris took over The Chronicle the paper had about 500 subscribers. There are now ap proximately 12,000 people who read the paper each week. The Chronicle is democratic in its political complexion but is inde pendent. It lias been a progressive paper which led in all movements that might benefit the town. Some examples of the crusades led by the ' paper are the establish ment of The State Training School Sunday, with ' hundreds of children an thai area the intersection is haz- i ardous, and it is almost impossible a blind alley. The Chronicle. After several months Mr. Little decided the idea was a losing proposition and sever ed his relations with the paper. Jacobs then decided that he highway department. This situa tion should be relieved now before a terrible accident occurs taking the life of one or more individuals. Without A Leader Senator Russell, presidential can didate with the high blessing of this state's political leaders, says that he will not revolt against tne eN peeled Truman platfom and l e- Christian gentleman lieves a compromise can be agreed upon. We were led to believe that the able Georgia senator would re fuse to swallow FEPC,' abolition of segregation and a Fair Deal plat- feum for which Truman is now waging a renewed fight. The de diversification, endowment drives for Presbyterian college, the organ izing of several local corporations, and the building of Hotel Mary Musgrove. Promoters of the com munity effort said that The Chron- Tcft gave the new hotel campaign $10,000 worth of free publicity. Through the years the paper im proved on its makeup, written ma terial, and coverage until in 1949 it was given a triple A award by the Community Research Bureau and was named “one of the best weekly newspapers of America.” This award was made.after the bureau the Board of Trustees of Thornwell j Orphanage, an elder in the First! Presbyterian church, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Clinton, a member of the Board of Directors of the Citizens Fed eral Savings and Loan association, a member of the Board of Direc tors of Hotel Mary Musgrove, and a member of the Board of Regents of the State Hospital and State Traning School. —-%• The following staff is connected in Clinton, Better roads and farm with the paper: H. C. Layton, as sistant to the publisher, J. R. Hoi land, E. g^.. Holland, Marion Idol, Ray Starnes, Mrs. J. B. Arnold, Miss Cornelia Harris, Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Bill Carter. The Clinton Chronicle remains today as if Ms always been; 3 part of community life. It holds the confidence and goodwill of the community it serves. Fred A. Fuller Passes In Greenville -4 Funeral services for Fred A. Full-[ had made a comparative evaluation j er » automobile and appliance study of the newspaper, its circula-! dealer of Greenville, were held at a tion, advertising value and the Greenville mortuary Saturday with market covered The paper is a member of the Na tional Editorial Association and the South Carolina Press Association. For years it has been given a high interment in the family plot in Woodlawn Memorial park. Mr. Fuller, a native of this county, was a brother of Mrs. L. B. Marion of this city, and the late Dr. Ellis A. rating by the South Carolina Press Fuller, president of the Baptist Theo- • When your Doctor hands you a prescription —your passport to Health and Happiness—bring it directly to Prescrip* tion Specialists. You are assured skilled profes* sional service—every step checked for accuracy- fresh, potent ingredients and uniforoaly fair prices; McGEE’S DRUGSTORE Phone No. 1 1o get out of either intersection into David Edgar Tribble ' the main highway. | The passing of David Edgar Trib These safety traffic signs, we un- b le at the ripe age of 92, removes W oufdn“t have tim~e7o~ aUenTto the derstand, when installed by - the a landmark from the city—a man advertising business and the paper must have the approval of the whose good name has long been too; so he C aii e d in H D Rantin to J * * ' ru '" identified with the business life ofl ma nage and edit The Chronicle.! the community. ^ Mr. Rantin continued in the posi- j Mr. Tribble would .have been 93 1 tion several years until he resigned' years of age had he lived to com- and A. O’Daniel succeeded him and I ing September. He was born in stayed with the paper one year. At [ Jacks township and moved here as j the end of the year O’Daniel fell! a young man 65 years ago. Since into the ranks of the other former then he had been a useful, highly I editors and resigned. Mr. Jacobs, j regarded Clintonian and was rec- however, wanted to hold on to the ognized as a splendid example of a | publication, for some unknown rea son and enlisted Robert S. Owens Mr. Tribble was a dreamer and; as editor, who managed it for sev- builder, looking beyond the present [ eral months. Owens was followed to the future and stood ready al-j by W. W. Harris who served as edi- ways to do his part in building a ! tor for approximately six months, bigger and better community.! In 191 2 Harris formed a partner- When there was a civic call or sub- j ship with H. D. Rantin, Allie Lee scnption campaign for a worth- and Arthur Lee of the Laurens Ad- while undertaking or business en-] vertiser. and they bought The cision of Senator Russell means - —^ — th„t the States Rights supporters te 5 pns ®, in .. the o c ° m 7 l i^ r ^ lty, IT ! £ hronicle from JacC>bs for $2,000., are left without a leader. w a y, s dl !* ^ 1S P art glad ^. and bb ' For the ir $2,000 the men received i ,, ,, ^ , erally. Not only was he interested 1 the subscriotion list »nH thp tmnH-! The convention will in all proba-I j n v,j s own business affairs but in „Mii n r xv, r-v, 1 3 j *1? goocl 'v,„u in Gov. Stevenson wUj-1and'prog^ Tn "pi rung the nomination, and the plat- a nd its people whom he loved, and a weekly in Clinton but derided ferm adopted may be ejected to they in return admired and loved | ^UwouW £wie^top^ te another msult to the South. i hlm . H e was a good citizen in the another plant with Two papers al This newspaper, as it has said broadest meaning of that word before—is opposed to any candidate fer the nomination who endorses or compromises on Trumanism. The vacuum sweeper must do a com- p.tte job if the country is to be saved. At this writing we are without a leader fearless enough to oppose Trumanism in all its evils. \Ve need a man as the Democratic nominee of the calibre and ability with his support and influence al ways on the side of right. His fel- lowmen with whom he dealt through long years held explicit confidence in the man and looked upon him as an upright, modest, unassuming gentleman, considerate and helpful of others always, with out making a noise or show. No one ever heard him speak unkind of Senator Taft. We don’t have ly of his fellowman. In all busi- such a leader, and when all the | ness relations he was as “straight 1 ccmpromising and trading is done [ as a shingle” /as his employees dur- * u “ at; ing the years and thousands of- cus- in in the “smoke-filled rooms’’ the convention so far as the Demo cratic party (so-called) is concerned —we will be in the same status we now stand with Stevenson holding Truman’s blessing and winning the remination Commencement Time Throughout the land, at univer sities, colleges and high schools, its graduating time again. In this community the season is always one of peculiar interest to parents, rela tives and friends, with interesting tomers will testify. In the going away of Mr. Trib ble the city has lost a true and valuable citizen. God rest him. J. D. Copeland Catches Big 19-Lb. Fish In Florida % ■M.l - II..L . « J. David Copeland, of the inde pendent republic of R^nno, has re cently won laurels as the champion fisrerman of this community. He Closing exercises at the city schools, 1 went ^ Daytona Beach, Fla., on a w hite and colored, college and or-. fishing trip and brought back proof phanage. j to substantiate his claim—a certifi- Commencement, the time when cate from an official of the fishing young graduates step forward and receive their diplomas, is always an anticipated event with pride and pleasure* jThis means that gradua tion is a red-letter day. It- means in reality the finishing of an am bition started four years ago, the stepping forth to face new respon sibilities, competition, readjust- noents, disappointments as well as achievements. We congratulate the graduates. They will always remember their commencement and we hope they will be successful at whatever they attempt, and that their lives will t>e filled with happiness. We hope their dark-letter days—that come to us all—will be few. Closing exercises are*, arranged especially in honor of the gradu- toumament. Mr. Copeland caught a King fish weighing 19 pounds and 7 ounces, length 3 feet, 8 1-2 inches, girth 1 foot, 5 1-2 inches. It was caught off-shore May 17 yrith rod and reel while boat fishing and was brought in and weighted at the station so np one could doubt his “story” when he got home. While on the trip Mr. Copeland fished several days in St. John riv er at Hastings and caught several nice bass about 35 miles offshore. Sa thrilled over his catch, Mr. Copeland is going back real soon, he says, with a smile. WE DO ALL KINDS OF PRINTING —EXCEPT BAD CHRONICLE PUBLISHING CO. ready being published here, so this led to the purchasing of^The Chron icle. The Chronicle had been located in a house on Thornwell street. The four men realized that they could not give The Gazette much compe- 1 tition from this locale since The Gazette was located in the middle of the business district. They mov ed into the building uptown which is now McIntosh’s Shoe Shop. Sev eral years later they moved to their present locale on Broad street. In 1913 The Gazette, which had been sold by Mr. Dendy to Lindsey aqd Foster Cromer, folded. This left The Chronicle as Clinton’s on ly weekly newspaper. When Harris, Rantin and the Lees took „over The Chronicle it was a four-page paper with eight columns to the page. Two of the pages were given to local news while the other two pages were patented printed matter of “can ned” news. If The Chronicle was lucky enough to get any advertis ing they would simply add an other page. Soon after the four men took over they changed it to a six col umn paper and printed only local news, dispensing of the patented printed stories. Allie and Arthur Lee had a lino type machine in Laurens so Harris would write the stories in Clinton and send them to Laurens where the Lees would set it up. Then the type would be sent back to Clinton by way of train. In reflecting on this situation Mr. Harris said, “It was a poor arrangement, but it was all we could do.” In 1916 the four men decided that there was a living in The Chron icle for only one man and W. W. Harris bought them out. Mr. Hgrris has been a Clinton resident all of his life, therefore took an euthusiastic interest in the paper and the welfare of the com munity. His grandfather. Dr. Job Select Your Patterns from Our Windows (Window lights on until nine o’clock in the eVenings) Bring your friends during the day or after supper to help you se lect your patterns of China, Crys tal and Silver from the many beau tiful ones on display at Thomas’. HARMONIZE YOUR The gracious flowing lines of this traditional pattern, are .ever beautiful, and appealing. China, Crystal, Silver From Clinton’s Finest Stock "flu* J Famous names in China, Crystal and Silver at Thomas’ include: Haviland in China — Fostoria, Tiffin and Duncan Miller in Crystal—International Lunt, Gorham, Wallace and Manchester in Silver. Many harmonizing patterns of China, Crystal and Silver are displayed in our well-lighted windows... so shop “to your heart’s content.” \ Ask About Our Chib Plan It’s easy to own lovely china, silver and crystal for only $1.00 a Week Our store is air-conditioned to add to your shopping pleasure. J. C. THOMAS, ‘It’s Time That Counts’