davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Why Blaine Left Journalism

lars a year, and be was willing to bind
himself for a number OF years to the
Advertiser If be could get the desired
raise of three hundred dollars a year.
The proprietor admitted that Mr..
Blaine was perfectly justified in ask
ing the increase in salary, because he
was worth it; but, added the owner,
frankly, he could not afford to pay 80
much money. In those days, You
know-back- in the late ffties-1fteen
hundred dollars was a large sum OF
money, down in Maine.
well, Blaine thought the situation
over for some time, and finally came
to the conclusion that he was worth
fifteen hundred dollars a year, If he
was, worth a cent, and that he did not
propose to hold down his editorial po-
sition for less than what he was
worth. So. parting in a most friendly
spirit with his employer, Mr.. Blaine
returned to Augusta whittier he had
gone to Portland, and he had not been
there long when he was nominated
and elected a member Of the legis-
lature. He was four years a member
of that body, and for two years he was
its speaker, and that before he had
finished his t~hirty-second year. In
that body he discovered wherein his
real ability lay; and so, I say, had he
not returned to Augusta when he did,
and all because he could not get the
raise in salary that he wanted, his
great political career would undoubt-
eddy have been considerably delayed,
and maybe-who car tell?-he might
have become a great newspaper edi-
tor instead Of a great statesman, l
have always believed that Mr.. Blaine
cherished at one time a strong secret
ambition to become the editor OF a
great newspaper, and had he remained
in Portland with the Advertiser a Bos-
ton or a New York newspaper might
have tempted him thither In time"
Copyright. 1910. by E. J. Edwards.)
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Wizard Quickly Told New York Com.
mission Just How Electric Cur
rent Wires Could Be
Placed Underground.

When New York city, back In the
late eighties, passed an ordinance for
bidding the stringing Of telegraph and
telephone wires overhead and order.
ing the miles of wires already over
head to be placed underground a COM
mission was appointed to take charge
of the work of burying them. A mem
Der of this commission was the late
Jacob Hess, at one time very promi-
nent as a Republican organization
leader in New York, and n Of the
group of very energetic young men
who were trained in politics by Ches.
ter A. Arthur when he was a power
in New York city politics.
The most impressive evidence
ever had of Edison's genius I received
when l was a member Of what I be-
lieve was the first authoritative body
to deal with the problem of laying a
city's wires underground" said Mr..
Hess to me a few years before his
death. And, by the way, our work as
a commission was closely followed by
municipal authorities throughout the
United States and also by some of the
leading municipal experts Of Europe.
well, when we started out we
knew that it wouldn't do just to place
the wires in trenches and let 1t go at
that; anybody knows that wires 30
placed would not work and would
soon be destroyed. So we had au-
thority to spend money to make e <
pertments In order to get at least one
satisfactory system Of burying the
wires, and to enter into contracts with
inventors Of satisfactory systems. One
Of our first moves, therefore, was to
advertise our needs.
You can't imagine the number OF
inventions that were brought to our
attention-they simply were legion, as
the saying is. Most Of them were
worthless on their face, and We were
asked by their inventors all sorts Of
prices, ranging from a few dollars
away up into the thousands. One of
the best of the inventions, as we
thought, was so expensive that its
cost alone made It's use prohibitive.
"One day, after we had been strug-
Cling with the problem for weeks, and
we're as far away from solving it ap-
parently as when we first tackled 1t,
1t was. suggested that we call on Thorn
as A. Edison and ask him to invent
something that we could use, or, at
least, give us a suggestion that we
could have worked out. We wrote
him, and he invited US to visit him at
his laboratory in New Jersey.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Problem Was Easy for Edison

Presenting ourselves before him at
the appointed time. we found him
wearing an old linen buster and a
much battered straw hat. AS we
stated the object Of our call a queer
little smile passed over his features.
Finally, he said: I suppose you have
had all sorts Of inventions offered to
you?
I'VE nodded a~cquiescence.
WELL he said, chuck 'em all out.
Most of them are no good, and, be-
sides, you don't need any invention
I'VE looked surprised and Edison
was clearly amused. at u astonish-
ment. Then he proceeded to elucidate.
All you have to do, gentlemen, is to
insulate your wires, draw them
through the cheapest thing on earth,
lead pipes, run your pipes through
channels or galleries under the street,
and you've got the whole thing DONE
"1nere he was telling us in that
simple, off-hand way how to do the
thing we had spent the best part of
a year puzzling over; for none Of US
doubted that he had solved the prob
lem, and afterward the experiments
which we conducted proved con-
clusively that he had.
Before we left Edison we asked
him what his bill was for the advice
he had given US.
"'Not a cent he replied. DO you
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
The Danger of Corners,

In no way is the old proverb "Fa-
miliarity breeds contempt" more true,
than as regards The motor
list who has safely rounded a bend in
the road with which he Is very IA
miliar a thousand times is apt to think
that the thousand.and-hrst experience
will be as the others have been, free
from danger, and that there will be no
obstruction, mechanical or animal.
Just out of view. But sooner or later
the unexpected happens, and nothing
but great skill and the alertest
prompt:tude will avert a bad accident.
And while it is true that in every in
stance and at all times 4 motorist on
the road is dependent not only on his
own actions, but on the actions Of 9TH
ers. this is especially true OF corners
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Proprietor Of Portland Advertiser
Would Not Raise His Salary,
So He Quit and Turned
to Politics.

This story Of how a refusal to raise
James G. Blaine's salary practically
opened up a political career before
him was told me by two competent
authorities, an editor Of Blaine's old
paper, the Portland (Me.) Advertiser,
during the Maine state campaign of
1878, and, some years later, by Han
nibal Hamblin, Lincoln's second vice
president and later senator from the
state of Maine. ,
Senator Hamblin," I asked one day,
having recalled the story told me by
the Portland editor, did you ever
hear that Blaine's career might have
been entirely different had he been
granted the raise in salary that he de-
sired when he was editor Of the Port
land Advertiser In 1852"
"Oh, yes, l know about that story,
and 1 know 1t to be true" responded
the senator, land / am certain that
Blaine's career would at least have
been greatly delayed-to say nothing
Of being differentiated he remained
as editor Of that paper.
"Mr. Blaine" continued his sena-
torial colleague-both were in that
august body at the time-"was one Of
the associate editors Of the Kennebec
Journal for two or three years after
he first went to Maine to live. His
work in that position was SO notice
able that the owner Of the Portland
Advertiser secured him as that pa.
per's editor. The salary was twelve
hundred dollars a year.
"As the end Of the first year of Mr..
Blaine's service with the Advertiser
approached, he and its proprietor had
several conferences about re-engage-
ment. Mr.. Blaine thought that he
ought to receive fifteen hundred dol
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
IN OLD SOUTH CAROLINA
Cream of the News Gathered From
AL Sections of the Commonwealth
For Our Many Readers.
Those Rates on Coal.

Considerable interest among South
ern cotton manufacturers clnte:s
about the fight being waged by South
Carolina cotton manufacturers for a
reduction in freight rates from tle
Virginia and Tennessee coal fields.
The mills allege that the rates charg-
ed by the Southern railway are ex-
c~essive nd injurious to their busi-
ness. They have carried their case
to the interstate m e commits
sion. The rates for nuisance, to SPAR
tanburg are $3.50 per ton, and the
mills ask a reduction of $l.55. In
their complaint they allege that there
was an agreement between the Sou
thern and the new c. c. & o., and
that since the construction of the
latter road there has been no reduc-
ton, whereas there should have been.
The Southern railway has just filed
answer to the complaint. Its answer
takes UP % typewriter pages. 1t de:
MES fatty that there is any under
standing whatsoever between It and
the C. c. & O., and also states that
the two roads do not do a competi-
tive business, one hauling coal from
one territory while the other haulS
from a different region.
The Southern also states that the
rates it charges are not unreason-
able, and simply warrant a reason
able profit.
The Greenville board Of trade, the
South Carolina Cotton Manufacture
ers' Association, and other organiza-
lions have joined in the profess for
cheaper rates on coal. It will be re-
membered that the coal-buying COM
mittee of the association met rec
emily and refused to buy coal until a
reduction in rates is granted.
How the cases will be finally settled
is a question of general interest.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
One In Dublin Did Him q Favor Be-
cause the Other Was His Fa-
vorite Waiter In New
York,

In one Of the chats I had with
Thurlow Weed when that great politi-
cal figure of 'ante-bellum and wartimes
was living in the peaceful retirement
Of old age, he told me the story Of the
brothers Mccarthy. "..
"On the first excursion that I made
to Europe" said Mr.. Weed, e" went
with my daughter Harriet, and in our
party were Archbishop Hughes OF
New York, a warm personal friend OF
mine, and Archbishop John Baptist
Purchell Of Cincinnati, both, at that
time, being bishops only. The captain
Of the steamship on which we crossed
learned that We were going to Ireland
as soon as We had landed, SO, doubt
less out Of respect for the two digni-
taries of the Catholic church, he vol
unteered to save US the trip to Liver
pool by putting US ashore in Ireland
In one of the ships boats. We gladly
accepted the invitation, were rowed
ashore off Queenstown and SO reached
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
What Stood In the Way.

In a police court the other day, a
case was being tried, where the charge
was for a technical assault, and it
came out in the course of the evil
dence that the parties were %neighbors,
and had been on the best Of terms for
many years.
Its a great pity" said the magis-
trate, that such old friends and neigh
bors as you seem to have been should
appear here in such a way. Surely
this Is a last which might be settled
out Of court"
1T can't be done!" said the plaintiff
modify. 81 thought Of that myself;
but the beggar won't fight"
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Chinese Schools.

Schools are being established IN
every part Of the Chinese empire and
are being put in charge Of educated
Chinese who have studied in Japan,
Europe and the United States, says a
consular report. . Popular education
Is a strong feature of the new move
ment in China for the general better
ment of the country and it's people,
all tending toward a limited mon
archy in place of the centuries old
autocracy.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
It Had Fallen.

"The New York women are very
handsome" said the visitor from the
West. but some Of them seem TO be
a little deformed, don't they? Look"
and he pc: tied out a woman whose
uplifted skirt discovered an ankle a
little disfgured, true, by what APP
peared to be a wen, or something.
"Sh-h-h!" explained the New
Yorker softly. Her powder puff has
fallen down, is all."-New York
Press.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Will Col. Watson Accept?

The position that has been offered
Commissioner E. J. Watson, carries
a salary of nearly $4,000. He will
promote the trade interests of the
United States in the Far East. He
has given no intimation as to whether
he will accept the appointment.
If he should accept the position
with the federal government he would
not leave the State before January
as the reports for his department will
have to be made up for the general
assembly.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Judued oy His Company.

Yes, sir" said old DeScadds, Il
Judge a man by the company he
keeps"
Thank you," rejoined young Would
bee.
Thank mel" exclaimed the old man.
WHY should you thank me?"
Excuse me-" said the young man,
"but l thought you had in mind the
fact that have been keeping company
with your daughter for nearly a year"
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Waiting to Find Out.

Cincinnati Tourist (who, for the
first time, has just entered a res
taurant in Paris)-"Have you Or
dered?"
st. Louis Tourist (who has reached
the table some minutes before, and
who looks up from a French bill OF
fare)-"Yes."
Cincinnati Tourist-"What did you
order?"
St. Louis Tourist (impatiently)-
How do 1 know?"-Chicago News.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Spartanburg Rolling in Wealth.

Spartanburg is n of The richest
counties in the State. The report as
TO taxation shows that there has
been an i%ncreaes of over 100000 in
the value of real estate.
The value Of real estate for the
county. as returned this year. is
$9.293,439, as compared with $S,l12,-
10.
The value of the real estate outside
Of towns and cities was $3,l62.254;
1909. $685. 45. Value of real es-
tate in cities and towns, $4,13l. lo3;
1909. $500, 125.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Weed and the Tue Met arthys

Dublin just in time to secur good
seats at an address delivered by Dam
lei O'Connell, the great Irish hbera1
tor. !,
"Ah, that was oratory! I have heard,
all Of our great American speaKers1
from William Writ, who prosecuted
Aaron Burr, down to Roscoe Conklinga
but / never heard by them such ORA
tory as that which fell from o'ConA
nell's lips. Then it was that I underi
stood for the first time what the
source Of O'Connelrs power over the
people Of Ireland was. ~
After the meeting was over ! said
to the two bishops: I will go to the
newspaper Office and walt there until
I can get copies Of the paper with thst
speech in 1t, SO that I can send them
to the United States by the steamer
which sails tomorrow.
Arriving at the newspaper Office,
heard the presses changing, but I could
see nc light in the editorial rooms.
raped at several doors, and at Last
a porter came 20 | Of them.
"T am anxious t. Get a few copiea
Of the paper I said, and I don't find
anyone about the building who cani
give them; to me-
Faith, then, you'll have to watt
till the morning. wa the porter's AMI
swer.
but I can't wait + protested. I'll
l get the papers now, I cam address,
them and they will catch the early
morning mail for Queenstown and sol
get to the United States several days.
earlier than they could in any other
way.
1.-The porter pricked up his ears. Dol
you come from the United States Oh
American he asked.
"'Yes, and with me are two bishops
Of the Catholic church, and we have
heard O'Connell speak tonight
"'Sure, then, If you're from Amerti
ca,'-of course, the porter spoke with
a delightfully."- broad brogue-'you VIII
know my brother =
livery doubtful I replied. tAmert-
ca Is a big country. What Is your
brothers name?
"Tt's Mccarthy. SIR
"'What does he do? =,
"He's a waiter In an inn, SIR
Whats the name Of the inn?
otis the Astor Inn, on the Broad,
way street in New York city, SIR
WHAT I said. Your brother.
Mccarthy, is a waiter In the Aston
House,? ;
Sure he replied.
Then said l, I have to tell you,
that your brother stood behind my,
chair attending to my wants during
the last meal I took in the United
States before. I sailed. He's my friend.
Mccarthy, the waiter, is
THE porter was overjoyed. while Il
was amazed, to think that In all the
vast number Of immigrants In the Uni.
ted States his brother should happen
to be my favorite waiter in the Aston
House. Then the porter ran to the
press room and returned with an arm
full Of papers, and I got them of By
mail. And when I returned home I
had his brother appointed to a good
paying clerkship IN the New York
customs house"
Copyright. 1910. by e. J. Edwarts.a
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Maybe $1,000 for Horny Roads.

The people of Horny county are Try
ing to secure a bond issue Of 100000
for the improvement of the highways
of that county. There is a measure
pending before the general assembly
to order an election on the question.
It is expected that this measure will
be passed at the next session of the
legislature. Recently there was Or
ganized a good roads and drainage
league in that county with several OF
the most influential citizens as Of
fce1s.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Showing Himself Up.

SHS"tHS iio SFs Hrr-4i
"Unk" Russell, the local prize fight
er, is very fond Of playing baseball
and when the Athletics are at home
he often goes out in the morning to-
practise with them.
Apropos Of this practise Of "Unks"
Eddie Collins tells the following story,f
Junk came to Shibe park early IN
the season and made himself known
to us with the request that II 1t were
possible he would like to have q little
practise with us, as It would aid I'M
his training. i
II told him we would be glad to-
have him get in the game, and told
him to get in left field. He looked
around %helplessly for a moment or
two, and then, coming close to me-
said, almost in a whisper:
"'Say, which Is left held? I never
played on this Observation-Disclosures
phia Times.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
The Greatest State Fair.

1t is expected that the State fail
this year will be one Of the most sue
cessful in the history of the associa-
lion. Never before has there been
so much interest in agriculture and
this feature of the fair will receive
especial attention in the matter of
exhibits and prizes. The State fail
will be held on October 81, November
l, 2, 8 and 4.
There will be prizes aggregating
many thousands of dollars in the
following departments: Field crop,
manufacturers, races, horses, cattle.
sheep, hog, bench show, poultry,
household, needle and fancy work,
fruit and floral and fine arts.
Upon request Clemson college has
consented to aid the fair society in
making the field crop department
representative Of the agricultural re-
sources of the State and all farmers
are urged to lend aid by sending
in their exhibits to make the depart
ment one of the very best and most
attractive at the fair.
J. n. Harper, director of the Glenn
son experiment station, together with
the associate professors, has beer
soliciting exhibits during the yeal
and will exert their energies in ar
ranging the exhibits in a systematic
and educational manner
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Chemical Laboratory in Columbia.

The department OF agriculture mas
severed it's connection with Clemson
college in respect to the analytical
work for the feed stuffs department.
Commissioner Watson has shown
that there is no i'll feeling between
his department and the agricultural
school and states that the change was
made so as to facilitate the work Of
the chemist. A new laboratory has
been purchased and will be installed
in the old State ~dispensary building
in Columbia.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28

A Harlemite fond Of figures has
been keeping tab, and says that New
York ONE in a line to buy tickets
or postage stamps consume two and
one-fourth as much time as NEIL.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28

There are three times as many
Buddhists, Brahmans, Mohammedans
and pagans in the world as there are
Christians.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Wanted Information

waitin' ter 'ear whether she'd best
souse It wi oil or shake the -four
dredger over it,"
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28

suppose I'd stick you for 80 simple q
thing as that
And yet" concluded Mr.. Hess. the
plan that Edison gave US off-hand M
free gratis for nothing Is the one now
universally employed when wires arc
to be placed underground"
Copyright, 1910, by e. ]. Edwards)
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
A Good Actor.

II see you have an actor employed
on the farm"
Eyes. I put him on. He's a darns
good actor, too. I thought he was
working the first year he was here"
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
Young Men Suffer For Crime.

At Anderson Charlie Hall and Ben
McElreath, both white, twenty and
thirty years old, respectively, were
sentenced to five years in the peni-
tertiary, being convicted of assault
and battery of a high and aggravat-
ed nature. These two men attempted
to blow up with dynamite the resi-.
dence of R. M. Webb, near Williams.
ton. A dog caught the dynamite
stick and was blown to pieces. The
house and occupants were thus saved,
although the house was greatly shak-
en-.
The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1910-02-28

printed with any other than the type
with which the rest of the ticket is
printed shall be thrown out and not
counted.
11.-Any ballot found in the ballot.
box with what is commonly known as
'stickers' attached thereto shall be
thrown out and not counted
1.-THE voter shall run a mark
through every name on the ticket ex-
cept the ones for whom ae desires to
cast ais ballot. Tickets marked other
wise will not be counted.
l3.-The central committee shall
meet at ten O'Clock a. N. the next day
after ne primary election and cam
vass h returns and make public an
nouncognent of the results.
Those desiring their names TO a,-
pear on the primary election ticket
must deposit with the Chairman of
the Central Committee the amount
set opposite the name of the Office 10
which he aspires. as follows:
MAYOR $1,000
City Clerk $1,000
Treasurer $500
Alderman. four years S 200
Alderman, two years ... 8 loo
Member BID. of Education. 4 yrs, 5 100
Member BID. of Education, . yrs, 8 80
Central Committeeman 3 50
Delegates 70 convention, nothing.
This money to De used in defraying
the expenses necessary To holding the
primary election.
A Democratic delegate convention
is also hereby called 70 al the
District Court room on FRIDAY the 25th
day OF March, 1910. . O'Clock p. IN. for
the purpose Of f0rn lating n demo
cratic platform for the coming city
election and for -transacting anv 9th
ct business that .nav be pertinent.
Delegates composing this convention
Will be chosen At tae democratic pri-
mary election called to be held n the
various city wards on March 22d.
1910.
Central Committee: c. VI. Yater,
Chairman.
J. s. Lea,
Secretary.