The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-02-12
TO MAKE SUMTER A CITY.
Progress" Points out a Few Matters
Which Need Correction.

bVioie ouHlter can ever become
city In fact, there are a few matters
to be attended to and a few laws TO
be enacted and maintained. beg
permission to make one or two sug-
gestions along the line indicated.
When free delivery OF the mails
was inaugurated, word went out that
we must all number our houses and
places OF business, and the public
authorities would post the names Of
the streets on the street corner. This
was quite a long time ago great
many new nc uses have been built,
which bear no number, and in many
other places. the numbers have fall
en- down that were put up years ago.
The result Is that We are daily living
in violation Of the agreement made
with the government concerning the
free mail delivery. 1t seems that our
city fathers could inaugurate some
wise law, which would compel the
citizens to maintain the house num-
bers. A visit from a policeman, ad-
monishing one that his number had
| disappeared. with Instructions how to
have the same renewed at a mini
mum cost. would be Of service TO many
Of US. A house number is not of much
value to the man who lives in the
house. but would often be helpful to
stranger who visits the city
Our Main street is by no means too
wide. and the traffic along this main
thoroughfare is quite considerable.
The present custom of parking auto
mobiles along the two principal
squares, from Hampton avenue to the
postoffice is an abomination which
should not be allowed. To drive
through Main street at midday, one
Is required to keep in the middle
Of the road" because OF the rows
of machines which line the street on
each side. The business men ride
down to their offices. and think they
have right to leave their cars before
the places Of business for several hours
during the busiest part Of the day. The
law tells US how TO stop, with the
right side OF the car TO the sidewalk,
but forgot to say that we must not
stop in one place half day to the
great inconvenience Of others.
Complaint has several times been
made that our livery stable men use
the streets for hitching up their teams
and for storing their wagons. On Har-
vim Street, conditions are sometimes
! annoying in the extreme, and passers-
by find no little trouble in avoiding
a clash with the empty wagons that
line the street
We are all glad TO see new houses
being built, but 1t borders upon the
ridiculous to contemplate the fact that,
without a word OF objection, the
builders Of the City National Bank
should have been allowed to block
the sidewalk In the business part of
| town for more than six months, and
this too In face of the fact that when
the license to build was given. 1t was
distinctly stated that after the build
ing got far enough above the ground,
scaffolding should be erected to al
low passing beneath. How much
longer We shall be compelled to tramp
/ through the mud and slop in order to
go around the pile of rubbish on the
street, Is a matter purely problemati-
cal. All we know is that the process
of building is very slow. and we must
continue to wade through the mud at
the will of the contractor. Such a
sight in a real city would be impos-
sible.
These suggestions-not to call them
| criticisms-are now before the eyes
OF the city fathers. The material for
building a house can be carried up
from the inside as well as from the
outside. and while the people may be
willing to accept and put up with in
conveniences for few weeks il is be-
yond reason TO ask them to do so for
six or eight months.
PROGRESS.