The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1911-08-02
HOLLOWAY SCORES MILL
MERGER AND NEGROES
SAYS EFFORT IS TO GET 1oc COTTON
Seyeniy.Five Per Cent Of Cotton Rails
ed in South Carolina and Fifty
One Per Cent of Farms
Owned BY Negroes.
(BY,D. r. HALTIWANGER.)

(BY,D. R. HALTIWANGER.)
Between four and five hundred peo-
pie attended the big educational rally
and farmers meeting at Edmund, on
the Perry extension of the Southern
railway Saturday. The crowd was
swelled doubtless by the announcement
that the governor would be present
and make an address. In making the
Introductory address, Hon. w. 81.
Sharpe, the chairman of the meeting
stated that why the governor was not
present he did not know. Mr.. Sharpe
expressed regret at the governors: al
sence, and while doing 80 one man on
the stage exclaimed, eve hope he
will never come"
w. z. Tate. supervisor of rural
schools, spoke before the dinner hour,
being introduced by MIR. Sharpe. Mr..
Tate referred to the fact that nearly
every school district in Lexington
county had voted special tax levy for
school purposes, and congratulated the
people upon the increased interest in
education. Lexington stands at the
front of the counties of the state in the
progress that is being made in the ru-
raj schools. Happily the time has ar
rived in South Carolina when the peo-
p,o of the rural districts have decided
to keep pace with the cities and towns
in the matter Of education. There are
Is, 600 more white children attending
school in South Carolina now than
there were five years ago, he said, but
the largest increase in attendance is in
the town aud city schools. This he at
tributed to the fact thas the people Of
the rural districts are moving into the
city in order to educate their children.
This should not be- declared the speak
or. ''It is not for the good OF South
Caro- ina that any white farmer should
move from country to town; it is a
misfortune for the state that any farm
er should move from the country"
The speaker stated that the greatest
essentials to keeping the farmer on
the farm are good roads, good church
es and good schools. These are neces-
sary to stop the continuous flow from
the rural districts. 1t is a deplorable
fact that there is not sufficient money
to keep the rural schools running on
longer terms. Prof. Tate urged the
people of Edmund district to vote for
the special four-mill tax in the election
soon o b , held. He declared that Ed
mund was in me best district in the
state to vote for this tax inasmuch as
there are four rifles of railway in the
district, and this would give the people
more than twice as much money as all
the other property in the district COM
oined. The Southern railway, he said
would pay into the district annually
the sum OF 1920. But Notwithstanding
this fact the Southern railway was
anxious for the people to tax themselv-
es locally for education, and they
would pay their share without muir
mur. The railroads, declared Prof.
Tate, are the strongest believers in ed
ucation of all the corporationt. The
four-mill tax would be sufficient to
keep the school at Edmund running
nine months in the year. Prof. Tate
closed his able address with the decla-
ration that cit is up to the farmers Of
South Carolina to uphold the flag of
the state, and this requires an educat-
ed citizenship"
At the conclusion of Prof. Tate's
address, dinner was announced, and
the more than tour hundred present
partook OF an excellent barbecue meal
prepared by L. E. Jeicoat.
For one hour in the afternoon J. B.
Holloway, representing the Farmers
Union of South Carolina, addressed
the audience. He made an able pre-
sentation of what the union stands for.
its aims and its purposes. The speak
or went for the cotton exchanges and
the "peanut politicians with gloves
OF. He called attention to the great
reduction in the price Of cotton during