The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-09-18

mick. Certainly the Press and Banner
favors the Mccormick Court House and
stands now and forever not TO interfere with
the erection of Its public building or its Coun-
ty government. Your protest comes then
with Ill grace at a time when you contem-
plate an early separation. You propose TO
prescribe the policy for this County govern
ment. and then would run from it.
Tie Press and Banner and the people OF
Abbeville favor the Mccormick Court House
for these and other reasons.
First-The people need 1t.
~Second-The trade and business OF Able
Vile would not be Injured.
Third-If Mccormick does not get q Court
house, some other section OF the county that
now trades with us. may want a Court house,
which would iDfict loss upon Us.
AS Mccormick does not buy her liquor at
Abbeville. that town has no sort OF right 10
Interfere with our dlspensary, except az she
may wish to intermeddle with q matter
which does not concern her.
Abbevills has great respect for the people
OF Mccormick. Although their candidate
for the Legislature at that the recent election
was unknown to US. yet at the request of
some good men Of that town. w voted for
him. And he has proved 10 be as high. as
honorable and as good a representative as
any people on earth could wish TO have. But
lie acts along lines entirely different from
ignorant or splteful people who would raise
a disturbance when the hopes OF this people
are about TO end In %fruition.
The people of Abbeville county will have a
court house Of which they will be proud.
And the mourners or the howlers. because OF
the absence Of the old tobacco barn with Its
plank shutters, will hide their faces In very
shame, The few opponents OF the new pub
lie buildings are not without a spark OF pride
and their manhood will later assert itself and
they, too, will rejoice in the new court house.
The strangest and most u~naccountable
thing in this strike at the people LES In the
fact that you II you felt disposed to informed
die In q matter which remotely concerns you
is, that you did not raise objection at the
right tim Q and before the people OF the coun.
~ were committed this great undertaking at
80 large an outlay.
Ten hundred and sixty-two OF the pr ople OF
the county p%etitioned the Legislature for ar-
| thority to build q new court house. ! am In.
formed hat fewer than fifty men outside OF
Mccormick refused TO join that petition.
The slgners OF that petition entered upon the
work In the con fldent expectation that their
taxes would not be increased. They expect
ed that the levy already made upon them, TO-
gether with the dispensary profits would In a
few years pay the debt without seriously
burdenipg them. While all this was going
on, what did you do, Mr.. Sturkey7 You
"boldly" and "fairly" kept quiet. in obscuri
ty and waited until the people had entered
into a contract, involving a large sum-, and
you "boldly" attempt to cut on the expected
revenue and propose to tax the people ten
times as much as was expected. The bold"
and flair" time for You TO fight the dispen'
sary was before the people entered upon their
contract TO build the court house.
But you were so bold" and 80 fair" that
you remained silent until the people awarded
the contract, and now You propose to inter-
fere' and place upon the. people a much heavi'
or tax than Was contemplated. In your blind
hatred for Abbeville, or your u~naccountable
desire to bother with Abbeville, you seem to
be oblivious TO the fact that you are laborine
TO nI a heavy burden on the people OF Nc
Cormick. Ifyou and your associates succeed
In shutting up the dispensary the people OF
Mccormick must pay its share Of the In.
Creased taxation. Having remained silent
while the progressive people were DESTROYS OF
a new court house 1t Ill becomes you to strike
at ne.
1t is too late for you to make either
bold or "fair" pretense at being al
work for the interests OF the people Of the
l oo,nfu II oaopna that ~ tho manila NJ Mr.
Cormick approve OF cuttung off the revenue
OF the county they would place a much
heavier burden on the people OF your "
town. Such act il a most extraordinary pro-
ceeding. know that Mccormick will sool-
or or later want q court house OF her own, and
that II she should be exceedingly anxious to
| pay for ours would be q little out OF the ordi-
nary. Even If Mccormick should get a court
house OF her own. this debt will stick 10 her
closer than q brother. She must pay her
share. even after the new county Is formed.
While 1 make no pretense at knowing the
law myself, 1 am informed that It Ia the
| opinion OF some OF the best legal talent at Alb
beville that the election for voting on the dis
pensary cannot be held before the General
Election In November, next year. Then WHY
Il ulplulp VIC pCutO ~ bCiCbtty VI kho POOPIS
now? BY November, 1908, other towns will
have had experience, from which We may
profit. Until you see that liquor Is kept out
OF McCormick, 1 think you need not concern
yourself about a town 10 which your people
seldom come, and from which they seldom
buy any liquor.
Well, now, Mr.. Sturkey, 1 am profoundly
grateful 10 you for your tender solicitude for
tho welfare Of the people OF AbbevilIe, but
upon more mature reflection, 1 believe that /
have more respect for the man in North Car
DINA who made a fortune attending to his
own business.
have no knowledge thatany citizen Of A
bsville has ever presumed to Interfere with
the municipal government Of the town OF
Mccormick, and I think 1t superserviceable
In you to propose to interfere with our
liquor laws as long as Mccormick makes no
protest at the shipping In great quantities OF
1t right nnder Mr.. Sturkey's nose.
Respectfully,
Hugh Wilson.