University of South Carolina Libraries
TUB OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF BARNWELL OOUNTT. CemoliJated lane 1, 1925. The Barnwell People-Sentinel ‘Ju»t L.tk« a IVI«mb«r of the Famllv • » VOLUME LIX. BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JULY 30TH, 1936. Largest County Circulation. NUMBER 46. Johnston Assertion Is Termed Falsehood Jefferies and Porter Deny That High way Department Had Part in Colleton Road. Ben Sawyer Declares x Allegations Not Tme Governor 01 in D. Johnston's asser tion that the State highway depart ment played a part in the construction of a 12-mile road to a Colleton hunt ing preserve met denials yesterday from two quarters. Senator R. M. Jefferies, of Colleton County, termed any statement that the highway department was instrumen tal m building the road “a malicious falsehood.” R. M. Porter, WPA regional engi neer and former State lelief engineer, took full responsibility, he said, for the road as a FERA project and said neither Chief Commissioner Ben M. Sawyer nor any other highway offi cial had “anything whatsoever” to do with it. The governor told an estimated 4,- 000 persons at Mullins Wednesday that the load to Cel. R. G. Elbert’ s estate “probably” was built because Jef feries was Elbert’s attorney and be cause Elbert s old Sawyer a yacht for $1. He added that “probably” the en tile federal relief allotment for road purposes in Colleton County was spent on the road, and read a letter he said was from Elbert to Jefferies urging Jefferies to have Sawyer ap prove development of the route. The Colleton senator said in a state ment at Walterboro that the road was built with relief fund* in 1933 and 1934, whereas the governor quoted from a letter dated July 11, 1935. Senator Jeffeneg cited the corre spondence. taken from highway Ale* uurtng Johnston** military road re gime, as showing that the Colleton legislative delegation declined to allo cate feheral h ghway funds for the road, and that Sawyer took the posi tion that federal highway funds should be spent on Route 21 between Bells and Yemasare Mr. Porter** statement follows: **! have read with surprise the newwpaper accounts of slafpinent* made by Governor Johnston at Ruf■ An and Mullins concerning a county road in t ojeton Couty commencing at a point near Green Pond and ex tending across the Ashapoo r ver to Bennett* s Point. The governor has been mis^nfoimed as to the facts and h.« statement is not correct. “Prior to the time that I was pro moted to my presnt position 1 was State engineer for the South Caiolina emergency rtlief administration and civil works administration. The Col leton County road in question was im- pmved during that period by the em ployment of relief forces and 1, as State engineer for the relief adminis tration approved the project. Every dollar expended on the road was A- n a need by federal funds allotted to this State for unemployment relief— and not with any funds allocated to the State highway department. I ac cept full responsibility for this road project. Neither Mr. Ben M. Saw yer nor anyone connected with the State highway commission or depart ment had anything whatsoever to do with this road work. The statement of Senator Jefferies follows: » “After Governor Johnston had er roneously stated at Ruffin in a speech July 16 that the State highway de partment had built a road to a hunt ing preserve of Col. Robeit G. Elbert, I was charitable enough to think that the governor had been deceived by some of his political friends in Colle ton County because I was unwilling to believe that any man who had been elevated to the high position of gov ernor would misrepresent willfully the facts. However, s ince I have seen his statement in the morning news papers I can see that the charity I wa s willing to extend to him in my statement of last Friday was mis placed. “Does the governor mean to say by his statement yesterday that he did not state at Ruffin that the State highway department built the road? If he did not so state at Ruffin, then the highway department is exonerated, but the very able press reports of his statement at Ruffin to the effect that the highway department did build the road is confirmed by a steno graphic report of the governor’s speech which I have in my posses sion. “If Olin Johnston or any other man says that Ben M. Sawyer or the State highway depat tment or the State Chief State Highway Commissioner Denies Any Conection With Colleton Road. Replying to charges made by Gov ernor Johnston that the highway de partment had a part in building the much discussed Colleton County road by Col. R. G. Elbert’s place, Ben M. Saw’yer, chief State highway commis sioner, said yesterday, in his first public statement since the beginning of the long highway controversy, that the chief executive’s charge was “ut- SELECTS BARNWELL COUNTY AS OUT STANDING EXAMPLE Candidates Speak at Dunbarton Tomorrow Farmers and Taxpayers League Requests Statement Show ing Reductions in Taxes and Appropriations as Result of Business-like Administration. Barnwell County has been selected by the Farmers and Taxpayers League as one of the outstanding examples in South Carolina in the matter of busi nesslike administration of public af fairs, with the consequent reduction in taxes, it became known here this week, and at the request of J. K- teily false and any statement or in- Breedin, secretary of that organiza- ference to /; the effect that the State highway commission, the highway de partment or I had anything whatever to do with the construction of the dirt roaa is equally false.” Concerning the boat which the gov- etnor referred to in his speech at Ruffirr recently, Mr. Sawyer said that in 1932 Colonel Elbert, his personal friend, gave “me a fishing boat which Y’ill accommodate comfortably two person s ( ar, d uncomfoitably five) and which is used by me on occasions for fishing purposes.” The road commissioner added that “this boat was an absolute gift from Colonel Elbert and had no connection with any duties of mine as chief com missioner and any statement to the contrary ig absolutely false.” “Any person who says or infers that 1 have received or accepted anything of value from any person, Arm or cor poration as the result of any highway department tranaaction or work—to use plain language—ig a malicious 1933 liar I” Mr. Sawyer said. I 1934 “Since I came to the highway de- 1935 partment many years ago the depart- ! mmt has disbursed for the State and 1 the federal government over $160,000, tion, statements have been prepared by W. H. Manning, county auditor, which, it is understood, the league will use to s how that it i s possible for counties to effect savings and reduce taxes. Mr. Manning has prepared one statement -showing a comparison of total taxe s levied in this county for State, county and school purposes, which shows that the total amount of taxes assessed from 1928 to 1931, in clusive, was $952,904.69, while from 1932 to 1935 it was only $656,086.22, divided as follows: Total Taxes Year. Valuation. Mills Assessed 1928 .. $4,495,890.00..30. .$232,937.96 1929 1930 1931 1932 .. 4,394.930.00..36— 272,076.65 “(Note.—Mills in this statement are State and county, while taxe s assessed include also special school levies, varying in each district.)” In hi s report to the Farmers and Taxpayers League, Auditor Manning also prepared a statement showing a comparison of appiopriations for ordi nary county purposes for the four- year periods, 1928 to 1931, inclusive, and 1932 to 1935, inclusive, which is a s follows: Year. Appropriation. 1928 $39,339.04 1929 ' 43,949.30 1930 56,713.67 1931 .-- 20,933.16 - $160,940.16 1932 .00 1933 15,428.80 1934 19,137.15 1935 25,053.86 Schedule Calls for Meetings at Wil- liston, Hlackville and Barnwell Before Primary. $59,619.81 Thus it w'ill be seen that those charged with the management, of 4,362,590.00.-30.. 245,130.34 Barnwell County* financial affairs re- 4,187,630.00. .*22.- 202,759.74 $3991.620.00. 3,867,200.00. 3927,430.00. 3,721.980.00 .17. .17. .18. 20 $952904.69 $167,435.12 . 159985.47 . 163,580.60 . 165,085.03 $656986.22 From the above it will be aeen that 000 and I defy the governor or any I there wa* a reduction in aaaaaad tax- other man to point hia Anger at a »tion in the past four year* of $29«. gingle crooked transaction involving mg.47 and in rommentu duced the cost of operating the coun ty government $101,320.35 for the four-year period, 1932-1935, as com pared with the four-year period, 1928- 1931. In this connection. Auditor Manning gays in hig report: “It will be observed that for the year 1932 there wa, no levy and, therefore, no direct appropriation for ordinary county pupo*e«, which in cludes officers' salaries, jail expenses. *hain gang, roads and bridgrs, poor house, etc., the county having been me or any of my associates.” The chief commissioner charge* the governor concealed fact* by not mak-1 on this l, P* r * tr d at that time out of the sur- statement to the Farmers and Tax- P ,ua wh * h Kmd ^ nfmmuUted dur- payers League Auditor Manning says ,n « Preceding four year* when “For many yeais prior to. and in- mnnugoarnnl »»» arrang mg public all available correspondence dudtng 1930. the county had borrowed ln * '** •ff»ira ao that the with Senator Jefferies about Colleton ' yearly against its appropriation bill • co, * B *y ■*gkt be put on a cash basis road b«ild‘ng.—The Stale. July 25. | gso.000 or more to operate on “Ordinary county purposes, of -=^- ' . =: i Average annual interest item was $3.. coor ~* do *» 1101 "*''**• bond levies highway commission had anything to '8)0. Between 1925 and 1930 a sulfi- ** n *** various *rhno| distrrts 00 with the construction of. or siloca-1 cient surplu« was accumulated to put' * ^ *** tion of funds for, the county rood . the county on a cash .1,. . . _v- i oV cr the county, which the county dele- t road the county on a cash bas s. >0 *• r . . ...... . . . . 1 -1 .w.* 1 gatmn and board of directors have no which passeg through the property of money hag been borrowed since that Col. Robert G. Elbert he utter* a ma liciou* falsehood. The governor j yei knows or should have intelligence enough to ascertain, that Ben M. Sawyer and the State highway com mission had nothing whatsoever to do time. During 1932 the county Ascal! f over. . . m 1 . I "I attribute tl year was changed from January 1 • | rxn mgly fine changed irom January r, ,. . • . ■ t-,.. condition in %hich the county And* December 31 to July 1-June 30. r or I the Aral half of the year 1932 and the; following Ascal year, which was from July 1, 1932, to June 30, 1933, no levy county purposes. In other yords. dur ing the period of 18 months the with the expenditure of such teliof j whatever was made for ordinary fund* in 1933 and 1934, and if the go\ »rnot wanted to be fair he would give the facts as they really exist. During j county wag operated upon arcumulat- the entire discussion of the highway , ed surplus. As of June 30, 1936, matterg in the genet al assembly and the ending of the last Ascal year, the in public over the State, I have tried to be temperate in my remarkg con- county—still operating on a cash basia—had on hand a surplug of $14,- its Ananrial affairs to the c.ose co-operation between the county cele gal ion and the board of director* and the other county officials.” YOl K FRIEND EDISON. cerning the governor and hi* very ( 939.55. inconsistent attitude toward highways j “Since 1925 the county’s affairs have and re-employment in South Carolina, been under the direction of the same but, in view of the governor’s state ment, I must speak plainly. Anyone who state g that the whole amount of federal fund s allotted for road pur poses in Colleton County was spent on this one road leading to Col. Rob ert Elbert’s estate utters a malicious falsehood. “The governor ha s tried to make it appear that the road in question is an excellent one and already people have sid that it was a paved road. The fact as it is known to the governor, or could by an investigation be ascer tained, is that as a major relief proj ect to prevent suffering among scores of unemployed in the territory of this 1 load, a fairly well drained and graded dirt type of road with wooden bridges and with no sand clay or top soil sur facing, was constructed. The governor knows, or could easily ascertain, that at the same time this major relief project-was being built there were at County Board of Directors. tained, that the work on this particu lar road was completed long before the date of the letter he quotes in hi s statement of yesterday, to wit: June 11, 1935, and that no work from fed eral or State funds has been done on that road since that time. The governor knows, or by reasonable in vestigation could have ascertained, that the correspondence he refers to in the summer of 1935 was concern ing the possible allocation of secon dary road money or farm-to-market road money to a further impiovement of this road and others in Colleton County. The governor’s very efficient military oiganization, to whom he gives the credit of obtaining the let ters he now gloat s in quoting, did ob tain, or could have obtained, the en tire correspondence which show’ed that the Colleton County legislative dele- least two other major projects in other ! gat'on was not willing to allocate any sections of Colleton County and that | e( jc r c] highway funds to this par- to each of these roads there was al- ticu’ar road and that Ben M. Sawyer lotted a sufficient proportion of fed- i the attitude that any federal eral relief funds coming to Colleton highway funds, at that time available County. The governor knows, or he i to Colleton County, should have been could easily ascertain, that the money 1 spent on U. S. Route 21 between Bell’s for the Bennett’s Point road, the one ; an( j Yemassee, which money would in question, came to the Colleton have been spent on that road last County relief administration earmarked year except for the use of the militia ed for that particular project in order to relieve the laige amount of un- by the governor and which money is now about to be spent under a con- employment in that particular section j-tract let by the highway department of the county in which allocation of s j n ce the legislature and the courts funds Ben Sawyer and the State high- have told the governor that he shall way department had no part whatso- not be permitted to become a Musso- « v «r- | lini, Hitler, Sulin, Huey Long or any “The governor knows, or by reason- other kind of dicUtor in South Caro- afcle investigation could have aacer-! lina.”—The State July 24. Edison was granted the Amt basic pitent of rad:o transmission in 1885, stating that he had found that electric telegraphy between distant points could be carried on without the use of wires. Edison’s claim included send ing message s through the air above oceans. Years later various interests wanted to buy the patent, but Edison insist ed that it rightly should g (> to Marconi. “If they don’t want it, I won’t sell it to anyone else,” he said, and he sold it to Marconi for a very modest sum. The Golden Jubilee of radio will be celebrated this year. The First Radio Tube. One of Edison’s most brilliant dis coveries was made in 1883, when the so-called “Edison effect” lamp was in vented. This lamp showed an electric discharge occurring in the vacuum of the bulb. Edison’s lamp wa 3 used by Professor J. A. Fleming as a radio detector, and Lee de Forest followed with his control grid. In November, 1932, forty-nine years after Edison had applied for his radio lamp patent, two famoug electricians stood in the studio of the? National Broadcasting Company in New York and placed one of the Edison effect lamps in a radio set. Word s an d music were reproduc ed perfectly. Anyone with a radio in his home should remember that the power to give energy to it was devised by Edison, the first method of collect ing and utilizing etheric waves was his, and that the first radio tube was also his. 29. The second of the regularly schedul ed county campaign meetings will be held at Dunbarton tomorrow (Friday) morning, beginning promptly at 11 o’clock, it was stated here Monday by Senator Edgar A. Brown, county chaiiman. The meeting will probably be held in the Dunbarton high school building, Senator Brown said. The opening meeting of the cam paign was held at Hilda on June 9th, the day following the closing of the entries. A special meeting was held a few weeks later at Long Branch Church in connection with a barbecue dinner to raise funds to paint the church building. ‘ Following the Dunbarton meeting tomorrow, the candidates will invade Williston the following Firday—Au gust 7th. The fourth of the series will lie held in Blackville on Friday, August 14th, and the last meeting will be held in Batnwell on Friday, Au gust 21st. The first primary will be held Tuesday, Auguat 25th. Enrollment Books Close. Books of enrollment throughout Barnwell County closed Tuesday of this week, and the executive commit tee will meet in the Court House at Batnwell Saturday morning at ten o’clock to purge the club rolls, ap point manager a of election and trans act such other business a a may prop erly come before said meeting. Candi dates having complaints of irregulari ties are invited to appear before the committee at that time. Cotton Crop Showing Marked Improvement Prospective Yield of Fleecy Staple m Barnwell County to Get Drought Relief Congressman Fulmer Says County Was Designated Drought Ter ritory July 17. A short time ago, Representative Solomon Blatt, of this city, wired Congiessman H. P. Fulmer, Senator James F. Byrnes and others in au thority to ascertain why Barnwell County had not been designated to re ceive drought relief along with other counties in South Carolina and last week wa g assured that this county had been so designated. Under date of July 23rd, Congressman Fulmer ad vised Colonel Blatt as follows: “I am quoting herewith from a let ter received from Mr. J. W. Tapp, chairman, department drought com mittee, IT. S. Department of Agricul- ture, Washington, D. C., in reply to my telegram under date of July 10th, requesting that Barnwell County be designated a s official drought terri tory: “ ‘This will acknowledge receipt of your telegram of July 10th addressed to Mr. Aubrey Williams, W. P. A., which has just been referred to us for reply. Barnwell and Bamberg Counties were designated a a official drought teritory on July 17th.’ “1 am mighty glad that you called to my attention the fact that Barnwell had been left out of the designated drought area. 1 am also glad to be able to state that we have succeeded in having it designated, and I am sure if you will get in touch with your county agent, as well as any commit tee which may be appointed to look after program. Barnwell County will get everything it i a entitled te.“ Colonel Blot also received assurance from Senator Byrnes and others that the county wilt he taken care ef ia the matter of drought relief. Meeting Neat Allen’s Chapel Meeting. The annual protracted meeting at Allen’s Chapel Baptist Church will commence Sunday, August 2nd. Be ginning Sunday, the service 3 wll be held at 11:00 o’clock a. m. end 8:30 p. m., and run throughout the week. The public ia invited to attend. Chaperones were once known in England as ’’gooseberries.’’ a Month Ago. The Arst open boll of 1936 cotton seen here ws a on display Monday at the Best Pharmacy and ia said to have been picked on the firm of Dave Black, a few miles from this city. Judging from imports from various sections of the county the cotton crop has improved greatly ia the past few wrek a and prospects now indicate a much larger yield of the Acecy a tap.e than was the case a month ago. The wrather recently has been ideal for cotton and “old” cotton- -thA ia. plantings that came up before the drought—is said to be heavily fruited with grown bolls, with indicated yields of a half to a bale per acre. Young cotton i a atill at a critical stage and the yield from that source depends entirely on the weather dur ing the next few weeks. Plants that did not come up until the dought was broken several week a ago are said to be putting on squares and blooming rapidly. Seasonable weather will re sult in a fair yield, but prolonged rains will increase boll weevil infesta tion, with the consequent damage to the squares and young bolls. While many farmers have good corn crops also, there are some sec tions in which this crop ha s not shown the same marked improvement as cotton, and the prospect at this time is for a smaller yield than last year. The watermelon season is rapidly drawing to a close and on a whole has been more successful than was an ticipated at the beginning. The yield has been very good and prices have held up well throughout the marketing season, due in large part to the control measures used in pre venting the markets from being glut ted with surplug shipments. !J* 6$ urged to utCaud a stork mooting, which will bo hold Tuesday night at eight or lock la the Court Houao at Baruwotl. This moot ing ia being hold ia ruoporation with the rhambor of c* j pap* rs of Auguoi thro* from that city will ho according ta County Agent H. G. Boyiston Farmers will bo shown how they esa produce more liesatack and representative* of banka hi this section will bo protowt to tall of thoir cooperation ia helping to th«a project. District Ward, of Aiken, and Lieootock Spec ialist Hawkins nr* exported to attend the meeting and n good attendance ia being anticipated. Ceuaty Extension Planning Mooting .Nino farmer* and farm representing the County Planning Committee, met in the office of the county and home agents Monday morning, together with the district agents, Mias Bessie Harper and A. H. Ward, of Aiken. The outstanding problems and of the coufity were discussed at length by those present, as well ag a plan of work for another year to be gin to solve at least some of these problems. Another meeting will be held with the committee in the near future, at which time an outline of the work to be carried on in 1937 will be prepared by the committee for the guidance of the county and home agents. Pastor Returns From Vacation. Revival Meeting at Long Branch. Tha revival service s will begin at the Long Branch Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon, August 2nd, at five o’clock. Beginning Monday, Au gust 3rd, the services will be held at 11 o’clock in the morning and at 8 o’clock in the evening. The pastor will have charge of the services and preach throughout the meeting. The member 9 and friends of the church are urged to attend. Visitors are wel come at all times. The world has too many snowshovel- ers looking for work in summer, and too many lawn morerers looking for work in winter! The pastor of the Barnwell Baptist Church, the Rev. J. A. Estes, has re turned from his vacation, and the services will continue as usual, with the exception of the B. T. U. The B. T. U. leaders think it best to wait until the latter part of August or the first of September to start the B. T. U. again. The service s are to beheld as follows: Sunday School, 10:30; Morning Worship, 11:30; Evening , Worship, 8:00. All member s are urged to attend all of these services each Sunday. We especially urge everyone to attend services Sunday morning, at which time we are to decide upon a time for our Revival meeting. Visitors and out-of-town friends are given a cor dial welcome to all of our services. Contributed. A Get man husband was allowed to divorce his wife because she made in sulting remarks about Hitler.