The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-10-29
THE ADVERTISER.
LAURENs, $. c., Oct. go, 1909.
Mr.. Rhett and the Southern.

Does the Southern Railway dlscr;m'
mate against Charleston in freight
rates on raw cottonp This question Is
being discussed in the Charleston pa
pers and Mr.. r. G. Rhett, one of the
foremost young business men Of that
city president Of a great bank and lead
err In umerou public and private en-
terprises, openly charges that the road
is at war with Charleston's interests The
railway company enters q general and
specific denial and declares that the
fault lies with Charleston cotton buy
ers. Meanwhile, Charleston gets a
good share Of cotton from points along
other lines entering Charleston.
The whole state has a financial inter
est in this question. One Of two pro-
positions are true. Either the South
ern Railway is at war with the bust
ness OF South Carolina or Is the victim
of o remarkable conspiracy Of persecu-
tors and slanderers. We fail to under
stand how men OF Mr.. Rhett's intel
ligence, breadth and conservative char
acter could make the attacks on this
company that come from his pen unless
he were sure Of his ground. We do not
believe that he and the Charleston re-
Maybank, are fools or ignoramuses and
we fancy that they know enough Of
business to express q fairly accurate
opinion as to the cause when their bust
ness is suffering. When a man is hit, he
knows what hits him If he is not
knocked out in the first round.
II ths charges against the Southern
Railway are true, they should be re-
sented. The Railway can be brought
TO terms. Public sentiment can be
aroused in such q way that the Com
pany will suffer. 1t has not yet a
monopoly of the lines in South Caro-
lima. We believe that every newspa-
per in South Carolina, weekly as well
as daily, should examine into this mat
ter and IL the Southern is the enemy
OF the state, let the fact be known and
let the people and the press stand by
their friends. BY the way, an incom-
prehensible position is assumed by the
Charleston News and Courier in this
dispute. Without squarely defending
the Railway, it extends to 1t aid and
sympathy. 1t is a great and informed
newspaper. If MIR. Rhett is wrong, it
ought to be able to say so convincingly.
If Mr.. Rhett is right it ought to lead
the necessary fight against the South
ern and lead it with vigor and per-
tinacity. If the commercial interests
OF Its city are at stake, as is claimed,
the time for dallying is past. The i'm
precision is abroad that the Southern is
antagonistic not only to Charleston but
to the whole state. The impression
should be removed or it should be
acted upon. We are of those who be-
Heve that al aroused people can always
find q method of c~heck-mating the un-
fair designs of any corporation but the
people are dependent on newspapers,
especially the great daily newspapers,
for information in the first place and
advice in the second. THE ADVERTISER,
knowing the facilities of The News and
Courier to go to the bottom Of an in
ricaJe question like this, would in some
degree be guided by 1t but what are
we and the people Of the state gener-
ally to think when Charleston's and
the states great morning newspaper
practically confesses itself at sea?