The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-01-14

year; yet they, TOO, have been abused
for recommending clemency in certain
cases, when they were performing on:
ly a patriotic duty, for all men know
they were certainly not performing
duty which paid them, financially or
otherwise-the only hope Of reward
which they can expect is that which
the God of Justice and Of Mercy will
give them for paying careful attention
to cries of the widow and the oppress-
ed, and for listening to ''the least Of
these"
Trusts and Combinations.
1 desire, gentlemen, to call to your
attention once again the cotton mill
mergers of this State, and ask that you
take some definite action in regard
thereto, and l respectfully refer you
to my Message upon this subject,
House Journal, 1912, page 14S; Senate
Journal, 1912 page 155. My predic-
joins therein are already being full
filled. In the recent primary election
men were threatened and attempts
were made by the heads of these mill
mergers to intimidate them; and am
reliably Informed that, since the cleo
ton, men have been dismissed from
their jobs because they did not vote to
suit the bosses" The matter is for
you-to use a somewhat inelegant,
but forcible expression, it is "up to
you" 1t is not impossible that some
day, unless action is taken even some
of you may be the sufferers and then
no doubt you would wish that action
had been taken.
I desire to call your attention also
to other trusts and combinations, par
ticularly the Carolina Public Service
Corporation, that is buying all the ice
plants throughout this State. This is
violation of the law. These ice
plants are being bought simply and
solely for the purpose of creating
monopoly; shutting out ali the inde
pendent plants; raising the price of
ice to whatever figure they desire to
put it, and saying to the people, sick
or well, ,'sPay this or do without
l thought the attorney general would
take some action in regard to these
matters, under the law, but nothing
has been done, and I now call upon
you to take some steps before these
corporations have so far stuck their
fangs into the people that it will be
impossible toi get them out.
See Section 13, Article 9, Constitp-
ton of South Carolina, 1895.
Exclusive Franchises.
I desire to call your attention to the
evil of any town, city, county or State
giving any exclusive rights, privileges,
or franchises to any corporation or in
dividual We see the pernicious effec.s
of this now When a town or city
places her water system, light system,
street car system, telephone or tele-
graph system in the hands Of one cor
poration, under an exclusive fran
chise, the result often is, that if you
are without water you can not force
them to hurry repairs and you cannot
get it elsewhere; if you are without
light the same is true; if the telephone
company or telegraph company gives
you poor service and you make COM
plant you are ignored, because you
have nowhere else to go, and you are
bound by their special privileges When
any town Or city places herself under
one system of public service, to the
exclusion of others, after the exper-
ience of towns and cities all over the
country, it deserves to have poor pub
lie service facilities. I respectfully
recommend that you pass an act an
nulling all exclusive franchises here
tofore granted in South Carolina, and
forbidding any exclusive franchise in
the future. The towns and cities bs-
long to the State; the town govern
ment or the city government is but
a subdivision of the general State 60
vernment; the people of the towns and