The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, August 17, 1922, Page 2, Image 2

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Denmark Hears Candidates; ^ Serves Barbecue Dinner. ? (Continued from page 1, column 6.) burning ambition to serve in this ' office. A. B. Hightower, offering for the same office, did not make a speech, but took occasion to say that if elects ed he wiH fill the office to the best of fhis ability, and thanked the voters for their support on August 29th. Supervisor Barney Smoak thanked the voters for their handsome vote at Denmark two years ago, when he defeated E. C. Bruce, "a good man," on/1 lilranrico !innro/>iatp(1 the jliv? ou4u) muu iiag tt 1uv Vv*v??v?. ?good vote all over the county. He is running on his record, which he is proud of, and which had been characterized by others as one of the cleanest in the state. His books had been inspected and pronounced in fine condition, but he does not claim to have ' ^ done anything more than his duty; he does not claim to have been perfect, however. He is not the only /-^supervisor who has had federal aid in road work. He referred to the Bamberg-Denmark road, which was built by the chain gang. It had been estimated that it would cost between $35,000 and $40,000 to build the road from Bam Deng to JLees; Mr. Mayneia naa duui tthe road from Denmark to Lees for $15,700 in round dollars. The chain gang had consumed three months and two days on the road from Denmark to Bamberg, and he estimated the cost, not counting the labor which was free, at $1,900, and considers he ^ saved the county $8,000 on the job. The road had been inspected and readily received by the highway commission and is now a part of the state highway system. ?V: On January 1st, last, the county had $10,800 in road funds on hand, which enabled it to go into the building of the South Edisto river bridge '.r-. - ? and causeway. He and the treasurer lio ^ $90 000 fnr tfhfi Bam t berg-Branchville road, but this will be paid back with the special road tax in two years. Mr. Smoak thinks we should not undertake any more government highways until things look a little brighter. Does not favor i bond issues for roads. Regarding keeping up the roads, he said there are 800 miles of public roads in the county, and it is not possible to work '&: ' them all at once, but he will not play I politics with the chain gang. He will divide the time as equally as possible all over the county, according to the , needs of the roads. N The Legislative Race. Both candidates for the 'house made fine speeches. Messrs. Kearse and Riley are earnest speakers; they ~ are both members of the house now, and both are valuable members. It is indeed a great misfortune that ir; both of them cannot be reelected. Both are prominently connected in committee work in Columbia; Mr. Kearse being a member of the judiciary committee, and also previously clerk to an important committee for a considerable time, while Mr. Riley is a member of the important ways and means committee. Both are in - position to render fine service to the county. Each pleaded his cause earnestly, and it is a foregone conf ; - elusion that no matter which one is elected, the county will be well repS resented. Mr. Kearse First. Representative Kearse paid his roonoMs tn the ladies. and ureed ? , _ them to exercise their privilege and duty to vote, believing that they will, in so doing, purify politics. He appreciated the fine vote he received in Denmark two years ago, when Mr. Riley came first and he second, Mr. Riley being the home man, and he realizes that he cannot expect the magnificent vote this year he received then. In return for the votes he receives he promises to represent every section of Bamberg county, if ^ elected. He 'had assisted in getting the new depot in Denmark, alonig with Mr. Riley and Senator Black. > He took occasion to say that between Mr. Riley and he there is nor antagonism. They are the best of friends: roomed and ate together in Columbia frequently, and while he had not expected Mr. Riley to run. as he had served elg'ht years, while he, Mr. Kearse, had served only two years, he did not blame him at all. He had said before, and he repeated it, that he could think of no man he would rather run with than Mr. Riley. The race is high-toned and clean in every respect. "The greatest problem before the people is taxes," said Mr. Kearse, in opening his discussion of that much mooted matter. He came from a section that had been drowned out three years, and naturally the matter of bringing taxes back to a normal basis was foremost in 'his mind. He reiterated his stand, previously expressed, on the various commissions and boards in Columbia. He is opposed to men sitting in Columbia drawing fat salaries while our people can hardly pay their living expenses. Our own officers can do the work of these commissions. He paid special respects to the welfare iboard and the tax commission. The tax commission claimed to have put one hundred million dollars on the tax books, but how did they do it? By doubling up on the banks, merchants and other business houses, and increasing on lands of the farmers. Bamherg county can take care of itself without the aid of the boards. He said that he had never charged Mr. Riley with supporting the tax commission. He is in favor of the highway commission to a certain extent. It is necessary, he said, in order to get federal aid for roads, but it is too costly. It is costing the state $100,000 this year, and at that the county must pay for the engineering service of the roads. They want $150 to survey the road through Bamberg, and any local surveyor would be glad to have the job for $10 or so. He is also opposed to the paying of 20 per cent, of the automo bile license fees to the commission, which has amounted in the last few years to $12,000 to $15,000; he proposes to offer a bill to keep this money at home. It is time to call a halt and make a fight on these expensive practices. He also discussed the state board of health, which he said cost the state $177,000 this year, of which amount Bamberg pays several thousand dollars, and in return gets about $50 worth of free serum. He wants it understood that he 'has not and will not oppose any essential appropriations. He discussed the proposed reform bills, and says he is in favor of all of them; they are all right, and will assist in adjusting taxes, but we need something more than readjustment; we must cut off all useless expenses. He favors tightening up on the labor laws and will work for the same if reelected; favors liberal treatment of the old sold iers and pledged snis support 10 me common schools. Mr. Riley for Reelection. 'Mr. Riley was well received by his home people, as, indeed, were all the candidates. Mr. Riley extended a cordial welcome to all visitors on behalf of Denmark, and launched immediately into a tax discussion. Mr. Riley said he is not in favor of high taxes; he wants them to be as low as possible, but he does not believe the people want to see any of the colleges or state institutions closed for the want of funds, or the pension of the old soldiers taken from them. He told why our taxes are high, and recited some of the remedies therefor. Taking a local example, he pointed to the high school building at Denmark, for which, he said, bonds had been voted when things were high; likewise Denmark had voted $60,000 in bonds for waterworks. These things are all right; they show progress, but the fact remains that Denmark people are paying five mills on the school bonds and eleven mills on the water works bonds, and will do so for many years to come; in fact one-third of their taxes go to these two objects. The legislature had worked hard on the tax matter, and had succeeded in paring off $700,000 of expenses last session; the countyappropriations had been made as low as possible, and 75 per cent, of our taxes are spent here in our county. He thinks we should hold up on road construction for a while, and only use the chain gang, and get down to rock bottom economy. He realizes that the institutions spend too much money, and believes that a central board of trustees will simplify the matter and prevent so much rivalry between the colleges. We must have a reform in taxes, he said, and exhibited his chart showing the old and new sources of taxation under the tax reform bills, some of which have already become law, the purpose of these bills being to distribute taxes equitable and relieve real property of the heavy burden it now bears. Regarding the new commissions Mr. Riley said that he had not voted for a single one of them, but if all of them were cut off only one-fourth of a mill in taxes would be saved, and if every state officer's salary and that of their assistants were cut off, it would only save a half mill, there fore real relief must come through tax reforms. All of the reform bills had eminated from the ways and means committee, of which he is vice chairman, and if these laws are enacted it will mean there will be no levy on visible property. Regarding the tax commission, he did not vote to retain the commission in office; he voted against a bill that would have replaced the commission with another of fourteen members, and he voted against another bill which would have changed the commission's name, providing election by the legislature instead of appoint? A * XT /v nol/1 Q meiu Dy tne guveruui. xx-o oam u& was tired of elections in the legislature, especially when some member would likely be elected. He expects to Tote against any bill increasing the membership of any commissions or boards. When the reductions in salaries were under discussion in committee, he proposed a ten per cent. WOMEN' ESCAPE DEATH BY FIRE. Telephone Exchange at Piedmont De- u stroyed?Loss $100,000. Ill Greenville, Aug. 10.?Mrs. Mollie Merck, operator in charge of the telephone exchange at Piedmont, twelve miles from Greenville, and | her niece. Miss Louise Parker, narrowly escaped being burned to death about 4 o'clock this morning when fire completely destroyed the building that housed the exchange and several other business establishments. The total damage is estimated at around $100,000. When the women, who were sleeping in the building, were awakened by pistol shots fired as an alarm by citizens, the building was nearly on the point of falling in. Mrs. Merck attempted to let her niece down cut of a window by means of sheets torn off the bed and tied together, but the young woman fell before reaching the ground and was slightly hurt on the ankle and back. Mrs. Merck was rescued by citizens with ladders shortly after. The exchange was completely destroyed, together with a meat market, pressing club, photographic studio and barber shop. The production of automobiles in || 1921 required 1,464,000 tons of steel. I] Six million gallons of varnish and II paint were required. Coffins made of baked clay have II been found in Mesopotamia. !l reduction all round, and it was adopt- II ed. In explaining his position regard- II ing schools, he said that Mr. Swearin- I gen had asked for $1,700,000, where- II as he had favored giving him the I same amounts t'hat he had spent the previous year. Figures showed that of the various items appropriated for the superintendent of education's office the entire appropriation had not been expended except in one instance, and he therefor proposed to allow only the sums expended. This meant no reduction for the schools; as a matter of fact, although the appropriation was considerably cut, it meant the same money for the schools excepting about $25,000, which was cut here and there without hurting anything. He felt that there Should be economy in this office as well as in all others. BjTnes Greets the People. II Mr. Crum announced that Con- V gressman Byrnes was in the house. There were instant and loud calls for _ Mr. Byrnes, who came forward re luctantly, saying he had come not to II make a speech but to eat. He was fondly greeted with much applause. Mr. Byrnes said that 'he had listened with much interest to the references to taxes and the candidates speaking in terms of thousands, which reminded him that congress voted four billions of dollars to run the United States government. He regretted that the people do not take the same interest in national as state and County affairs. He took occasion to rap those people who bad expressed themselves as wanting to vote the Republican ticket, if it were not for the race question, and told some of the things the Republican party has done and is doing, reminding his hearers that the G. O. P. was en-1 deavoring to pass an anti-iyncn law < whereby all those taking part in a 4 lynching would be tried in the United 4 States court; the sheriff of a county ^ in which there was a lynching being jj subject to trial in the same court, and 3 the county being liable for a penalty 1 of $10,000 merely on proof that a 4 lynching had occurred. 4 "Would you vote with a party 3 w'hose president appointed Henry Lincoln Johnson, a Georgia negro, as 4 registrar of the treasury, where more ]j than 100 white women are employed, | and when he failed to be confirmed, 4 appointed a West Virginia negro to 4 the same job?" inquired Mr. Byrnes. jj Referring to the matter of taxes, 4 Mr. Byrnes said the Republican party 1 is endeavoring to transfer the taxes j from the wealthy man to the poor 4 man, giving, as an example, the case 4 of Secretary Mellon, one or i 'ne wealthiest men in the country, who is saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes by new tax laws, and that Wrigley, the chewing gum magnate, had saved half a million a year when the chewing gum tax had been taken off. Wrigley had shown his appreciation of the Republican party by offering a contribution of $50,000 to the campaign fund, with a promise of more when it was wanted. This tax was paid by the manufacturer. Hundreds of millions of dollars had been taken off in excess profits taxes, which were paid by the big interests. It is the same demands of the big interests which prevent Henry Ford taking over Muscle Shoals and giving fho Tipnnlp pheaD fertilizers. "If there were not a netgro in South I Carolina today, I would be an even I more rabid Democrat than ever, be- I cause I have been among the Repub- I licans for twelve years, and I tell you I I know these fellows," concluded Mr. I Byrnes amid cheers. - ' - - ' " ... A . Imati/ MJUl To the Meml Tobacco Asso The receiving days! w changed from thre days a week, as MONDAYS, TOE THURSDAYS, FRJ Gradinff Hours Run from Tobacco Growers Cooperath J. F. LANE, Mai 5- HHHBHHHHHHBDBHHi LITHOGRAl ^ H^MBMi^HI QH^^H^^H]2NpgEH^JBHEggHg^9Qy?^2i[Qyflgj|^raE|l For School Districts, Tot ments, etc., furnished at Iot /^ THE ? 1 VI Bamberg tl HITT & BRUCE, Publishej ) DON'T BE FLIM-FLAMMED BY ALLOWING PRINTED IN THE NORTH AT ENORMOUS 1 BONDS ALREADY PRINTED AND SAVE YOUJ MONEY. AND COMMUNICATE WITH US BE PRINTED. OUR WORK IS ABSOLUTELY Q BONDS FURNISHED IN ATLANTA, NEW YO] i i - -^rf \ ; i in ll r< i jli Ders of . 1 ciation ? 1 I { kovA k^An ii iiav v uvwai i ie to four ! follows: -j ittAYS, IDAYS. J 9:00 to 3:00 \ re Association i i 4 lager " I ! phed! i Pj Ixl M HI fii wn Improve- ||| kvest prices by H H7H |i| HT lerald I 1 ps Be Mfl ? \ YOUR BONDS TO BE III 4?H PRICES. SELL YOUR |$| * DISTRICT OR TOWN | FORE HAVING THEM !! )ENTICAL WITH THE RK, OR ELSEWHERE. * , r *' 1 ? H | . M