The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-01-12


have the right and opportunity TO vot,
once. that no man shall be allowed
TO vote more than once at the same
eIection. and that The independents
OF each voter to vote as his conscienc,
dictates shall be preserved. AS IA,
back as 1894 recognized this neces
's'sy and urged the adoption OF thr
Australian ballot system. which ha,
been adopted In Charleston with high.
" sati,factory results, / urge you tc
sppy this system to cities, towns and
the large voting communities In tho
State. d,
Registration.
L urge that our registration law be
amended so that the Board OF Regis
tration must require each person en-
Titled to registration to appear before
tnem In person. that certificates of
registration be delivered only to the
resistrant In person. and that there
90 strieter compliance both with
tne spirit and letter of the law.
= Agricultural Matters.
The State Department of Agricul.
ture. Commerce and Industries is
very largely the handiwork of the
late Commissioner. Col Il. ]. Watson.
The act under which she depart
ment Is created Is broad in its provis.
ions as regards work in agriculture.
leaving the commissioner free to do
almost anything he chooses i'm that
iine. Duplication and overlapping OF
enort between the/department and the
States Agricultural College. with con-
sequent friction and waste both OF eff
fort and of money. is n danger. and
some overlapping has occurred. The
very title OF the department. itself
tends TO confuse people of the State
VINO constantly have 20 decide for
themselves which agency. the depart
ment or the college. can best serve
them in any particular agricultural
situation.
Col Watson recognized that in the
main the college was responsible for
~the educational phases of agriculture
and the Department OF Agriculture.
Commerce and Industries for the en-
forcement OF those regulatory meas
ures dcvolved upon him by the iegis-
iaturt TO an extent sufficient to en-
gross FULLY the time and energy Of
himself and his associates. Such Is
sues rs did arise served only to en-
phssiEe tho need for a careful de-
nnins of the duties OF those two
agencies, both working in the same
Held and reaching the same constit-
uency.
Col Watson's death removes the
one man whose intimate knowledge of
the department from Its inception
furnished the necessary background
for a full appreciation Of It's proper
limitations, and It's proper relations TO
the agricultural college and to other
agencies He wisely refrained from
exercising ali the authority TO do ag-
ricnltural work with which the law
clothed him. but even with the best
Intentions on both sides there was
some duplication and cross efforts.
Col. Watson is gone. but the law
creating the department over which
no presided for so long with such
zeal. tact and judgment. remains 70
furnish to wilful or ambitious man
tho authority to cause confusion. du-
piication and possible conflict.
IL is conceivable that the next com.
missioner elected may be n man with
out adequate scientific training In
agriculture to safely advise our peo.
pie in that subject. An equally great
danger would be the election of a man
OF scientific attainments. but hungry
for power, who would stride into tho
educational field of the college seeking
10 duplicate it's work without the nee 4.
essary staff and facilities for doing
90.
We should not tolerate he pros
pect of possible duplication and trou-
BILE. and simply wait for some acute
issue 20 arise. but should at this op-
perfume time separate so distinctly the
fs'da OF the Commissioner and OF the
college as TO make trouble between
them impossible.
II almost goes without saying tina,
tho educational work in agriculture
whether through teaching at the col.
legc or out In the state. through the
extension and demonstration forces
Ia hv right The nnnnrfnnitv nnh ara.