The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-06-29

snhuence OF both OF the old papers
and 10 manifestly the best advertisin,'
medium In Sumter.
Cole l.. Blease is grotesque
creature and addicted to irreverent
and sacrilegious comparisons i'm his
public harangues. On more than one
occasion he has compared himself
with shocking and sacrilegious i'm
piey to Jesus Christ, and the other
day at Yorkville he attempted to
draw an analogy between his Pro-
Germanism and disloyalty to the
governments war policy, and the
course OF Robert f. Ice I'm opposing
secession I'm 1861. We have often
heard OF stealing the livery OF heaven
to serve the devil in. but 1t remained
for Cole l.. Blease to demonstrate
with brazen effrontery this form of
larceny. Robert II. Lee and Cole L.
Blease are as far apart as the poles
as different as heaven and hell. and
no one realizes this more fully than
Blease himself. but he discounts the
intelligence OF the people and
fmagines that ne has them hood
winked.
There still appears to be consider
able confusion respecting the rule of
the Democratic party that requires
the enrolment every campaign year
OF all members OF the party. No
man is permitted to vote in the pri-
mary unless he personally signs the
roll book OF his precinct club. The
fact that the roll was signed In 1916
or 1914 has no bearing on the pres
ent election. A new roll book is
made up for each primary. a member
Of the party must qualify for each
primary by signing the roll book of
his club during the period prescribed
by the rules of the party. The roll
books lare now open and those who
wish to exercise the privilege of vot-
Ing In the primary should apply to
the secretary of the precinct club be-
fore the last Tuesday In July. on
which day the books are closed.
The average candidate for office
seems TO have unbounded and un-
shakabie confidence that promise to
reduce taxes. IL elected, will convince
the voters that he is the man of all
men to be put on the pay roll to live
on the money derived from taxes
They almost invariably link with the
solemn promise to reduce taxes
pledge to give the people better roads, /
better schools. better colleges. higher
pensions for Confederate veterans
and various other things that call for
larger expenditure of public money
They seem blind to the inconsistency
OF these pledges and the impossible !
ity OF reducing taxes and at the same
time have more public money TO
Iightened and progressive public is de-
manding. IL the pretended advocates
of lower taxes were dealing honestly
with the public they would tell the
voters that they favored reduction
OF taxes by the elimination OF work on
the public roads and a return to the
old plan OF calling out the people for
three days work once or twice a
year; by the reduction OF the school
term: by the repeal OF the law giving
State aid to grammar and high
schools; by refusing to appropriate
money for Confederate pensions: by
cutting down the appropriations for
Winthrop. the Citadel and University;
by putting the asylum on starvation
ptions and returning TO the old sys-
ten under which the asylum was
prison for the lunatics and not a hos
ptal for their treatment according {,
modern scientific methods: and by
abandoning all progressive efforts to
improve living and industrial condi-
tions through intelligent supervision.
Taxes can he reduced certainly. hut
only by the surrender OF the yer
things that mean progress and good
government Tho very men that are
now stumping the State and ranting
about lower taxes know that their
promises arc false and impossible
South Carolina has about the poorest
public roads In the country. although
they are much better than ten years
ago. the improvement being due to
higher taxes and the exuenditure os