The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-08-17

What's the matter with the law and or
der league of Aiken county? Evidently
it is not producing results, for a special
term of court is to be held for two weeks
in that county in September for the pur-
pose of trying criminals.
~.
If contesting these dispensary elections
should result in a more rigid enforcement
of the laws governing primary elections,
they will result in some good after all.
Primary rules should be carried out just
as fully as general election laws.
~.
It might be interesting to know who is
paying Boyd Evans to contest dispensary
elections. He made speech for the dis.
pensary in Union last Saturday, and said
he was there in a "professionap capaci-
ty; that he had enough of politics. Well,
who's paying him for his professional"
services?
The Greenville News says the council
of that city should stand by its action in
increasing the mayors salary, no matter
how many petitions are presented to
that body by taxpayers; that it will not
do to govern the city. by petitions. The
News evidently forgets that members of
council are servants of the people, not
their masters.
The taxpayers of the city of Greenville
are making a strenuous kick over the
raise in salary of the mayor of that city
by council. The salary of this official was
formerly 5000 year, and council raised
it to 1880. This action was taken i'm
mediately after the mayor had been re-
elected for another term of two years,
and nothing had been said about the in
crease during the campaign. No doubt
Greeuville's mayor is worth 81 800 year
but the finances of that city do not war
rant such a salary. Then, too, it was a
decided mistake to make the raise just
after the election. The matter should
have been submitted to the people or at
least discussed during the campaign. Had
this been done, no doubt the present
mayor would have had opposition in the
race, and that too by good men who were
willing to serve the city at 5000 a year.
Council has made serious mistake, and
the best, thing they can do is to rescind it.
~
In his speech at Edgeheld Senator Till
man said he had heard a report that John
Bell Towill, of Batesburg, had received
fine horse as present from some whiskey
dealer in Kentucky. Now the Batesburg
Advocate states that Mr.. Towill bought
the horse from dealer in Batesburg and
paid $275.O0 for the animal. Everybody
who knows John Bell Towill will stand
for his honesty and integrity, even if he
is in bad company. We do not believe
that he has accepted rebates or presents
or anything else which he ought not. We
have discussed with him his connec-
tion with the State board on more than
one occasion, and we feel sure that if ev-
ery man connected with the dispensary
was as straight as Towill, the system
would be honestly administered and the
restrictive features of the law fully car
ried out. John Bell Towill is not graf
ter, and Senator Tillman should not have
alluded to such a report without some ev-
idence at least of its truth.
~
The state of affairs in Spartanburg
county revealed by the investigating COM
mittee, or rather by Messrs. Lyon and
Christensen, is humiliating and sickcning.
Not since radical days have such things
come to light in South Carolina. 1t
causes US to hang our head in shame, for
each citizen of the State must indirectly
bear his part of the disgrace. The mat
ter strikes newspaper men very hard on
account of the connection of the Spar
tanburg Journal with the rottenness.
If the witnesses told the truth the editor
of that paper simply sold out, and to even
take MI. Henry's explanation, the trans
action shows up in very bad light. Ger
tainly the Journal must havea queer code
of newspaper ethics, but we would have
had great deal more respect for that
newspaper had it owned its fault and
promised not to do so any more instead
of trying to defend and explain it away
by arguments too aimsy to deceive any
body. We deeply regret the affair. We
personally know and like the editor of
the Journal, and we would not mention
it at all were it not that our profession is
involved. 1t would not be the part of
honor or bravery to keep silent.
To start the day with wine glass of
Shaw's Pure Malt gives vigor to carry on
your work; to end it with the same is to