Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-01-01
THE YEAR OF GRACE 1908.


THE YEAR OF GRACE 1908.
To-day we enter upon the year
1908. 1t ought to be record year
for the Piedmont section of South
Carolina. Especially so Is this true
with regard to Oconee county, the
Gem of the Piedmont. The past few
years have given to this county and
to this whole section an influx Of
population that can but work to
their good. With every new citizen
Is added an increase of consumption,
and each new citizen ought to add
to the production. During the year
1908 the thousands Of idle acres of
fertile Oconee lands ought to be
taken In and put to use. There Is q
great cry these days for immigrants
and re favor movement that looks
aG+Sah increase of population from
,yahat source, provided the immigrants
are to be secured from a desirable
class and from a desirable country.
But what we want most Is an influx
of good, substantial people from
other sections of our country--peo-
pie accustomed to our metho1s, to
our climate, to our conditions, and
II possible able to bring to us bet
ter methods for farming and manu-.
'uStu'ih5t pSoplS "uO are dCCuS.Oll-
ed to living In their own homes and
ready to make new ones for them
selves, or those who are tired Of liv-
Ing In other peoples houses and on
other peoples land, and are look
ing for place in which to build
themselves up, and to help in the
progress and growth of the home OF
their adoption. There is no better
Iauntry for this than Oconee. Land
Is cheaper here than in other sec
tions of this State, and os Georgia,
and during the past year many far
mers from lower counties have sold
their property and bought in OCo-
nee, possessing now as good Cr better
farms than they hal before. and
still holding a neat balance for work
mg capital
But how to get them" Certainly
not by sitting idly by with mouth
light closed, and simply waiting for
something to turn up" Let every
citizen turn himself into an mdivid-
ual information bureau as regards
the possibilities Of this section, and
try to induce some one to come in
and make home on one Of the idle
farms near our industrial cenrcrs.
There is abundant room for IN in
fuX Of hundreds of farmers without
Growding. There are those who will
deny this, hut it is a fact. Do our
farms produce what we consume?
Not by half. We need planters Of
corn and srlail grain. There is too
much of this shipped into every sec
tion of Oconee for the good of the
county. There is room everywhere
FOR farmers who can produce the
necessaries of life and help to reduce
the import of these articles from the
West and the export Of our money
10 the West in exchange. There is
also room for small and large indus
tries headed by business men. in
the several towns OF Oconee 10 day
there are dozen enterprises waiting
active leaders. The thing to do Is
for every one to lend a hand and
Work together to secure men to en-
Ser and help us fill the farming and
gNdustrial fields. There is ample
f0om for men of energy and pluck,
sa9n of small means and men of
large.
Let us all work together for Oco-
ace during 1908. In spite of the
panic at the close Of 1907 we are in
good shape for entering an u"i 'e
campaign for progress and prosper
:ty in Oocnee.
Think of this, and when you haze
an opportunity to talk your town or
county, do it. When you have some-
thing worth talking about, though
"talk Is cheap it Is worth your
while to talk. If you can't find any.
thing good to say for your town or
4,aantv, however, it is better to be
Raan. If you are worth anything
sestR doing anything, you will not
R@Y@ time to go about complaining
and Kicking. The kicker is gene
rally a disgI tied nobody. We are
fortunate in htCring 1908 with few
or none of Use.
We should all get together now
for big pull for Oconee during this
year. How many will join in the
effort? Let nobody say no.