The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-02-15
ment be made a paying institution.
A New Deal In Police Department.

which needs a sweeping dose of ere
form" is this same police depart
ment. Now we have nothing agains
any of the men on the present police
force. We like them all, and be
lieve that they are all gentlemen
and that they are capable and arr
to be depended upon in all matters
Moreover, they are level-headet
and do not run wild in the matter
of arresting men. They have no
been guilty of practices allowed il
other places of encouraging
Through others), men to commi
crimes and then of arresting anc
Furnishing them for the crimes. Bu
we have entirely too many Of the
"foinest" and we must cut down
the force. The cotton mill, we be-
lieve, pays for a policeman who
works there at night. The city
needs not more than one other po.
liceman at night and one during the
day, unless on special occasions
when extra men may be employed.
The maintaining of a force of six
or more men on the city's pay rolls
is absolutely unnecessary, and the
matter should be corrected at once.
Divorce All Departments.
The working of the streets should
not be in the hands of the police de-
partment. A man who knows how to
build streets should be on the streets
with full authority and full respon-
sibility. We have great respect for
the present chief of police, who, we
believe, is still at the head of the
street department. But we must say
that the city has no right to make
of as good a man as Mr.. Johnson a
continuous lawbreaker. A great
deal of sand must be hauled on the
streets, 1--WE presume that all of you
have heard of this fact). Now this
sand must be hauled all at once, and
t would not be economy for the city
% undertake to keep teams to haul
;and, therefore, the city council be-
ieves that it is better to hire teams
o do this work, and the street fore
nan, Mr.. johnson, is authorized to
ire these teams. It so happens that
1r. Johnson's firm is the only person
r firm from whom these teams
nay be hired, and therefore, Mr..
ohnson is forced to hire teams from
imself, or his firm, which is the
anne thing. Now we take Mr..
ohnson to be an honest man, but
n honest man should not allow him
elf to be put in a position where he
lay be accused of doing things to
romote his own business, or in a
lace where he may be suspected of
rofiting personally by reason of his
fficial acts and contracts. So jeaI-
us has the law always been of the
idelity of officers that it has been
he rule of law, with no exceptions,
hat all contracts made by a person
n his official position with himself
IS an individual are deemed fraudu-
ent, and against public policy So
irmly fixed is the law to this effect
n this state, and 80 persistently have
officers in this state used
;neir offices for their own ends that 7
he legislature of South Carolina
,as seen fit to enact the following
which is now a part of its criminal
Code:
No municipal officer shall take
a contract to perform work or
furnish material for the NUM-
cipal corporation of which he
is an officer, and no such Of
fcer shall receive any compen-
sation on any contract for said
purpose. Any person violat-
ing the provisions of this Sec
ton shall be guilty of a misde-
meanor, and upon conviction
thereof shall be punished by
fine or Imprisonment in the
discretion of the court before