The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-07-25

my likes and dislikcs, | would not
DC before you tonight, asking your
support, but many o. the good people
of this city,, have very earnestly So
licited my standing for recollection to-
the Office OF councilman. and it is
on this account that l am here.
Having filed this Office for the past
two years and am now Offering again
it is but natural and right that YOU
should want an account of my
stewardship, and the ground on which
feel warranted in coming before you
for reelection. Now gentlemen, do not
lose sight of the fact, that the income
OF our city is comparatively small.
and the outgo, large, with IL constant
demand that We have things done, is
increasing all the while, also re-
member that the public debt, like the
and while figures DO not lie, still it
has been said, an! rightly so, they are
very cOntrOvertiLlc, and often alarm
us. My work on the council has
been largely, not on the water wagon,
gentlemen, but looking after the wa
ter system of the city. since under
taking this / have had many and va
ricd kicks, strange to say. don't YOU
think = And they were all Of course
I ~ l,t he,
kickers arc all my friends and will
vote for me. / am not very practi-
cable as q water man, but my aim and
desire has been to get Il maximum
amount Of water at q minimum cost.
Some OF my good friends the kickers,
! have said thcy would not pay their
bills. and others that it WAS outrageous
that the churches should be required
to pay anything at all. AS water COM
missioner my position is now, and has
been all along, that the water COM
pany should get credit for every gal
lon of water it delivers, and If n case
of charity should develop. it must he
treated by the council on it's merits.
No business can hope to succeed,
by Careless and indifferent methods.
If YOU do not want mo to attend to
your business do not elect me as al
derman. All Of these Objectors re-
ferred to thus far, are. Of course.
friends Of mine and will vote for me.
Three years ago, at this time of the
year, the water SYSTEM Of Sumter
was badly run down, not only shy in
water. but extremely deficient in
equipment, and the commissioners
one Of whom 1 was, were casting
about for an additional supply of wa
ter and better equipment, at a possible
cost Of more than one hundred thou
sand dollars. At that time it was
hard to keep fifty feet Of water in
the stand pipe during the hot months
namely June, July and August. Un-
der tho new management. we have
spent approximately $10,O32 on this
system and have equipment that is
worth the money, having 13 new
wells, SO feet deep and new steam and
electric pumps and boilers, and dur
ing the dry period that we have just
passed through, we have had no trou-
bic in keeping the standpipe full, that
is about 115 feet, and the cost of
power for doing this has been about
81 per day, against S14 for the old
system, a saving of $4,000 q year,
and while we may expect to increase
the facilities as ouI city grows, at the
present time we are we'll fixed in this
line and at a reasonable cost for
same, Mr.. Kicker, be IAN honest In
jen," what have you got to say about
this showing? It's easy to verify the
figures, if YOU think it necessary, and
still YOU do not like Rowland for rca-
sons which hope to tell you later on.
You all know, as we'll rs I do, what
has been done in the matter Of street
improvement, and what has not been
done, simply because we did not have
tho funds with which to do it. But
we have a plan to submit to the voters
before very long, the question of beau
tifying and improving all the streets
in our city, and if we are directed to
do this you will find Sumter fully
abreast Of the times along these as
we'll as other lines. 1t is entirely in
your hands to have it done. if you
wish to do so. The city manage
mcnt is subject to your direction.
The commission form Of govern
ment is on trial, but the city debt in
CURED before its institution, and with
which 1T had nothing to do, has it
handicapped in large measure and
prevents its doing things that it would
do were conditions different. II is
hard to navigate Il boat that is heavily