The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-05-29
THAT BOND ISSUE
IN CALHOUN COUNTY DISCUSSED
Who Advises Its Advocates to Be
Careful o. the Country People
yXr;lI Irota II nnxyp
BY A "CITIZEN."

Careful o. the Country People
Will Vote 1t Down.
The following letter explains itself
and will be read with interest:
Editor Calhoun Advance:
Your readers enjoyed and were
benefited by the recent discussion OF
the court house problems by DR.. T.
H. Dreher and Mr.. ]. S. Wannamak-
er. 1t was conducted on high plain,
personalities and petty filings being
avoided, and to a careful observer
appeared to be presented in the main,
with an eye single to public welfare.
Newspaper controversies are fire.
uuently conducted in manner CAL
culated to injure the cause they ad-
vocate, but no such imputation would
apply in this case. The arguments
being presented in a clear, logical
and pleasant manner, ought to have
the same effect upon public thought
as running water has upon a stagnant
pool, for it is only by the active pre-
sentation, interchange, and compari-
son of ideas, that truth is attained
either by the individual or commu-
nifty.
One thing is sure, all phases Of the
question have been so thoroughly
and clearly presented, that the voter
should have but little difficulty in
casting his ballot intelligently when
the problem is voted upon.
The legislative delegation will
have to prepare the bill, and desig-
nate the amount necessary in their
judgment to supplement the twenty
thousand dollars pledged by the
town, and this is the most deli
cate matter to engineer. The writer
has heard an expression of opinion
by conservative men from each sec
ton of the county, and is convinced
that the advocacy of thirty thou
sand dollar bond issue by the repre-
sentatives will mean the defeat OF
the whole scheme.
We may preach prosperity from
the housetops, but the fact remains
that we are debt burdened people.
But few of our voters have escaped
its CALLING yoke, and from the per-
sonal experience they will be 10th
to vote an extravagant bonded in
debtedness upon the public, and up
on their children.
TO the conservative thinker 1T
appears that the wisest course would
be to recommend bond issue not
exceeding twenty thousand dollars,
| and not jeopardize success, by ad-
vocating a thirty thousand dollar is
sue. The public has not forgotten
that the promoters of the new coun-
ty scattered broadcast over this ter
ritory, beautiful and attractive pic
ture of the court house at Bamberg,
which, we were told, cost about thir-
teen thousand five hundred dollars,
and which we were assured was an
up-to-date edifice, and would meet
our official needs in every particu-
lar. Taking in consideration the in
creased cost of building, the town
pledged itself to furnish twenty thou
sand dollars for this purpose, and
now we have a proposition to bond
the county for an additional thirty
housand-candidly, isn't it cheeky?
Let no man deceive himself. The
public, like the individual, cannot be
fooled for any great length of time,
and the best and highest interest of
the whole project will be conditioned
upon the perfect frankness and hon
esty of motives and actions, which
will be displayed by the bond issue
promoters, from the present moment
until the matter is finally settled at
the ballot box.
Nothing personal, but let no. man
deceive himself into believeing that
the voters of Calhoun county can
be made to accept the statement that
circuit judge entirely ignorant of
local pledges and conditions, would
voluntarily, and of his on volition,
undertake to lecture our people from
the bench on the necessity Of a fifty
thousand dollar court house. They
know politics too we'll for that, and,
at once realized that by tricks that
are slick, if not by ways that are
dark, Judge Watts was probably in
weighed into so doing. Our people
aided in placing the judicial ermine
upon Judge Watts, and they acted
wisely. Can't they be trusted to
display equal wisdom in solving local
problems with which they are famil-
lar, without outside interference or
advice? There are no good objec-
tions to expensive public edifices
when county is able to afford them,
but Calhoun county is still in swad-
ding clothes, and you and l have
seen children bow legged and per-
manently deformed as result of ear
ly walking, running and burden bear
ing. 1t is easy work for Judge who
does not have to foot the bills to
advise expensive temples of justice,
but let the voter and tax payer re-
member that he will have to sweat
to pay for ILLm.
tn" people can be relied upon to
act Il, : vC,c ;ltelligel Il, for the best