The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-03-06
THE COUNTY ADVERTISING OUR
POSITION.

It is always unpleasant to obtruds
personal matters before the public, but
chat to which we refer, affects the public
as we'll as ourselves, since it concerns the
conduct of public officials, and refers tc
to the county advertising, i'll which oul
readers are all interested.
| The readers of the Press and Banner
and of the Medium cannot have failed tt
observe that since the establishment o.
that paper, it has secured the entire ad
ycrtising from the offices Of the Schoo
Commissioner, the County Commis-
sioners, the Judge of Probate, and the
Auditor, whilst the Sheriff and tho
County Treasurer, have alone shared
their advertising between the two Coun
ty papers. In so doing, we are prepared
to show that the tirst-named officer:
have acted counter to the uniform prac
tice of their predecessors, and Ill dlsre'
gard of the interests of the general pub
! lie of which they are the legally consti
tuted trustees.
I. What has been the uniform practice
with regard to the County advertising
We are prepared to show that the uniform
practice from the first establishment o
the County papers, has been to aware
the advertising to the old established
paper, until the new candidate for public
favor, had made good its position ant
secured it's circulation and then to III
vide the advertising between the two
papcrs. Such was the case when thu
Press was established, and for twelve
months thereafter the Banner retained
the entire advertising against the siren
uous efforts and earnest protests of the
Press; and it was only when the latter
paper rivalcd, if it did not exceed the
circulation of the former, and had estab
lisled its claim upon the public patron.
are. that it was allowed to share in the
County advertising. ANoWed to shart
we say, for never did the Press prefer sc
nreposterous a claim, nor did the public
o,,icers ever dream of sanctioning so un'
reaso,. able demand, as to monopoliZe
the enti,e official advertising patronage
of the Coun..v. Those were days when
public officers recognized their just re-
sponsibililies to the people. and per-
formed their official ,.'uty Win due re-
gard to the public interes,ts.,
ii. We are prepared to SLOW tilat III
giving the entire advertising or thelf
respective offices to the AbbevilIo me-
diuna, the officers aboVe-named have ac-
ted in disregard Of the interests Of the
general public. We do not suppose that
the Medium WiU claim onc:.fourth Of the
circulation of the Press and banner in the
County. Except at Abbeville G. H., at
Due West, and at Level Land, the paper
is scarcely known and has most meagre
and yet it aspires, and the
officers named sanction, its claim to be
the sole organ Of communication between
the trustees of the public and the public
Are the citizens of Green
wood not entitled equally with the citi-
Zens OF Due West to share in the knOwl-
edge of all the official acts of County
officers, which the law requires to be
published? Have not the people of
Lowndesville and Ninety-Six all equal
claim with the people Of Level Land to
know what Citations are issuett what
Final Discharges are prayed; what No.
tees to Contractors are given what COM
mon School notices are announced? Do
Due West and Level Land and the Tenn
pie of Health represent the whole broad
County of AbbcviIle, which stretches
from the Saluda to the Savannah,
and from Lowndesville to Nincty-SiX?
We had supposed Ninety-Six and Green
wood and COkesbury, and Donaldsville
and Lowndesville had an equal voice in
elccting the County officers, and con-
tributed at least All equal share of their
business, and sustained at least all equal
proportion of the burdens of their main-
tcnance? Why then should their exis-
tencc not be recognized, and their just
claims to knowledge of the acts of the
County officials, through the legalized
channels of publication, not be conce-
ded? Legal notices are required to be
published for the information of the
people and of the whole people, and
when public officers ignore the claims of
q widely circulated journal and select as
the sole medium OF publication paper
Of limited circulation, they defeat the in
tention of the law, and disregarding the
rights. prejudice the interests of the
people, whose servants they are. Such
conduct has 10 precedent in the past
history of the public officials of Abbeville,
and to find parallel you must 20 into
some of the adjoining counties, where
legal notices are inserted 1--WE will not
say published) in paper established,
and with circulation if circulation
there be) entirely outside Of those
counties. DO our public officers JUS
tify such course, and propose to en-
ulate that example? Does the Medium
pretend to have 0ne-fourth the circula-
ton Of the Press and Banner in the
County? Can it even equal its circula-
ton among the colored people, Does it
claim better to represent the sentiments
and Interests of the white people of the
county? If the iuctlium can present any
one ground upon which it can prefer,
and the County officials can sanction, its
claim to the monopoly of the County
advertising, then we will be willing tO
submit quietly, and "foreyer hold our
peace.' But not till then.
The above stated propositions arc bas-
ed on tile assumption that even ut Able
vile &. H., Due West and Level Land
the Medium has an equal circulation
with the Press and Banner. But this
We do not admit, whilst we claim that
at the other and important Post Offices
Of the County, the Press and Banner
has large circulation, whilst the Nc-
diuH, is almost unknown.
In conclusion, we. would say, that
whether paid for the work or not, W.
intend to publish in the Press and Bdn'
nCr all legal notices, and thus cndeavol
to discharge our obligations, whatever
course County Officials may pursue, anC
however much they may ignore oul
claims, and the interests and wishes 0
the people. We are dependent upon thu
people for our patronage, and it gives IL
iplcusure to recognize our obligations