The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-04-22

ly the back numbers of both those
papers during October and Novem-
ber, 1896. in which the Britton's
Neck and Woodberry Township
petition is fully discussed, both
pro and con. Those Britton's $
Neck people were not such fools
as the Marion politicians took them
to be. / notice that. my friend
modestly confesses at he man
aged you, "managed"-
not to make his nicely prepared
speech, but he did manage"
somehow or somehow else to
harangue the crowd, and so did
Senator Montgomery"
Mirabile dictu! Put it down as
the first instance on record in
which two trained, able and adroit
lawyers were unable to make their
previously prepared speeches, but
did manage" to "harangue the
crowd" just little bit, whatever
that may mean. My friend intro
duces with great flourish of trum-
pets certificate signed by those
excellent gentlemen, Fontaine Da-
Wis and Charlie Dozier, and asks
us to listen, >" and this is what
they say as to that first Britton's
Neck and Woodberry petition
So far as we have ever heard
there had been no petition asking
for an election on the subject of
transferring Britton's Neck Town
ship TO Horny County" My
friends, Davis and Dozier, are de-
pending on their memory as to
this matter, and daily observation
teaches us that human memory is
a wonderfully trcacherous thing.
Fortunately for me, / am depend
ing not only on my memory. which
is fairly good, but also on my old
friend, The News and Courier,
the files of which show that the
Britton'S Neck and Woodberry
petition to the Governor was dis
cussed in a communication to that
paper the latter part of October, 1S-
80, ,and if my friends, Davis and
Dozier, will take the trouble to
go to the Public Library at Mar
ion they will find in the files of
the Marion Star of date, Novem-
Der 4, 1896, an editorial article
headed. Inconsistency" in which
that communication to The News
and Courier is quoted in part,
and in the editorial reply to this
significant and specific language
is used in. reference to the Brit
tons Neck and Woodberry peti-
ton: IF the people ask it, as
they have done in this particular,
the Governor is bound, under the
statutes, to grant their petition
No doubt both Mr.. Davis and
Mr.. Dozier read this article in the
Star at the time, for they are both
intelligent men. but after the lapse
of thirteen years it has slipped
out OF their memory. The owner
of the Star at that time was Mr..
Jas. D. Montgomery and the edi-
tors were Luther Clark and Mar
Gus Stackhouse. and these gentle
men were leading the fight against
the new countv.
1t makes mighty interesting"
reading to look over the files of
the old paper at this long ago
time. The inside was filled with
we'll written editorials on new
counties. interspersed with lengthy
communications from gentlemen
of the Bar, some of which bear
the earmarks of Mr.. Johnson.
Predictions most dire were made
as to what would happen to new
and old counties alike should new
counties be formed under the re-
Gently adopted Constitution. In
the light of the wonderful advance
and prosperity of Spartanburg
and Cherokee, of Sumter and Lee,
of Darlington and Florence, of
Barnwell and Bamberg, of Cole
ton and Dorchester, of Orange
burg and Calhoun, old and new
counties, these old prophecies and
predictions of the long ago do
seem purile and simple now. But
my friends of the Bar are improv-
iEg somewhat in this respect and
are gradually going out of the
prophecying business. They seem
now to be concentrating their
effosts in kicking off poor and "un-
desirable" citizens into neighbor-
ing counties where they are plain
ly told they are not wanted, in
order to keep the prosperous town