The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-07-31

not by his skill and attsinments, but
by cheap services.
But are the continuity Interested
in the struggle of tho cheap unskilled
And unlearned, and the skilled and
learned who seek higher star, lard
of excellence, and higher remunera.
tions Undoubte1a'' e1a'y there are. 1t is
70 their int."Srost to obtain the highest
order Of excellence in every calling,
and to sustain and support it. Shall
we buy shoes from the man who ma
king them of badly tanned leather,
and paper-soles can sell them at 81,
and which last two weeks, and refuse
to purchase from the honest and
skilled workman who with good ma
terial and honest work turns US out
shoe that lasts for months? Com
mon sense forbids. Common sense
tells US to purchase that which has
the most wear, and is cheapest in the
end.
| Do people carry their common
sense into matters requiring profess
sional services? Many do, and many
do not. Some seek tho services of a
physician or lawyer on account of his
skill, some from partiality and a
great number because he is cheap,
Now of all cheap individuals, deliv.
er me from a "cheap doctor" I may
with impunity employ a botcher q
"cheap job carpenter, blacksmith,
shoemaker, or even a lawyer I say
with impunity to lilo and limb-but
from q "oheap job doctor" good Lord
deliver mel could not be induced
to trust him with my carcass. Ihave
seen too many "cheap jobs" of this
kind; lame, halt and blind. I have
several times seen death induced by
the cheap fraternity.
The public maylay it to heart that they
can only obtain a fair amount Of skill
by a fair remuneration, be the calling
medicine or shoemaking, and that
man is an enemy of the community
who endeavors to undermine skilled
labor by charges beneath a fair and
living rate; and the community may
rest assured that such charges by
a professional man are a suro indica-
ton that he cannot stand up against
the skill and attainments of his COM
petitors, and always imply a low or
der of ability.
What generally is the object Of the
"cbeap system?" Why clearly to
drive competition from the field, BY
starving the competitor, Who so
verdant as not to understand that
dodgel 1t is a very crafty trick, but
is old, very old: so old that a child
can comprehend, but thereby hangs
"tail" and that "tail" is, that when
the opposition line is killed by free
passage and free drinks. The "Peo-
pies favorite cheap line' puts the
rates up to that point that tho free
passage and free drinks arc paid for
by the dear people-and the dear peo-
pie have no redress; they must &C.
cept such fare and such accommoda-
tion as the "People's Favorite Cheap
Line" chooses to give; and the "Peo-
ple's Favorite Cheap Line" usually
gives cheap fare and cheap aocommo,
dation.
Who can recall the horrors Of tho
last war without q shudder? and yet
not the least of these horrors was the
compulsory subsection Of tho men to
medical and surgical treatment by
ignoramuses, blockheads and green
horns-all free gentlemen, all free
provided at the expense of the Con-
federate Government-free quarters,
free medicines, free medical atten-
dance, and the doctors had free whis-
key. Oh what glorious time! Did you
not like it, especially the medical de-
when one of these chuck
leheads presided over your lives and
limbs, free of cost or charge. knew
of poor lad 1S years of ago, wound
ed in the leg. Three "dunderheads,"
wearing Confederate uniforms, with
black trimmings, amputated his leg
three times in one day, but could not
Elk it right" the "cussed thing"
would bleed. The poor fellow was
released by death before they could
mutilate him the fourth time.
1t was all done free Of charge
dirt cheapl never eosL him a cent
the Confederate Government paid
even for his cofin-which "cheap Doc.
tors" out of the Confederate service
don't do.