Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-09-25
WITHIN THE TOWN.

- The Tavora Cotton mill resumed
work last Monday.
- The Gentry Bros, shows are to be
in Yorkville on Tuesday, October 6.
The sewer contractors have finish
ed the heaviest part Of the work and
are working on some Of the ragged
ends before taking up the outlets. The
ditching machine was at work on
Kings Mountain street near the K. M
NJ. A building Wednesday and yester-
day it worked up a few hundred feet
on West Liberty street. AS matters
now look, the Jail is not to be provided
for, unless the county comes in with
some help.
The rolling Of cotton wagons along
the otherwise quiet streets Is a feature
of the early morning hours these. days
The wagons are on their way to the
ginnery Of the Victor Cotton Oil com
pany. Some come the night before and
remain all night; but most Of them
come during the morning hours, be-
tween and II. A representative OF
The Enquirer went to the ginnery yes
terday morning and at o'clock there
were no less than twenty-five wagons
in the waiting line He was informed
that as many as thirty-four wagons
have been counted at one time and
some days the output Of the ginnery is
in the neighborhood Of ninety bales
Much Of the cotton Is being sold as
rapidly as it is ginned; but. a good deal
Of it goes back home to wait for bet
ter prices.
The Enquirer had almost decided
not to say anything about the telephone
franchise matter. 1t has contented it
,t.it iTOC
developments, and because of condi-
tions as they exist in the town was in
clined to continue in the pursuance of
that policy. But If we do not say some
thing now, we will not have the salts
faction a few months hence of saying,
I'VE told you So" That the mayor is
for granting a franchise to the Pied
mont company is very well understood.
Just how the balance of the council
stands we have made no effort to as
certain. Each member, no doubt, has
his own views, and there Is absolutely
no reason to question the honesty of
these views. To The Enquirer, how
ever, the situation looks so plain that
it seems to have but one side. If there
was no telephone system in Yorkville,
and there was no local enterprise or
capital ready to supply one, we can
should be offered to outsiders in the
way Of franchise and even exemption
from taxation, if necessary. But York
vile had a system that was founded
and built up squarely on the merits Of
the business. The Piedmont company
bought this system knowing exactly
what 1t was at the time Of the pur-
chase. The town, therefore, owes moth
ing to the Piedmont company, and the
Piedmont company has no especial
right to ask anything Of the town. To
be sure there was a little popularity
in the status of the Piedmont compa-
nvS plant, in that most Of the poles
and wires were located on and over pri-
vate property instead Of on and over
public property, and this is not exactly
what a corporation would like to have.
Here. very likely. is the real cause OF
the present agitation. In its position
of tenant at will' the telephone COM
pany necessarily has to be very kind
and cOnsiderate Of it's indulgent land
lords as we'll as of it's subscribers.
Landlords and subscribers are in po-
SitiOn to give good deal or incOnVen-
ience if they want to. In all these
years. however. we have heard Of very
little friction, and so long as the tele-
phone company continues to behave it.
self, there is no proDaDlllty tnat tnere
will be any serious friction. But If the
telephone company could get off of pri-
vate property on to public property, 1t
would be in a position to assume very
different attitude toward it's patrons,
and it is not improbable that some day
that attitude might be assumed. At
least that has been the history of SINH
lar situations. AS matters now stand,
the telephone people are easily getting
value received for all the service they
render their subscribers or the commu-
nifty. and what right 1t has to ask or
why the town should give it the fran
chise it wants is a proposition that we
do not understand.