The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-10-29
Columbia Re0iStcr.)

NIUtuUtOUt 1teytotti.J
From our desire not TO push All u~nequalfight
on our Abbeville contcmporary-for it is hard
for even our able contemporary to doctor q
sick duck-we concluded that so far as The
posed TO serve, and nothing more, that we had
said enough In defense Of tho recent Board OF
Equalization and touching The arrangement
of q fnithful, Woodworking, scrupulOus State
officer who had done his duty before Inc PEG,
pie, friend and foe alike, without fear and
without favor, and who had stood by the
Treasury OF the State, the fiduciary Ccrberus,
across whose guard no claim passed unchnl-
lcnged and sifted to the bottom; yes, one VINO
watched the last cent of the peoples taxes 10
honest, lawful and strict account At no time
in the history of The State before the war did
the ComptrOller's office OF South Carolina
present such complete organization and
searching efficiency. One Of the chief COM
plants against this important State officer
has been. and Is, that he lets nothing escape
mis- official drag net, from n pin to an ele-
phant." And one Of the chief complaints is
that he will sickle at a cent, and when he Is
reminded that 1t is "only q fGa," he answers
pass a pin and you pass the elephant,
This office is the states business office, and
1t means business all the time and knows
neither friend nor foe" Indeed, has this
scrupulous officer made his known friends
fight their way TO their claims. which was
like earning their money asecOnd time. How
hard. how Unjust, how ungenerous is Ii, then,
that he should be held up before the people Of
the State as an unjust. partial, unfair public
official. setting up one and putting down an
other, when even his closest friends say of
him, with q smile not unmiNcd with adinira-
ton: He stands up so straight that he leans
back a little" Is not this the kind Of man
that South Carolina at this time most needs
to protect her finances, TO shield her credit
her obligations better than gold? We, too,
we'll apprehend what the average South Car
Gilman thinks in this regard.
Under these hone est convictions not idly en-
tertained, we had concluded to draw of from
the contest, especially rs we saw our contem-
porary was reduced 10 u scattering fire, in
which the Columbla Canal, the Attorney Gen
erals Department, the phosphate deposits,
the honor and reputation of AbbevillC tax
payers, and this and that and the other point
of attack was tried with a feeling desire to hit
something anyhow. We Know enough OF
controversies to know that this scattering
fire means conscious weakness, and hence in
sympathy for our contemporary we conclu-
ded TO draw off from the fight, fully aware
ourselves, hit our best friends, and n great
Democratic State journal OF such established
repute that VIC lat nothing to gain In the
end by wounding one OF our own family.
And this is the feeling we nave ior lne Inro'
linn press in general. We want no advantage,
n we could get IL, over our " brothers.
4 nd AGAIN and again have we stricken from
COMMUNICATIONS addressed to us filings at one
arr another Carolina journal, and Inns we 40
n the principle that we are OF one family
I'd II there arises a complaint against a given
journal the correspondent should address
himself frankly and squarely TO that Journal.
and If his cause or complaint DC meritorlous
are open to him, and his tight becomes our
ftghtin behalf Of what is right and an NO h9n est
and we'll ordered public se!timent: aet we
and 10 refuse to receive a communication
Which III would appear TO be entertS AIN din in hos nos
tility to a brother journalist: we ieel our
When we say that, os our attention has been
called to certain points maintained by IT last
week, which may lend TO the confusion OF the
public mind touching this grave question OF
taxation and kindred matters, with every
disposition to play quits, we feel we must
make a kindly explanation whlcS VIII snow
our contem porary. no less than others, thati
is fatally mistaken in the positions 1t has as
sumed. and thai there is no help for 1t but 10
onfess its error. as we had occasion TO 40
onre nj the suggestion of the Press and Ban
nc. which we frankly did without taking any
shame 10 ourselves for So doing.