The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-03-14
A CORPORATION TOWN.
Where Ono Man Is Absolute Ruler
and There liz no Private Owner.

" nero ono NAN Is Absolute hule
j. and There is no Private Owner
ship.
I Springfield Republican.
Probably the most remarkable TOW
? In the United States is Pelzer, S. {
Ihough ilourishing, progressive huE
mess centre, with Is population Of owe
O,OOO, 1T has no city government, n
councils, no mayor and no police. Il
spite OF this extraordinary condition O
affairs the city has the reputation O
being one Of the best regulated citie
Ia the country. 1t has been In ex
lstence Ii years, and presents one o
Lhe most interesting phases of tn,
study OF the municipal problem tha
ever confronted the student. 1t ha
no newspaper, no courts, no lawyers
40 saloons, no theatres, no politicians
and In the ertire population Of 6,0O(
not one face is black. There is nj
private ownership, everything in the
city, land, buildings aud manufacture
Ing industries belonging exclusively tC
the great corporation which establish
co the town. La its entire history
there has never been single murder
committed, and the city has never ex.
pcrlenced strike or any kind of labor
u.sturoance The anteceden,s OF all
| persons coming into the town Us re-
sluents and employees are carefully in
Vestlgated, and only those bearing un-
tarnished regulations are permitted to
remain. The town has several fine
| SCHOOLS, there are free circulating
library and reading rooms, which are
| lree TO every resident The citizens
are industrious and thrifty, and in the
only bank OF the town have invested
over SlOO 600 OF their savings.
One man has supreme authority
over the entire town and its inhabi.
tants. This man is the president of
the company which founded and owns
tho town-E,llson A. Smyth. When
interviewed for the Mail and Express
recently, Mr., Smyth remarked
Our system does awGy with all the
evils Of politics and oni .e seeking. Of
course, you might argue that it vests
q great deal Of power in the hands of
one man and that the abuse OF this au-
tnorlty might result in dangerous con-
dltlons. There is q certain element of
truth In that, but we have been living
under this system for II years and our
city Is one Of the best governed in the
country. Our citizens are not burden.
ed with eXorbitant taxes, neither are
they compelled to maintain useless
ana expensive otficeholders. Every
one In PelZer must work iOT o H. yipg.
and time serving politicians and those
VINO ilVe' at the expense Of othor peo.
pie give our town wide berth. il il
to this fact that | ascribe q great
measure OF our success, for am firmly
convinced that most Of the lawlessness
which exists in great cities proceeds
directly from The pernicious influence
Of the politicians.
While PelZer is essentially a cot
ton town, this is not our only industry.
Ihere are, besides the four great cot
ton mills, an oil mill, q broom and
mattress company and savings bank,
Inc PelZer manufacturing company
pears all the expenses Incident to the
operation OF the city, aud does all the
municipal work required, including
lightlng, the sanitary work and the
street cleaning and repairing. Eight
hours ls the limit OF days work, and
we keep Saturday half-nOliday All the
year round. Our employees occupy
some 800 or more cottages, built for
them by the company, and each Is sur
ROUNDED by large garden. Large
pastures are maintained for the cattle,
"hlcn the people own and which con-
slst OF cows, horses, sheep and goat.
Many OF our citizens own their own
horses and vehicles.
The public school system is hiphlv
{ elliclent, and the schools are kept open
ten months In year Those who
work at the mills are required TO leave
their work at some stated time each
week IN order to receive instruction.
Education ls compulsory, and our
system includes all grades. Every
effort Is made to combine the educa.
tlonal and practical, and all those
students who manifest particular anti
tude are selected for advanced educa-
tional courses. Women are furnished
the same facilities as men.
we have no local newspaper, and
we oon want any. Oar reading rooms
subscribe to % leading dailies, which
are sent here from all the prominent
cities and contain oil the information
that ls necessary to keep our people In
touch with the outside world. We
nave no law courts, because we don't
need any. Our citizons live in peace
and friendship. They do not quarrel
they have no financial claims apaipst
each other, and the triiling occasional
differences which occur am able to
decide myself. If we allowed one
lawyer to live here, another would soon
move In to fight him, and the result
would be discOrd. We have no alder.
men, no courts, no municipal councils,
no police. The residents keep the
peace and get along comfortably with
out them. We have no drunkenness
because we don't permit liquor within
the city limits, and drunkenness
furnishes more than half the business
OF 81 pOlinp fprna