The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-10-19

like republican contribution TO the
democratic campaign. Republican
managers and newspapers have habit
of giving to the public the innermost
thoughts Of the democratic leaders on
all sabjects connecfd with national
campaign.
There is no difficulty in fixing the
blame for that shocking and needless
accident last night. It is the custom
OF racing the hose wagons, helter-
skelter through the streets at break
neck speed, every time the fire alarm
is sounded that is responsible for the
killing OF useful and very valuable
horse in a shocking manner. More
often than otherwise the drivers OF
the hose wagons have no definite idea
of the locality of fire when they
leave their houses, yet they dash out
at full speed and race in one direction
or the other until the fire is located or
they ascertain that they have been
called out by false alarm. The drivers
are not to blame, they are merely fol-
lowing a custom that grew out OF the
keen rivalry of the two teams and
that has been acquiesced in, il not san
ctiond by the city authorities, who.
alone. could have regulate, the speed
of the hose wagons within reasonable
and safe limits. For years this Gus
tom of racing to fires has prevailed
and that there have been no serious
accidents has been due to good
fortune and nothing else. All who
have given the matter any thought
have realized the danger of accidents
and have been fearful that the pitcher
would go to the we'll once too often.
Not only have the lives of the drivers
of the hose wagons, of the fremen on
the wagons and the horses and appar-
atus been placed in jeopardy hundreds
of times, but the people On the streets
were in almost as great danger OF
death or serious injury. If an in6rm
person OF a child had happened to be
in the path of one of the hose wagons
when it dashed around a corner, the
result would have been more shocking,
more deplorable than the accident last
y ght. Many have confidently anti
cipated that the hose wagons would
collide at the corner >of Main and
Liberty streets as they made the turn
from Liberty into Main, and the col
Iision last night occurred but little
different from the expected. 1t differ
ed in detail and circumstances, but
not III results, save that the accident
was not as serious as it could easily
have besn. If the killing Of valua-
BILE horse, whose loss cannot be estl-
mated in dollars and cents, for he can
not be replaced, serves to abolish
useless and dangerous custom, the city
will be the gamer, and we should all {
be thankful that it was a horse and
net man who was sacrificed to crys-
ta1ize public sentiment against Gus
tom that has long been deadly men-
ace to public safety.
Stonewall Jackson was cut of and
surrounded any number of times, but
be always managed to turn up at the
wrong place for the enemy; similarly
and Gen. Kuroki seems to be somewhat
gifted. It will be we'll to wait un-
til ali the reports are in before con-
Guiding that he has fallen into the
hands of the Russians.
Field Marshall Oyama says that the
operations against the Russians are
favorably, and if he has
followed the usual japanese policy IN !
this wsr of acting before making re-
ports, the successes achieved by the
Russians do not amount to much IN
their influence upon the general plan
of battle.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES