Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-08-10
U OF FRICTION

IL 10 IL IlOloI lOuo AoStb hdAAJ
ated, not only within the corporate
limits Of this town; but throughout the
county, and wherever the town is
known, that there Is more continuous
turmoil and strife among the people
here than is to be found in any town
Of half it's size, exactly its size or twice
its size, in this or any adjoining state.
This situation Is frequently remarked
by outsiders and no less frequently
remembered by our w people, and
although it is common to hear men. In
uuire what the trouble is, sometimes
honestly and sometimes hypocritically,
and 1t Is not a are thing to hear a
correct and truthful statement Of the
real facts, things go on from bad to
worse with but little show Of improve
ment. And as much as we would like
to see the situation Strengthened out on
a basis Of right, the truth of the
matter is that there Is very little
hope now or hereafter
In proportion to size, there are as
many generous, kind hearted, right
thinking, fair minded people to be
found in this town as are to be found
in any town in the state. That fact,
we believe, Is generally admitted; but
Notwithstanding the existence of this
fact the turmoil and strife continues
without abatement and there are few
in the town who seem to have any
hope for q permanent adjustment.
The greatest drawback to the pros
perity Of the town, generally speak
ing, has been the common disposition
to disregard the ordinary rules OF
fair conduct as between nan and man,
and insist upon special privilege and
the like. There are now, as there have
always been, men and womer VINO
pitch their conduct, business, !Iocial,
religious and otherwise, along liz es OF
due consideration Of the rights OF
others with due regard to all estab-
lished fundamentals. There are others
who do not seem to think that fairness
and Justice are to be considered-that
they have q right to do what they
can do, and all opposition that Is
based upon a defense Of rights Is
really only that much contrariness.
Sometimes friction is engendered
honestly through ignorance, and some
times 1t is engendered through open
eyed disregard Of the fundamentals.
There are people who'insist that GER
tain other people are to be considered
with one rule, while others must be
dealt with by still another rule, and
that they themselves are subject to
no rule whatever. The idea that every
individual has or should have the same
right and privileges Of every other in
dividual, Is denied by many, and as
most individuals believe that they are
entitled to the same rights Of all other
individuals, they are not generally
willing to pull smoothly when those
rights are denied. 1t Is very often
more or less easy for one mar to usurp
or trample on the rights Of another.
Men will frequently submit to wrong
without offering resistance, either legal
or POLITICAL; but there are few men
who will thus submit without harbor-
ing feeling and that feeling never fails
to continue a disturbing element.
If the writer were Of a mind to he
could fill this and other columns with
instances where the people Of the town
have been unfairly and illegally
imposed upon. In doing this, he would
llOl COllllllC lllilloCii u w
of opinion; but would give facts, indis-
putable facts, and every cas- he would
recite would leave a strong impression
Of injustice, that is necessarily a
source Of friction.
For instance. a great many people
remember how, after the capital
stock had been subscribed for the
Lockmore cotton mill, and before the
actual organization Of the enterprise,
there was started and carried through
a movement to have the town vote
municipal tax exemption for all new
manufacturing enterprises with a
weekly pay roll Of $50 or something
TO that effect. The ostensible purpose
was to encourage the establishment Of
new manufactures. On its face the
thing sounded all right, maybe; but
when people considered that virtually
all of the stock in this concern had
already been subscribed by local
stockholders, they could not help see
ing what appeared to them the sham
Of the whole thing. The clear effect
of ii was to give the stockholders Of
the enterprise a subsidy at the expense
Of those who were not stockholders,
and the proposition did no: e have
the semblance Of a two-Sided bargain.
1t will be remembered that some
years back when the old Sutro mill
failed, 1t owned a lighting plant that
had not been a paying proposition.
The proprietor Of the plant had pre-
viously asked for a franchise, but
that had been denied. Certain
individuals who were interested in the
estate of the Sutro mill, bought the
lighting plant for a nominal sum-. 1t
was Of very little account and could
not be operated at a profit. About
that time 1t appeared desirable for the