The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-11-17

never ask for satisfactory and reliable infor-
nation, and they never tell us what they are
| going to do.
In a sense, this letter of Mr.. Galloway is
none of our quarrel. He is on our side Of the
subscription question, and he has not said
anything against us. In a sense it is our
quarrel. He abuses and commiserates Aiken.
We were working heart and soul for what We
believed to be her best interests when we ad-
vocated subscription, because we were one
with her i'll sympathy and love-and now and
always. he who attacks Aiken attacks us.
Furthermore, just because Mr.. & ,lloway is
on our side ON the general question, We must
take issue with him in the manner of war
flare which he sees good to adopt. In The
whole discussion, we have kept ourselves to
facts and arguments, carefully avoiding and
dd h0minem. We did not consider the matter
a personal one we had no axe of our own to
grind and did not propose to turn the stone
for any one else to grind his axe.
Again, we do not forget that Mr.. Galloway
is only a private individual and speaks GER
tainly on his own responsibility, but only for
himself. 1t would amount to giving too
much prominence to any outsiders private
opinions OF our citizens and their affairs, to
make a parade of this letter; and it would
surely be pitiablc if Aiken had to muster her
forces and shoulder arms whenever a spent
ball from n single ri0eman falls somewhere
near her. But Mr.. Galloway's letter appear
ed in one of the Abbeville papers, and anotll-
er one homors it with two editorial notices
and one OF these-spare us, Brother Hemp
hill lis a leader!
We do not propose to defend Aiken. Haste
in sclf-justifcation argues weakness and
guilt. we Spurn any man or place who begs
leave to live and pleads with the public for IA
good name and a favorable Judgment. The
French proverb is true, "Qul s'ercusc, sue
case" Still, Aiken has been unjustly dealt
with, and is held before the public in an as
pect as untrue to her as were Nast's and
Puck's caricatures of Blaine untrue to the
Plumed knights physical features.
We must condemn the class distinctions of
Mr.. G's letter. 1t is contrary to the genius
and to the truo interests Of our
great Republic. No matter what Il mans ma
tionality may be, when he comes to this coun-
try he becomes an American. Our German
citizens certainly would not have us defend
them from the charge of being slow and dir
ty." We wonld not insult them by doing SO.
We can, however, say of them that they are
true Americans. Some of them fought
bravely for the Confederacy, and they have
ever been active workers for white supremacy
and Democratic principles. They are good,
quiet, industrious citizens, and this means
that they add much to the welfare of the town.
They did not agree with US on the railroad
question but we have always been willing to
accord to one who differs with us what We
claim to have ourselves, motives and reasons
cicnt. 1T is false, in fact, that they control the
business OF Aiken, and ara able, if they even
wished tn do so, to choke on, her life. 1t is
false, i'll fact, that they either directly or
indirectly carried the last election, save in
the sense that Indiana or New Jersey elected
Cleveland. 1t is false, IN fact, that they own
stock in the Recor6er.
Neither does beer rule in Aiken. We have
mover seen a more orderly town. One eau
1--we, tor years, on any one of her principal
streets, and scarcely ever see a drunken man
or be disturbed by a drunkard's noise in the
still hours OF the night.
Mr.. Galloway has fallen Into tue same error
which explains so much OF the injustice to
the South on the part OF 80 many Northern
visitors. He could not, indeed, see Aiken
from the car windows, on account OF the cut,
bul he did actually leave the train, spend a
night In the town and ii day Ill the business
portion OF Aiken-and TO-, he knows US thor
oughlY, socially, financially, economically,
ethnicully and morally He did not see !
single house being built. Well, he must have
been too ncar-sightcd to see even from the
centre of our streets. 100 ydrds toi.ic, y to
the bmildiding lots and premises, az no rode
along! The building boom started before the
Building and Loan Association WAS organized,
and has steadily increased since. We have
not taken the trouble to collect statistics but
our neighbor the Recorder, has done so and
informs us that, during the past year, new
buildings have been erected in Aiken to the
value OF $4,000 and Improvements and re-
pairs to the value Of $500. In addition to
this, there is now under contract or in pro-
cess of erection $l3, $500 worth of buildings, to
DO completed in the course of a few months.
This is n good showing for a town nf from
1000 to $500 inhabitants, Mr.. Chatfrld,
tolls us. too, that never since he began to
keep the bctel here has he received so many
letters of inquiry concerning Aiken, us he has
this fall.
Well, we believe our citizens have made a
mistake in voting down the c., G. &. il G..
Road but we wanted the road because we
could sec from the progress of the town, that
Aiken could be made All important place.
And though the majority did say mo Sub
scriptlon," We have no reason to be ashamed
of our town and 10 reason to despair of her.
"a iEen Journal und Reriew.