The Barnwell people-sentinel. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1925-current, December 29, 1932, Image 1
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■•Tf ;• :
THE 0FTIC1AL NEWSPAPER OF BARNWELL COUNTY."
CmseiMat* I«M L 191ft.
VOLUME LVL
People-Sentinel
of F«mfly M
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BARNWELL. SOUTH CAROLINA. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29. 1932
NUMBER 18.
Cole Blease to Offer
for Governor in 1934
His Candidacy Appears Certain in
Light of a Statement Made by
Him Recently.
The former United States Senator
and former Governor'Cole. L. Blease
■will be a candidate for governor in
the Democratic primary in 1934 ap
pears certain in the light of a state
ment made by him recently, reports
John K. Aull, veteran newspaper
writer, of Columbia. Asked what
his political intentions are, he refer
red to a statement he made two
months ago, in which he said that “if
the old guard calls, I shall answer.”
He pointed to numerou 8 letters urg
ing him to make the race, nor, in re
ply to a direct question, did he deny
that he had so decided. But, while
Mr. Blease did n °t say this, those
who want to figure ou? gubernatorial
politics tyro years hence might a s well
geWeady to do their figuring upon
the basis of a race that will include
Mr. Blease, for years the stormy pet
rel of State politics, says Mr. Aull,
who makes the following interesting
comment on affairs in South Carolina
at thi s time:
Olin Johnston, of Spartanburg,
will be in the race. He was runner-
up two years ago and went into a
second race with Governor Blackwood,
who defeated him by the narrow mar
gin of 998 votes in a total of 234,482.
Johnston was a former supporter of
Blease, a strong Blease' lieutenant
What the personal and political rela
tions may be between them at this
time, neither of them has discussed,
so far ag is known. x Two years ago
Blease was running for the senate
and Johnston for governor. Each had
his own political row to hoe, and
each hoed it pretty well, but not quite
well enough to grab the prizes which
they sought. If their paths crossed
then they did not make it public. Nor
did Blease refer to Johnston last
■week. He reiterated a former state
ment to this effect: “If my people
think I can really be of service to the
downtrodden, tax-ridden folks who
are today unable to render the require-
mentg of a high tax, spendthrift law-
making body at the behest of a few
favored office-holders, then I am a
candidate (for governor cf South
Carolina in 1934.”
“It seems to me,” he w r as told,
“about the only construction that can
be placed upon what you have told me
in connection with the letters you
show’ me is that you will be a candi
date for governor in 1934.”
“The construction ycu place on it
is for you,” the former senator and
former governor said.
And that is that.
Lieutenant Governor James 0.
Sheppard, of Edgefield, has announc
ed that he will be in the race. Mr.
Sheppard has addressed a good many
audiences in South Carolina—apd
elsewhere too, for that matter'—since
he has been lieutenant governor; and
he twice canvassed the State in his
campaign for that office, having made
( ne race prior to that of two years
ago when he - was elected. Mr. Shep
pard W *H be here in January presid
ing over the State senate again, and
will be close to the political pulse. He
is ai good presiding officer; he is easi’
and graceful in manner, and as a
campaigner he is forceful, effective
and experienced. c
i > Others have been spoken of in con-
'necticn with the race, some wdth a
degree of definiteness and others sim
ply mentioned. Others probably will
be in the race, maybe several others,
maybe a s many as ten. or a dozen, or
maybe not so many.^ftiut this is as
sured: that if any twocf the three now
definitely announced—that “definitely
announced” of , course does not apply
to Mr. Blease, except by a construc
tion of thi s correspondent, but he is
included as one of the three referred
to—if any two of these three,
Messrs. Blease, Johnston and Shep
pard are in the race, even should
there be no other entries, it will be
a real race.
The Farmers’ and Taxpayers’ Lea
gue held a solemn, serious State con
vention here this week, a meeting
without fireworks, without recrimina
tions, without ballyhoo or bombast,
without the wild talk which has be
come so prevalent in South Carolina
in recent d«y s of “tax-eaters” ’ and
“golden spenders” and so on, which
got nobody anywhere nor accompished
anything. The State budget com-
mission had announced, through Gov
ernor Blackwood aartier in the week.
Very Large Crowd
at Christmas Tree
Seen and Heard Here
During the Past Week
len, w omen'and-’Chtldren Gather on ^4 .Little^Seny and Nonsense About Q ver Fifty Pitmen Entombed Beyond
Court House Square to Greet
Santa Claus.
People You Know and Others ^
You Don’t Know.
A crowd of several hundred men,
women and children gathered on the
square in the front of the Barnwell
Court House Saturday afternoon, the
occasion being the annual community
Christmas tree.
G. W. Moody, local electrician, had
installed a radio amplifier on the por
tico and the audience was entertained
with Christmas carol s and other musi
cal selections preceding the arrival of
Santa Claus, who made his appearance
at five o’clock.
A large quantity of oranges and
apples had been donated by the busi
ness and professional men of Barn
well, and the fruit was distributed to
those present by Santa Claus and
several willing helpers.
There was also a Christmas tree at
the local, Episcopal Church immediate
ly following the community event.
Christmas Quiet Here.
Christmas in Barnwell this year
wa s one of the quietest witnessed in
many years. This, of course, was due
to the depression, although most mer
chants report that trade was better
than they ha's expected. Several bun
dled dollar s were put into circulation
here Saturday by the Barrtwell Coun
ty Relief Council and local merchants
felt the effect of this. Christmas Day
itself was “just another Sunday” ex
cept for, the exchange of presents.
Many attended services at the local
Methodist and Episcopal Churches
Sunday morning, and a Christmas pro
gram by the members of the Epworth
League was enjoyed at the Methodist
Church Christma s night.
that its appropriation recommenda
tions to the ’next general assembly
would come within a total of $6,485,-
000, which is not only approximately
three million dollars less than the
total of the 1932 appropriation meas
ure, but is within the estimated reve
nue of $6,500,000 to meet the appro^
priations. The Farmers’ and Tax
payers’ League went on record as
favoring an appropriation bill not to
exceed five million dollars. The de
tails of the recommendations of the
budget commission have not been
made public, and nobody except the
governor, the chairman of the senate
finance committee and the chairman
of the house ways and means commit
tee who constitute the commission
and secretary, knows where the
budget commission recommends its
big slashes.
Nor has the Farmers’ and Taxpay
ers’ League worked out a detailed bill,
so far as has been made public. It
gtates various salary slashes which it
recommends, ranging from 50 per
cent for salaries up to the top down
to 20 percent for the lower salaries,
and reiterates its consolidation ideas,
with proposals for other economies.
The details of course are to be worked
cut by committee upon the general
plan outlined. It will take more than
drastic cuts to get the appropriation
bill down to five million dollars.
Opinion of those who have long
watched legislatures and economy
programs i s that if the appropriation
bill is held within the $6,485,000 to
be recommended by the budget com
mission, the three million dollars thus
lopped off the past year’s total will
be retiinchmant of- very large pro
portions. A *bi!l held down to five
million dcllar s would be little short
of a miracle, and more especially if
another very important recommen
dation of the league, and one of the
most important, should bear fruition
in legislation, to remove from school
district trustees the power to place
tax levies on property,, restoring this
ipower to the general assembly.
While there was very little discus
sion of a sales tax, there were echoes
of sufficient volume to indicate that
it is being pondered by the people.
There was evidence, too, that the road
bond issue was going to come in for*
another terrific bombardment at the
coming session of the general assem
bly, the leagae going on record as de
manding that further bond issues for
road construction be limited to eleven
trillion dollars. And there was the
prophecy from Dr. S. J. Derrick, for
mer president of Newberry College,
and now president emeritus, though
still a comparatively young man, that
the proposed budget'officer under 4he
proposed budget control system which
waj made a part of the league pro-
All Hope Abandoned
for Trapped Miners
Merest Chance of Survival in
Illinois Quarry, *
Chief of Police George Peeples serv
ing 1932 town tax executions on prop
erty owners three days before Christ
mas. . . And did said property
owners make some remarks about the
city fathers, or did they? ....
Several little girls singing Christmas
carols in front of Barnwell residences
and being rewarded with candy and
cake. . . From “Seen He^e and
There” in Friday’s issue of The State:
“Ben Rice, John I. and Nat Rice—
brothers, the last two being twins—
whose birthday was yesterday and
there being a dinner for them at the
Rice home, where their lovely moth
er, Mrs. E. W. Rice, presides.” . »
Ben, John and Nat are “Barnw’ell
boys” and have many friends here. .
. . A welcome scarcity of fire
works on the streets. . . Brightly
lighted Christmas trees in front of
many local residences A
visitor from Williston telling about a
lady shopper from hi s town paying
40 cents for a toy in an Augusta
“dime store” w’hen she could have
bought the identical article at home
for a quarter. . . John B. Harley,
manager of the Cedars Filling Station
at the corner of Main and Marlboro,
calling up the editor to tell him that
said scribe certainly didn’t overlook
anybodyrin last week’g “Merry Christ
mas” editorial. . . , And several
other subscribers who were kind
enough to tell the writer that they
missed “Seen and Heard” the past two
weeks. . . A lady who has been
reading “Tycoon” in the Saturday
Evening Post remarking that she
has been calling her husband by that
name and that he doesn’t know what
it means. . . . Lonnie Calhoun
threatening to pay his subscription to
The People-Sentinel. . . . C.- G.
Fuller flying to Columbia in hi s plane
to have his pilot’s license renewed.
H. L. O’Bannon, Esq., presenting
himself and family with a beautiful
Studebaker sedan for Christmas. .
Albert S. Fant, State bank examiner,
en route to Columbia after a hunting
trip at Hilton Head. . . A negro
wearing spats and a blue denim jump
er. . . Wilson Sanders, a fresh
man at The Citadel wearing his cape
a la senior. . . Bills for electric
current being received two days be
fore Christmas and bringing to mind
the fact that a town in the Piedmont
section (Gaffney, * 1 we think it is) will
send out all bills for December mark
ed “Paid.” . . Tw’o more stores in
the Lancaster block of buildings rap
idly nearing completion.
i
J. Buist Grubbs reading a telegram
from hi s son, Elmer W. Grubbs, a
kay-det at West Point, that the young
man had passed all of his examina
tions by a satisfactory margin. .
A—crowd of interested spectators
watching . W’alter Moody trying to
locate a leak in a waterpipe under the
Burr Street paving with a radio am
plifier. . . Th> Spirit of Christ
mas and Christmas spirits. . . A
small number of 1933 automobile
license plates.
• «i
gram, would enthrone a . Mussolini.
But Doctor Derrick’g high clear note
of warning went unheeded. The shap
ing up of the league’s legislative pro
gram, with such suggestion? of a tax
revamping and agricultural rehabili
tation as it may contain, will be
awaited with general State-wide in
terest.
The general assembly will, first of
all, be confronted by a critical school
s'tuirUon. In Willfemburg County,
teachers have been assured they will
be paid one month’s salary before
Christmas, with no hope, it i s stated,
for any other salaries by the end
the school term, except the possibility
of notes. From Anderson come 8 the
report that funds fcr teachers salar
ies are exhausted, and the teachers
are faced with three payles s months.
The Anderson situation presents a
bright and cheerful outlook when set
alongside the picture in some other
counties where teacher s have drawn
little, if any, pay, and no definite
l hope is held out. In some of the
schools, it is learned, teachers will
soon be forced to give up their work
and go back home where there will
| not, at least, be board to pay. It is
not the State that is responsible for
the school situation. The State since
the beginning of the 6-0-1 law has
been bcriowing its school aid funds
Procedure Outlined I One Killed, Another
by Relief Council| Is Injured in Wreck
Describe Manner in Which Work Will I Nicholas V. Martin, of BlackviUe, May *
Be Carried Out in County in J Lose His Eye.—Negro Killed
the Future
Instantly.
Moweaqua, 111., Dec. 26.—All hope
was abandoned tonight for the 54
miners entombed in Moweaqua’s com
munity rqine by a blast that sealed
the diggings the day before Christ
mas.
Twenty-seven bodies were found
today; twelve were carried to the sur
face yesterday; 15 remain in the
north v/ing cf the tunnel, entombed
beyond the most fragile chance of
survival.
It was made known today that the
north wing, where the explosion
focused its fury, had been sealed Sun
day to protect rescue squads from
seeping pas. In that tomb are the
15 unaccounted for.
The dull ache of waiting for word
from the gas-filled tomb was sharpen
ed by reality today as the message
came from below that 27 more miners
had been found dead.
Moweaqua, not daring to hope, sent
down its relays of rescue crews to
worm their way thru perilious walls
of rocks, under twisted tipibers that
m'ght fall at any moment and add
them to the list of dead.
A breath of fresh air fanned hope
• • # ^
into flame this morning.
Fresh air, pumped in by the rescu-
er s as they burrowed along the south
wing of the T-shaped tunnel, met a
barricade and blew back upon the
faces of the crew. A barricade a
head—perhaps it meant there were
living men beyond it, saved from
deadly gases by a blockade that
formed a refuge.
Hope spurred them on. Thfere was
no time for clearing a way through
the shambles. They could only wiggle
an<j squirm on through the dark bore,
risking life to save what life was
left ahead.
Hope Vanishes.
The hope vanished in the lethal air
of the tomb. The rescue workers
came upon a body, then another and
another—27, at last were counted, all
dead; net of the flames that snuffed
out the lives of the 12 found at the
intersection of the T Sunday, but
dead of the after-damp that poured
through the tunnels as the men ran
from their mine car to escape the
fumes.
Only then was it made known that
the north wing of the tunnel, where
the explosion focused its fury, had
been sealed. In that death chamber
lay 15 entombed miners.
The death total of 54 was the larg
est in any mine explosion within this
State. It was not the greatest catas-
trope, however, fcr fire in the Cherry
(111.) mine November 13, 1909, cost
267 lives.
The Christmas eve disaster numb
ed this community of 1,400. -
a year in advance, and" It borrowed
the past year and seht out eighty-
five percent. That school note to be
come due early next year is what has
caused the piesent immediate string
ency in the general fund in the State
treasurer’s office. It is the counties
that have not been able to meet obli
gations for teachers’ salaries. If the
schools are to continue some action
will have to be takeh somewhere. In
seme of the countie s arrangements
will be made. Chairman M.. F. Bush,
of the house educational committee
will early in the session present some
school measures providing remedies
getting away from the district unit
plan, where the trouble lies. What im
mediate steps can be taken to meet
the crisis in some of the counties dur
ing the present school term is largely
in the hands of county authorities.
In several of the counties the coun
ty supply bills have already been
drafted by the legislative delegations.
Marlboro, home of the chairman of
the house way s and means committee,
Representative Neville Bennett, who
will have as his colleague in the house
next session Joseph J. Evans,! of prior
house and senate experience, will have
its supply bill ready for introduction
at the opening cf 'the session. It is
stated that the bill will show a reduc
tion of twenty-two percent under the
past year and fifty-seven percent un
der 1930.
One of the most drastic county sup
ply bills in the State ha 8 been pre
pared by Representative Daniel M.
Zimmerman, sole representative in the
house from Saluda County. The bill
is outlined in .Representative Zhn-
P .rsuant to orders of the Barnwell j Blapkville, Dec. 27.—Nicholas V.
County Relief Council, the following! Martin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charlie
procedure will be followed in carrying Martin, who was injured in a head-on
out relief work throughout the coun- collision between his light coach and a
ty in the future: _ wagon containing several negroes on
1. Each community will select a the Denmark-Blackville highway on
committee, the chairman of said com- Christma g night, is resting quietly hi
mittee to be appointed by the County the University hospital in Augusta,
Relief Council, each community chair- where he was carried Monday morn-
man to be responsible to the County ing. His face was severely cut and
Relief Council for all work and expen- his right eye injured go seriously that
ditures in his respenctive community, it will probably be necessary to re-
2. Before relief work is under- move it as soon as some of the swell-
taken in any community, the local ing goes down. There were no inter-
committee shall outline the work to naj injurie 8 revealed by several X-ray
be done; make a careful estimate of pictures,
the cost, number of workers neces- The accident occurred two miles
sary each week, and approximate time from Denmark during a rain with a
necessary to complete work, and sub- fcg, following a warm day.
mit project to County Relief Council One negro, George Hughes, in the
for approval. _ —wagon was instantly killed and two
3. Some one in each community I others injured. Both mules were
will be designated by the County | killed. A car passing a little later
Council to receive applications for re
lief work and submit list of applica
tions to local Red Cross and Direct
Relief Committees, in order that ap-
struck one of the dead mules in the
road.
Martin was on his way to Denmark
to meet a friend. The negroes were
pllicantg can be checked against returning from Denmark,
their records before being assigned The car is a complete wreck, the
to work. tongue of the wagon having pierced
4. In assigning laborers, teams, the radiator and lodged In the seat be-
overseers and foremen for relief work, side the driver. Many friends here
the following rules will be enforced.: are marveling at Martin’s miraculous
(a.) Preference will be given to | escape from death,
those who have the largest number
of dependents.
(b.) No team owned by a member
of any committee shall be used, ex
cept in extreme emergency, and in
Vehicles Jam Together.
Bamberg, Dec. 27.—George Hughes,
negro, living on the plantation of Sol
omon Blatt, was instantly killed as the
such emergency preference is to be result of a com8ion between a wagon
considered as to number of depend-} an( j an au tomobile Christmas night.
ents of party operating team.
(c.) No member of a committee
shall be employed, a 8 oversfeer, fore
man, or time-keeper.
(d.) Experience will be considered | f ore wag removed from the
in assigning overseers, foremen and
time-keepers, as well as number of
dependentg of each.
It is requested that each community
form a committee at once and submit
the names to the County Relief Coun
Nichola s Martin was rushed immed
iately to hi s home in BlackviUe for
medical attention. Q'oroner Phillips
was notified and viewed the body be
ne of
the wreck.
Martin was coming toward Den
mark on highway No. 78 sad two
miles west of Denmark encountemd,
the two-horse wagon on which were
several negroes returning home frees
cil in order that a chairman may be church Mi-vice*. One of the
named, and work commenced as early of the wagon gaid he aaw tha ^ ^
as possible. proaching on the wrong side of the
Final approval of all applications for | rcad and vigoroU8 i y - waved ^
work must be passed upon by the
Red Cross and Direct Relief Commit- |
r
tee.
The following persons have been
designated at the several points in
tern as a warning, but that Martia,
traveling at a fast rate, came on sad
ran head-on into the wagon, the tonga*
of which was thrust through the cen
ter of the radiator, through the hood
the county to accept applications for and the driver , a ^
The two vehicles were so bound to
gether by the terrific impact that tea
or fifteen bystanders were unable to
separate them to clear the wreckng*.
A saw had to be secured to cut the
wagon tongue to get the wagon and
car out of the road. The wreckage
is said to have been almost entirely
off the pavement on Martin's left
Cotton Ginning Figure*.
There were 12,280 bales of cottoft
ginned in Barnwell County prior t*
Deoember 13th as compared with
18,565 bales ginned to the same dste
a report made
public this week by P. A. Baxley,
special agent, of BlackviUe.
The name of N. A. Hiers, Jr, son
of Coroner N. A. Hiers, of the Hercu
les section, was added to The Peo
ple-Sentinel's mailing list this week.
He is this newspaper’s youngest sub
scriber. • • 4
relief work:
Williston—Tate Willis.
Elko—Fabian Still.
Hilda—Miss Myrtle Delk.
Dunbarton—Miss Louise Williams.]
BlackviUe—E. H. Weissinger.
Those who will accept applications
at other points in the county will be
named later.
Mr. and Mrs* T. C. Bynum, of Fay
etteville, N. C., and Mr. and‘Mrs. W.
D. Antley, of Cordcva, spent Cfirist-
ma? with Mrs. R. S. Dicks.
merman’s heme paper, the always in
teresting Saluda Standard. There is | } n 193^ according to
one remarkable proposal in the pro
posed bill. It would require the coun
ty auditor and treasurer to refund to
the county treasury that portion of
their salaries paid by the county. Un
der the statute the salaries cf
tor s and treasurers are required to be
paid, “one-third by the county and
the remaining two-thirds by the
State.” Eminent legal authority
holds that under such agreement by
statute a county may not reduce a
salary by one-third and hold | that
third which is taken off as the coun
ty’s part, thu s requiring the State to
pay the entire salary in a particular
county while other counties pay their
third. It all gets back, it is pointed
out, to the danger of dual obligations.
In the senate during the last session
there was a loud protest in connec
tion with charges that certain coun
ties took State school aid and spread
it over the entire school system, re
lieving themselves of teachers' salar
ies to whatever extent the State aid
(was spread, and the argument was
fast and furious with the contention
that this was unfair to other counties.
Sentiment continues to grow in South
Carolina that the State may take
over the entire financing if the
schools are to survive, or even if econ-
my is to be expected. With regard
to auditors and treasurers, they per
form both State and county duties.
Notice!
I will be at the following places far
the purpose of taking tax returns far
the year 1933, only personal property
is to be returned this year. Ten per
cent, penalty will be added for faSnre
to make returns on or before
ary 28, 1933.
BlackviUe, January 4„ 1933.
Dunbarton, January 6, 1938.
EHco, January 9, 1933.
Hilda, January 11, 1933.
Kline, January 18, 1938.
Leigh, January 18, 1983.
Meyer's Mill, January 18, 1933.
Robbins, January 20, 1933.
Seven Pines, January 28, 1933.
Williston, January 25, 1933.
Respectfully yours,
W. H. MANNING,
Auditor, Barnwell