The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-02-15
Friday, Feb. Is, 1918.
SPRING AND POLITICS.

Now that the weather is taking
rest, and Spring has begun to intro
duce evidence of its early coming
and the candidates for office are be
ginning to shake themselves, an
crow little, if not drag their wing
on the ground, it may not be out o
place to say that Abbeville is
poorly governed city in many re
pects, largely, no doubt, becaus
we are a peaceful people and do no
need as much government as otheI
places need, nor as much as W
have. 1t may not be out of place
to review the situation to some ex
tent. to- find the weak places in oul
governmental fences, and begin to
lay plans te repair, or rebuild them
And then, too, as. the candidates for
mayor WILL. in little while, be Of
fermg their services to the people,
t will be- worth while to have some
questions; to ask them. So we desire
te PROFOUND these suggestions.
The Office of Mayor.
A salary of six hundred dollars
for all the duties performed by the
mayor of the city of Abbeville is a
small salary for these duties well
performed. But it has been the ex-
perience of the people here of late
wears that the Office has been held
by a man in some other business,
who,. Of course, can give only little
61ne ta the office, and one, there
lore, Z who has not given the busl-
pess of the city that attention and
thought which it deserves. We be-
Eeye, therefore, that the duties OF
the mayor of Abbevile should bel
tbe same as those of councilmen, ex-I
cent that he should preside at the
meetings of council, and be the
Spokesman for the city. The mayor
and other members of the city coun-
ell should sit to pass necessary ordl-
nances, to consider questions which
come before them, and to advise
the manager of the town in his
duties. in the same way that the
trustees of the city schools advise.
the superintendent in matters per-
tanning to the schools.
A City Manager.
The business affairs of the city
should be managed by city mana
ger who should be employed (not
elected, because elections are the
bane of good government.) Men
these days are taking courses IN the
matter of town management IN
which they study the business as a
banker studies his business; mer-
kant, his; and a doctor or lawyer,
his. The experiment has been tried
IN Beaufort which formerly had a
v.ry poor city government with the
result that it is now one of the best
governed cities in the state, and q
great deal of money is being saved
of course the manager should have
his helpers or assistants whom hi
should employ with the advice anc
consent of the council. We do no
undertake to say what he shoult
Raye in the way of assistance, a
tha is a matter of detail, excep
Hhat cases in the city court shoul'
be tried before
A Recorder.
= The recorder should be one of tn
young lawyers of the city. The pres
rut city attorney would make a
sdmirable one. He knows the rule
If evidence, is level-headed an
would run the recorders court fo
he purpose of correcting evils j
TIE city, of setting offenders agains
the ordinances of the town in tn
Eeht path, and in all matters woul
give every case fair trial, havin
IN mind that justice shoul d be ten
,Dered with mercy, and that it is nj
Iseessary that the police depar