The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1908-01-01
Entered at the postoffice at Laurens,
S. G.. as second class mail matter.
LAURENS, S. c., JANUARY |, 1908.
POsTUPPlCE BUILDING FOR LAURENS

POSTOFFlCE BUILDING FOR LAURENS.
If hard work on the part of Senator'S
Tillman and Latimer, Congressman
Joseph T. Johnson and others of the
South Carolina delegation in Congress
can bring it about, a Federal postoffice
building, and a handsome one at that,
should be built in Laurens. Laurens
deserves it. Ever since 1875 Laurens
county has done more to elect Demo-
Gratis in South Carolina than any other
county. This is not much Of an argu-
ment for a Republican Congress-, but
we are not addressing it to Republicans;
We are speaking to Democratic Sena-
)ors and Congressman. In 1876 Lau.
ems was one of the two pivotal coun-
ties. In 1890 Captain Tillman would
not have bcen elected Governor but for
the energy and ability displayed by the
late Col. j. l.. M. Irby, and he had the
assistance of the late Capt. G. w.
Shell. Meantime, since 1876, Laurens
has grown from a village of seven hun
dred to a city of seven thousand peo-
pie. 1t has four banks, two great cot
ton mills, numerous smaller industries
and an admirable system Of public
schools. The city is the center of a
county producing forty thousand bales
of cotton, and it's business is steadily
and rapidly increasing.
What have the Senators and Con-
gressmen done for Laurens? Nobody,
except perhaps THE ADVERTISER, has
urged Laurens very strongly as the
place for a Federal court house, and
there is no hope of getting that. Con-
gressmen have doomed and boosted
Greenwood, Chester, Rock Hill and
other hamlets3 G~reenville, Spartan
burg, Florence and other little places
have been taken care of, but Laurens
has gotten nothing. Perhaps the time
has not been opportune, but the fact is
that Laurens has been looked to as a
voting and yelling county for 80 years,
and nothing has been done for Laurens.
OF course Laurens has free rural de-
livery, but so has every other county in
the district and most of the counties in
thousands of other districts. In this
Laurens has received no more than it's
ordinary rights, and we are under no
special obligations to anybody on &C
count Of them. We haven't even had
an appropriation for the improvement
of navigation of the Saluda and Enoree
rivers.
We suppose now, at last, this move
-L -. Al. .-.l r. T.
seph 7 Johnson and Senator Asbury
Churchill Latimer for a postofiice
building has begun in earnest. We are
much obliged to them. 1t is their duty
and the duty of our noble leader, Sena-
tor Tillman, to coerce the Republican
Congress to make this appropriation.
They can do it if they are in earnest.
There isn't much of this kind of thing
that Tillman, Johnson, Latimer and the
rest can't do if they try hard enough.
and when they go on the stump next
summer the yelling voters of Laurens
will hear thrilling and glorious ac-
counts of their achievements for the
people. If they don't succeed in get
ting the appropriations the people of
Laurens will understand that they
haven't struggled, worked, toiled,
moiled, fought, blcd and died enough
for Laurens in the committee rooms of
Congress. This we say because we be-
iieve we know a MAJ who could get us
this postofRcc if he were in Congress.
Congressman Johnson is striving also
for a co art house for Union. That is all
right. We suppose that our reprcsen-
tative thinks he can get postofices for
both towns, and we hope that he will
do so; but if he can get only one at a
time that one belongs to Laurens.
Therefore, we lay down the law and
the political gospel to these Congress-
men that, come what may, the post
Office for l.aurens must be built, and
built right away, or there will be such
an u%pheaval, revolution and explosion
in this county as will scare them into
commissions.
Why should the people of Laurens
vote, yell and "resolutc" forever and
necessarily, and get nothing? What
are we here for, and what are the Con-
gressmen there for, anyhow?
Seriously, if the Senator's and the
Representatives of this district mean
business, the early erection of the post
Office in Laurens is a certainty.