Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-02-26
COMMISSIONER OF IMMIGRATION
e. J. Watson, a WeII-Known Newspa'
per Man Appointed.


terested in the newly created depart
ment Of immigration. He wishes to
make it a success from the jump, and
he thinks that he has succeeded In CIV
ing 1t the proper start at the outset
and tonight announced that he had ap-
pointed Mr.. E. j. Watson Of Colum-
bia, as commissioner under the provis-
ions of the recently enacted law.
The idea Of department Of this
kind is dear to the heart Of Governor
Hayward, and before he started in on
the campaign which resulted In his
election he advocated the establishment
Of such a department, and in fact ever
since he has been in public life he has
been earnestly endeavoring in his quiet
way to have such law enacted. Then.
when the law was passed, the general
assembly pointedly placed the RESPONSE
bility for the success Of the under
taking on him and his appointee. On
this account Governor Hayward has
been careful in making his appoint
ment, and he feels that he has taken
the first step forward in the right d.
rection by the appointment of Mr.. E. J.
Watson to the position. Governor Hey
wards purpose was to find some one
who had had some experience In this,
who was a hustler, who could and
would devote his entire time to the
work and who was in no way in poll
tics. Mr.. Watson has never been
candidate for political preferment, and
his selection by Governor Hayward was
entirely voluntary. Mr.. Watson made
no overtures for the appointment, and
it was at the suggestion of friends of
Governor Hayward and at the solicita-
ton of Governor Hayward himself that
Mr.. Watson accepted the position.
For more than a year Mr.. Watson
has been the secretary of the Columbia
Chamber of Commerce, and 1t was in
connection with that work that Gov
ernor Hayward was impressed with the
character Of his work and the desira-
biity Of placing him in charge Of the
newly established department. Mr..
Watson has made distinct success of
the Columbia Chamber Of Commerce,
and there is every reason why he
should make a similar name for him
self in the department Of immigration.
Mr. Watson has lived all of his life
in Columbia and is graduate OF the
South Carolina college Of the class OF
loon Aftar h;c GRO duotiop he went in =
to newspaper work and has been asso-
ciated with the State ever since its
establishment in 1891. For many years
he was the city editor and won an en-
viable name and reputation for=himself
by his hard, conscientious and effective
work Recently he was promoted to
the position of news and telegraph edi-
tor of the State and he will retire
from this position to accept his new
work.
1t is not expected that the new de-
partment will be ready for work until
about the 18th of March, as Governor
Hayward is anxious for the department
to be started out in good shape.
Mr.. Watson was elected secretary of
the South Carolina immigration asso-
citation, and is member Of the eXecu-
tive committee Of that organization
And he has been in close touch with
the preliminary work that has recently
been done in connection with this
movement.
Governor Heyward's appointment is
distinctly fortunate. If there is any
possibility of the immigration depart
ment being a success and its resulting
in good for the State at large, Mr.
Watson is the right man to bring about
that result. He is young. progressive
in his ideas, active, quick in conclu-
sions, and altogether, Governor Hey
ward has made splendid selection and
one on which he should be congratu-
llated.-August Kohn, in the News and
Courier.