The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-20
NARROW GAUGE VICTORY.
A MEMORABLE DAY IN THE HIST0E!
OF COKESBURY.
A Tax of Five Per Cent. Is Voted for
the Benefit Of the GreenviIle and
Port Royal Railroad =. Official
Count of the Notes.-The Active

Contest.
Pursuant to public notice an election by the
qualified voters was held at CokeSbury yestcr.
day for the purpose OF deciding whether or or
not five per cent. of the assessed valuc of all
the property in the township, should be sub
scribcd in twenty year bonds TO the capital
stock of the Grcrnville and Port Royal Rail-
road The friends and opponents of the meas
weeks in behalf OF their tlvOrite side, and
! much interest was developed as the election
! day approached. The polls were opened al
eight o'clock in the drug store of Drs. Lea u
| Calder. The managers were: VIM. II. Moore,
! J. G.. Ellis. \. E. Norris. Before the polls were
opened some forty or fifty persons were al
ready present, anxious TO- exercise their right
IN voting for or against the measure as their
judgment dictated. In a little while after the
voting commenced, DR.. Willie 4. Jones. with
II band of music, at the head of q great col l.
umn of Railroad voters from Mulberry and
Salnda, was seen approaching from oyer @ the
music with another column OF voters rein
forced the railroad men.
Much interest was manifested throughout
the day. and the earncstness OF either party
was little less than was the excitement incl
dent to the election in 1876 Both sides work
ed most vigorously and in some instances
strong language was lndulgcd III by some OF
the parties, but the voting progressed with
comparative quiet, and it was soon apparent
that the railroad men had the vantage ground
and would carry :he day by large majority.
At five o'clock the polls were closed, and
tho managers proceeded to count the votes,
with the following result:
For iption................2a votes.
No SubScr1ptlon....... l2 votes.
Majority for Subscription. votes.
The opponents Of the tax challenged one
hundred and fnrty-siX voters, chiefly on ac-
count of the failure to produce registration
certificates. The advocates of the tax made no
cha llcngc of any vote for any reason. The
railroad men, we believe, cOntendcd that the
registration certificate was not a necessary
prerequisite TO the exercise Of the right to
vote. Granting that their position is right,
they carried the election by a handsome ma-
jorty, but If the election should be contested,
and the Courts should determine that the reg
istration certificate was necessary, then the
figures would stand about in this way:
Total for taH."....... ..""..........2Sl votes.
Deduct challenged. .".........ll6 votes.
Unchallcnccd for tax....... lbs votes.
Unchalcnged against taH....l32 votes.
Majority for taX....""......".. votes.
| OF course it is not for Us to pass upon the lc.
gality or illegality of any vote which may
| have been cast at this elect ion, but in the re-
ton for the c., G.. &. and c. X. X. the register
ed citizens onIy were allowed to vote The
! very terms of the advertisement. in our opn-
| ion, is conclusive: "At which election shall
he submitted to the q"alfcd electors" etc.
Asa matter of law. and as Il matter OF fact, no
citizen Of South Carolina can be a qualified
elcct0r who has not been registered
Many of the ctiZeiSOf COECSbury township
sincerely believe that it was we'll To vote this
tax, and now, since they have carried the elcc-
| ton, even If the challenged voters should be
thrown out, it is hoped that harmony os unity
of feeling may prevail. The victors will be
cOnsdcrate of the feelings Of those who OPP
posed the tax, and those who opposed the tax
| will now yield to the inevitable. The plan of
! issuing township bonds is an untried expert
mcnt in this section of the State. which may
not work SO diSastrously as many may fear,
while the advantages to he derived from the
construction Of the road will certainly be
something.
! We presume the election in CokeSbury yes
terday, will 90 a long way In determining the
success OF the narrow gauge road from Green
vile to Nincty-SiX. The Abbcvillc townships
have certainly done all that was asked or eX.
! pected OF them. Let the Laurens and Green
willie townships now come squarely upto their
share OF the burden, and all will be well with
the enterprise, and the people along the line
Will realize tho blessings which railroad COM
mnnicatiOn with the outside world always
! brings.
The people of Abbevillc county certainly
have reason to be congratulated on the sue
! cess which our Ninety Six friends seem likely
to attain. Their success will add to the
wealth and prosperity Of the County. With
that road finished we believe we will have u
much greater mileage OF railroads than any
other county in the State.
! The friends Of the Elberton, Abbevillc and
Chester railroad should take heart from the
success which has recently crowned the efforts
of our friends at Nincty-SiX and COkeSbury
With our railroad from Elbcrton to Chester,
Ahbevile would he on one Of the most i'm pOr-
! tant railroads that run across the country.
The roads which run from the mountains to
the sea would be important feeders to our
road which would afford to Chester and all
the intervening country. 81 most direct rail-
road connection with the West