Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-12
Mistellaneous Rraaina.
YORKVIlLE POLITICS.
Registered Voter Discusses Conditions
as He Sees Them.

Editor OF The 4OrkVille Enquirer:
Although things are not as bad off
in Yorkville as they might be, they are
by no means in as good shape as they
should be, and now that we are ap-
preaching our biennial election for
mayor and aldermen, etc, probably it
will be just as well to take a square
look at the situation, and If it looks
like good stirring up will help things,
let's have the stirring up. There is
nothing like an occasional good stir.
ring up to keep a town out of a groove,
and If there ever was a town that
needed to be lifted out of a groove,
am of opinion that Yorkville is that
town.
For one thing, there has been quite
bit of talk about this free light and
free water graft. l use the term graft
advisedly for, from my standpoint, it
Is nothing else, and although apparent
ly small matter l think it is import
ant enough to command the very seri-
Gus attention of the people of the COM
than a mere matter of gift of from
twenty to thirty dollars a year to GER
tain officials in lieu of certain services.
There is in 1t all the elements Of spe-
cial privilege, and 1 am inclined to
think that If the inception of this
somewhat remarkable institution could
be traced } it's real origin, something
Of that kind would probably be dis
cernible in the initiatory motive.
Let's take look into this free light
and free water business. 1t has more
of a history than the average citizen
Of the town is aware of. The first Of
it was more than a dozen years ago,
long before the establishment Of the
lighting system. A bright minded, but
somewhat calculating patriot conceiv-
ed the idea that such arduous service
as was being performed by the intend
ant and members Of the council should
not go for nothing, and had very little
difficulty in inducing his fellow-mem-
bers Of the council to believe that they
There was no unnecessary noise about
the matter, and no inquiry as to what
the public would think. They just
turned on the water, and kept their
time, meddlesome citizens got on to
the situation and began to swap opin-
ions, and as the result the thing be-
came a campaign issue, and at the
next election majority Of the voters
selected an intendant and councilmen,
who were willing to perform the duties
Of the office in the same old way for
the honor there was in their respective
positions.
And by the way, there is really some
honor in these positions of mayor and
aldermen of the town of Yorkville, and
also some prestige. l have heard men
suggest the contrary. l have heard
them say there was nothing in it but
cussing, and they would not hold the
place on tnat account. I have heard
men, who were holding these positions,
lament the fact that they had to take
so much responsibility and do so much
work that was not appreciated, without
compensation. But l have never been
very much impressed by this kind of
talk. l have never known anybody to
resign for lack of compensation, and
really do not know anybody in the
town who Is too big to fill any one of
the places. or course, there are a great
many who are not halfway compe-
tent: but even these are glad to serve
upon opportunity, pay or no pay. The
strongest objections have ever known
to serving, came from people whom
believed to be just itching for the job,
who feared they could not be elected,
and while have heard incumbents for
whom the job was really too big, urg-
ing that 1t was not big enough, in an
effort to magnify their own Importance
to the same size in the imaginations Of
tine other fellows that 1t held in their
own imaginations, most Of the knock
ing that has come under my observa-
tion has come from people who tried
to get elected and could not quite make
It, They always say that they did not
care anyway: that they only felt their
relief from very great responsibility
that did not offer anything but a lot Of
cussing.
But let us get back to the free water
and free light graft. l have not taken
the trouble to look up the minutes Of
the council on this thing; but my i'm
preston is that there is nothing legal
about the graft. 1t was done by res
olution of the town council; but under
the charter such a resolution, to be of
binding effect, must be published. If
this action was ever published, l have
no recollection of it. l don't think it
ever was published. The history of it,
as l gather it, was about like this. At
ter the lapse of quite a long period,
from the time when the people had
previously put their feet down on the
first outcropping in this direction, and
there was reason to think that the
thing had been forgotten, the idea was
suggested to councilmen again. A res
olution providing for free water and
free lights for members OF the council
was introduced and passed without
difficulty. All were willing. An attorney
on the board called attention to the fact
that the resolution was no good so far
as that board was concerned, because
of wise provision in the constitution
of the state to the effect that the SAL
AIRY of an official cannot be increased
or diminished during his term of office.
AS a majority of the council expected
to be elected again anyway, the diff
Guilty was overcome later on by pre-
pairing for the future. The graft was
enacted for the benefit of the next
council. But to make it Of binding ef-
feet, the resolution required it to be pub
lished. Published however, as l have
said before, | don't think 1t ever was;
but the council. being in control Of the
water and light plants, Il little irregu-
larity like this has made no especial
difference.