The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-10-28

Tho State senate appears to be run
ming around In u circle. The cotton
problem has them guessing and they
do not know what to do. They wa Il
to do something to relieve the situa-
ton. they want to please their con-
stitutents and allay the clamor for
state aid. but they are. at the same
time. confronted with the necessity
OF making their acts conform to the
constitution. The senator's have on
the spur of the moment. passed sew
eral radical measures, and then on
second thought. have rescinded these
acts. demonstrating that the rule of
reason and commonsense Is still para
mount. The situation In which the
members of the legislature find them
selves Is not enviable. for they are ex-
pectcd by large section of their
constituents to restore prosperity by
an act OF legislation--an impossibility,
since existing conditions are entirely
beyond their control.
The Charleston race track gamblers
ere going ahead with arrangements
Tor the race meet just as il they were
engaged In lawful enterprise They
count on no interference from indif-
ferent county officials and a friendly
state administration and expect to re-
vel In a carnival of bookmaking and
pool room gambling until the legis-
iature convenes In January and tho
new administration Is inaugurated.
IL the Germans do not succeed in
overwhelming the allies In France and
Belgium during the next ten days or
two weeks the war will drag on
through the winter without material
change I'm the general situation. Then,
when spring opens. England will
have completed her preparations to
wage an effective campaign and Ger
many will be forced to fight on the
defensive. The fate Of the allies now
hangs In the balance for the Germans
are making n supreme effort to crush
and scatter the British and French
forces and overrun France. 1t Is
now or never with Germany and they
are throwing all their available forces
against the allies.
The conditional oyroo,nont 90 tna
Federal Reserve Board to accept pro-
posed South Carolina cotton bonds as
n basis for the issue of currency will
revive the hopes of the bond issue ad-
vocates and they will redoubie their
efforts to force the bond issue bill
through both branches of the legisla-
ture. We greatly fear the members
Of the legislature will shirk the re-
sponsibility that Is really theirs by
passing the bill with the proviso that
the question be referred to voters at
the general election on November 3rd.
The bond issue Is the most insidious
and dangerous scheme that has been
put before the people of South Caro-
lima since the state dispensary system
was foisted upon the State. 1t Is
poor policy and worse finance, and
It's eventual effects upon the State will
be more damaging and disastrous
than II all of the present cotton crop
should be sold at five cents a pound.
The very people the bond issue Is os-
tensibly designed To help will be
eventually the worst sufferers, since
they will have To pay the bonds, in
terest and the heavy incidental ex-
penses. But the worst feature of the
whole scheme is that fictitious mar
ket will he created for cotton and the
farmers will use the money obtained
from this bond issue to raise another
cotton crop that the markets of the
world cannot absorb. Then there will
he n clcu.or for another and bigger
bond issue and the process will be
repeated until the crash comes. lcav-
ii.g the State saddled with u trcmen-
dous debt and nothing to pay ii with
except cotton that cannot &C sold fol
more than half the price paid for IL in
bonds. We MAJ DC entirely mistaken
sn this view OF the bond scheme. but
a. appears to us dangerous. and we are
afraid of II.
The house Of representatives had q
trough house" session Friday night
nnd the unofficial report states tina
the cause was not the cotton problem
hut too much essence OF grain.