The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-07-07
ON BOND PETITION.
Chamber OF Commerce Secretary
Tells ut Length of Ills Troubles and
TribulatiOns in Working for Sigma

Tells at Length OF Ills Troubles and
TribulatiOns in Working for Sigma
lures of FrcchOldcrs.
Editor The Daily Item:
number of persons in this city
have seen fit to adversely criticisc Gin
stead of cooperating with me) an
imaginary uncalled for delay on my
part in circulating the petition for a
majority Of the freeholders to sign
authorizing an election to issue
$225,OO0 bonds for street and side
walk paving.
1t should be remembered that this
Is, by far the biggest and least under
stood bond issue ever attempted in
this city, and that the petition / am
circulating follows closely recent
$4,000 bond issue for city school pur-
poses.
To be confronted with two bond is
sues agregating the sum of $275,-
600 together is a precedent which has
called for serious consideration
among Sumter's freeholders.
To begin with, there are a great
many freeholders who do not under
stand the proposed Auditing Property
Taxation plan Of paving. And hun
dreds who misunderstood it. There
are hundreds Of women freeholders
hundreds of colOred freeholders, and
among both races, there are many
men and women freeholders who are
working out in factories. on railroads,
on farms, and otherwise occupied
where they can not be approached ex-
cept after six o'clock in the evening,
and there are many nonresident
freeholders.
1t Is practically an impossibility to
secure in hour, a majority of Sum-
ter's freeholders without getting hun
dreds of colOred freeholders as the
balance If power. This new plan of
paving our streets and sidewalks is
new in Sumter. It should
be remembered that it requires much
more time to explain this plan and in
duce freeholders to sign q petition
there, than it usually does for ordi-
nary bond issues to be voted on for
popular public utilities such as
schools, water works, sewerage, etc.,
and which the public are familiar
with.
The abutting property taxation pc
tition specifies that the property own
crs must pay "two-thirls Of the cost"
OF paving. This is not an exceedirgly
popular phrase at first blush with
hundreds Of freeholdcrs. and no such
requirement attaches itself TO any
other bond issue previously attempted
in this city.
In dealing with females who are
freehOlders, of both races, have
found that eight out of ten have re-
quested that they he given time to
consult with their husbands or other
relatives or male advisers. have been
to revisit great many
homes, white and colored from one to
four times before securing signatures
of female freeholders.
In addition thereto 1 am confronted
with opposition from a number Of
Sumter's intelligent, and in some in
stances, influential white citizens who
do not favor the abutting property
taxation plan. This opposition has
positively resulted in direct refusals
in great many instances and hun
dreds of instances in delay on the
part Of freeholders male and female,
white and colored.
So far as 1 am aware, am the only
man in Sumter who ever secured the
signatures of majority of the free
holders of Sumter for bond issue.
Others have secured the signatures Of
one-third Of the freehOlders for a
school bond issue, very popular pub
lie enterprise.
Therefore l feel that 1 know what
am writing about. l think that 1
could prove by not less than eight
hundred freehOlders and hundreds of
others besides, white and colored,
male and female. that L have "been
on the job" trying to get a majority
of the freeholders to sign.
I have been over the entire city sew
eral times within less than sixty days
besides attending to my other duties
as commercial secretary 1 "hit Sum-
ter" with this petition during the
first week, right on the crest of the
Rev. Bob Jones wave, and the Chau-
tauqua, and had to contend also with
very prominent and popular competf-
ton with innumerable daily district