The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-08-13


sented their claims.
! Supervisor ". II. Scale announced
his candidacy for reelection and asked
for support on his official record dur
ing the past two years.
/ When he took charge in Dec. 1900,
the amount already paid out for that
years county expenses was s25, 816. Y !;
debts contracted but then unpaid
$4,000, total for 1900, contracted
by predecessor 29,816,72. In 1901
amount paid out $50, eo2 s5, but from
this must be deducted $4,000 from
| 1900 as above stated and $500, total
$1,000 leaving s23, 4o2. SO as the actual
expense for 1901. Besides he had add
ed 5 mules costing s765; 2 road scrapes,
500; road machine and outfit $3.50;
and 8 tents, 500, total of sl,3l5 to
the property of the county, which
amount should be deducted from the
expense account stated above. Besides
the chain gang averaged about Is
under his predecessor in Office, while it
now averaged 40 to II, while bacon had
advance in price from &c. to 1211a and
15c. per pound and other groceries in
| proportion, whereby the cost of feed
ing the convicts had been greatly in
creased. Again, fence had been built
around the Poor Farm at consider
able outlay, and nine convicts hired
from the State at 81 per month and q
State guard at $50 month, all of
which increased the legitimate expense
of the county and enabled the Super
visor to get better results and do more
work. His work was before the people
and spoke for itslef; he stands on his
record and is willing to let the people
judge Of his fitness for Office.
Mr.. 7. N. higgins said he was can
didate for County Supervisor. In ref
erence to Mr.. Scales record he would
say that no credit for sA0o worth of
lumber sold from Poor Farm had been
given; nor had Mr. Scale said any
thing about the $500 spent on the
Charleston Exposition, He had no
right to spend peoples money that
way on an Exposition which people
were too poor to 60 to see. He had
been told that the chain gang convicts
were rationed five pounds of meat
which was extravagant. # it cost 80
cents day to feed convicts, they got
more than he did. If he was elected
he would run the county for less
money and build good roads at less
cost.
In reply Mr.. Scale said the County
Board of Commissioners had made the
$500 appropriation for the Exposition
after consulting with many of the
largest taxpayers, but he was ready
and willing to take all response bility,
as it was for the benefit of the county,
and the city of Sumter had appropri-
ated s40O to supplement the county ap-
preparation. Later he said that the
s4O0 received for timber sold from the
Poor Farm had been turned over to
the County Treasurer, and would be
found on the receipts. The reports
published show only the expenditures
of the Supervisor.
The candidates for County Superin
tendent OF Education were next called
on. Capt. A. P. Vinson, S. Dwight
Cain, B. D. Wilson and ". J. Rees
made speeches. Mr.. T. NJ. Keels was
absent.
Letters from Col. T. V. Walsh and
j. Diggs Wilder, candidates for Pro-
bate Judge and Auditor, respectively,
were read expressing their regret that
they were unable to be present
Messrs. r. C. Folk and W. A.
Spann, candidates for Magistrate in
the 3rd District, and ". R. DuBcse
candidate for Magistratelin the 9TH
District were introduced and announc-
ed their candidacy.
Messrs. A. F. Lever and j. B. Nc
Lauchlin, the candidates for Congress
from the Seventh District, spoke for
twenty minutes each, concluding the
speech making of the day. Mr.. Lever
made practical speech, outlining his
record in Congress and stating his po-
sition on the leading issues of the day.
He devoted particular attention to the
trust and tariff questions.
Mr.. McLauchlin gave up most Of
his time to aphilosophical..and academ-
ic discussion of the theory of govern
ment under Democratic system. He
declared his position in opposition to
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