The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-09-25

is' Wnat ID the farmer going to do
about t.? What is the merchant,
whom he owes. going to do to help
the farHsssto do about 1t? Will the
rnercha1{tst eqd bankers Of the South,
whose Nitn&A is indissolubly linked
with that OF f;the cotton grower, help
their friend and neighbor and Gus
toner. the cotton grower. or will they
stand Idly looking on while the hold
up and robbery is consummated? =:
The Hague. Peace Congress, having
adopted few amendments to the in
ternational war code. is READY to ad-
journ.
~
The decision Of the State Railroad
Commission that the Western Union
Telegraph Company has violated It's
charter by sending kilograms by mail
opens another field for corporation
prosecution.
The comments Of the Southern Re-
porter on the Baptist Negro College
affair Is illuminating. coming as 1t
does from q negro paper, whose editor
is presumably well acquainted with
the matter he discusses and the men
he criticises.
When the Legislature meets In jan
uary half dozen, or more, would be
leaders will be on hand with prohibi-
tion bills modelled after the Georgia
law. They will have no hope of the
bills passing, but In Brice law counties
the fact that they introduced general
prohibition bills will be something to
bolster up their pleas for reelection.
When Congress enacts law pro-
hibitirg the shipment Of liquors into
prohibition States South Carolina
Charleston excepted-will be ready
for prohibition. and this paper will be
heartily In favor of prohibition. I'm
der such law IL would be possible to
enforce State law against the sale Of
liquor; but SO long as liquor can be
shipped into the state under tns pro-
lection Of the Interstate commerce
law. the dispensary system Is the only
rational method of combining the
maximum control Of the liquor evil
with the maximum OF revenue.
Rock Hill and Marion are having
trouble with the corporations that
own their water systems and they are
facing the same problem with which
Sumter had to deal a few years ago.
Those towns will find that the only
way out Is to pay the price Of their
folly IN permitting a foreign corpora
tion to get possession of their water
systems. They will have to buy their
water systems from the corporations
that own them at a price much great
er than the initial cost Of the systems.
This Is what Sumter had to do, and
although this town paid more than
twice what the water system cost the
corporation. 1t has proven a good in
vestment from a financial standpoint,
to say nothing OF the satisfaction de-
rived from controlling our water sup
ply. The sooner Marion and Rock
~ hny no
they will have to pay, for the CON-
mercial value of, public utility in
cresses more rapidly than the pou-
lation.
The experts of the Department Of
Agriculture are waxing enthusiastic
over a variety OF cotton that a Texan
has developed by careful breeding and
seed selection. extending over a long
period of years. This cotton. II is
claimed. yields between 33 ard AZ
pounds of lint per hundred of seed
cotton. This yield Is nothing phe-
nomenai In these parts. a. q cotton
, that does not yield as much as 33
pounds Of lint per hundred is not
considered good cotton in This section.
There are several Sumter county farm
ers who have. this year. obtained
more than 40 pounds Of lint per hun
dred OF seed cotton. This section Of
South Carolina is the best cotton.
corn and oats producing region any
", holds the record for corn produc-