The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-11-21
,nday for worshlppers and Sunday School

the merit OF the teacher, Mr.. J. w. Thomson:
We have salubrious climate, and the pest
water that ever ran out OF the earth.
| This record Is as good as that OF any town
| in America Our merchants nre frst-class
men, and while we have among them no mil
lionaires; yet as citizens and as merchants
they rank the equals OF any other community
of tradesmen. The facts, rs far as we know.
warrant all the statements above made Then
| In the name of common sense, in q spirit OF
sonable cause to talk about Abbeville going
down? ~ .,,o. .,o
town to-day presents an array Of business
gree Of prosperity.
There is not man in business who is not
doing as well as he coul Id hope to do, no mat
ter where he might be located.
| There are always different degrees Of pros
perity attending individual effort, and we
know that never before was there 20 large q
per cent. of our people who were doing as sat
| isfactory business as at present Let croak-
| ers disprove the assertion, If they can. Ihey
can't do 1t. and he who may speak OF the lack
either speaks unadvisedly, or else he sees
matters In different light from that as seen
by us. ,
present success of our business men, we think
| greater and an increased number OF trades
men and other citizens might have come to
town, If little more effort had been made I on
the part of our business men and If our clt1-
Zenship had acted more as unit.
But internal jealousies between individual
citizens has done much to paralyse and TO re-
business interests OF the town. We might
have done better, if we had acted together
Is 1t not fact that some Of our prominent
citizens have never seconded or encouraged
any motion which had been offered by anotn-
1 er than themselves?
Is it not fact that, a few years ago, the
city OF Anderson sent delegation of her cit
izens to urge us to join her in the building Of
of the Savannah Valley railroad by way of
| Abbeville? Is 1t not fact, that the dele
gates being business men, stopped at
Without any encouragement to hope for aid
| from our town? Some planters along the
Savannah afterwards subscribed as literally
as theic means wonld permit, and they got
ID Did not General Bradley and the city Of Au-
gusta offer to bring the A. & K. road to AbDe,
Vile, instead Of to Greenwood, II we would
6eviIle, and he was sent away without even
the encouragement to hope for O cent from u.s.
AS result the road went to Greenwood,
But as soon as we are surrounded and
bound around on every hand by iron bands
the proposition which Sh III, vas s., practical Rnadca
Is strangled. Immediately the heavens
and the earth are moved to build road to
Aiken, and those who objected to the as
sumption Of on enormous debt on this ac-
count were deemed as unpatrtotic and un-
true to the best Interests of the town. Unity
Of action, and q mutual regard for each other
might have resulted in good to the town. IA
If we are right in our diagnosis, we have an
anomalous condition Of aftairs-a small com.
munity Of people, one part Of whom M u would d
expected to yield everything, and consent to
be not even heard. With tils state Of affairs
1t Is not to be wondered at, If we do not pre-.
sent united front on public questions, and If
we fail to develope hesplendid opportunities
which are present with us, and which SUI.
round US on every hand, from the Savannah
to the Saluda, and from Anderson to Edge
field.
Without crltIcIsing the errors on the one
hand, or referring to the causes Of Irritation
on the other, and with no intention to say
II we Suggest that Abbeville, as town,
might learn something from the example OF
T her enterprising neighbor - Greenwood:
town, which is already the Atlanta of Able
willie county, and which will yet be the At
lanta Of South Carolina, he meets an enthu-
is ready at any moment to inspire the visitor
with something Of his own enthusiasm. He
has something to say OF q prosperous neigh.
Dor who may be building q new house or
opening magnificent stock of goods, or per-
haps he is ready to tell OF a big transaction
in real estate, or that fifteen hundred bales
of cotton were shipped last week. -,
But If the same visitor comes to Abbeyille
It is barely possible that some of the half
dozen drones will fill his ears with doleful
tales about Abbeville going down-that moth
The m fact isSlet loafers and drones talk as
they please-every man who Is ut work, Is
doing as well at Abbeville as his energy, his
capital, and his business tact would warrant
no matter where he might be living.
Greenwood acts as one man, when the In
terests OF the town are at stake. When the
interests Of Abbevlllc are involved, we are
too often divided.
Seeing then that personal differences have
well.nigh ruined our fine prospects for more
glorious future, let each and every one OF US
yield something to others. Without truck
ling or without burying our own self-respect,
. US try to unite on any feasible plan to build
up the town, and to draw trade from distant
parts-no matter by, whom proposed-and let
no impracticable scheme be adopted-no mat
{ ter by whom offered.
Let no man vain.gloriously assume to be
better than his neighbor.
Get ctznn nG man be exerese @ of the heaven born
right to the expression OF his opinion.
Let no man claim the prerogative OF tramp
ling upon any other man or of forcibly com
pelIing him to yield his Judgment, except on
an appeal to his reason.
q We believe that, except for surrounding cir
cumstances, all men are about equally en-
, dowed with that love of home and country,
the "noblest passion that can warm and AMI
mate the human breast"
}, II any man boasts a superabundance OF this
best Of all qualities, the probability Is that he
has good and sufficient reasons for 1t, which
reasons do not apply to others. whom he may
charge with having less Of public spirit or
an Inferior amount Of patriotic valor.
Coming down to small matters OF practl-
cal nature, wherein we might mention an in
cident or two, we would refer to O fact or two,
as indicative of much more of the same sort;
The brdges on Long Cane era Wtba
, q few days ago that they have been replaced.
If our merchants had had these bridges re-
!, placed at once, as did the merchants at Nine
ty.Six, they would have kept an immense
kets. Another matter: Our business men do
+ not make enough noise about the good bar
gains which they are ever ready to give:
our own fellow.cltizens have gone off to q
+ strange city to buy even their bagglng and
ties-and In distant market paying thirteen
cents for the same article which they might
have bought at home for ten cents.
Other farmers have made the mistake OF
carrying their cotton to distant markets.
While greater things may have been in
fact, that our business men are doing we'll
, and are attended with more or less success,
!; despite the grumbling of croakers, and the
ptiul lamentations 81 H. the & aeeryers rt 81 nG the
business tact will always bring desirable re.
, suits, and prosperity will never refuse to come
to the doors Of those who 5ealously court her
favors, and wisely reason from cause to effect.
Let no man talk abont Abbeville going
down, She's not going down. She will stand
, forever. We have splendid buildings for busi-
for homes, which the enterprisng business
man can rent as low as the lowest, and we
are surrounded by the best and truest farm.
| Ing people to be found on the face OF the
earth, among whom an indefinite amount OF
trade might be developed with proper effort.
The town in several lines of business offers
splendid opening for new men In the re-
, spective departments, and new men will not
I.t, 1, 1,atr nJync n