The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-03-05
Tuesday, March 5, 1918.
OUR OPPORTUNITY.

At the coming primary election a
mayor and six members Of the city
council are to be voted for. Able
vile never had better opportunity
to take. a step forward. We pre-
sumo that the most thoughtful man,
and the least thoughtful man, in the
city, if either considered what has
been done in recent years by the
city council for the advancement Of
the city, would admit that nothing
practical has been accomplished. We
presume that the great majority Of
the, people know that matters have
gotten into a rut and that the ma
chinery is being run from month to
month with little idea Of bettering
conditions in the city. .....
It will not be out Of place to say,
we, think, that governments make
progress through frequent changes
in the personnel Of the men who do
the governing in legislative mat
ters, and that a house cleaning
every now and again is healthy
thing to have, however unpleasant
the job may be. It cannot. be done
better than by employing new
:house- keepers and by sweeping with
nav brooms. For that reason when
.ax new members of council are 10
be elected, or rather when six nen-
bers are to be elected, it is good
time to get some new blood, unless
perhaps some of those. who are now
in office by their votes in the past
have shown that they stand for more
progressive as well as economical
methods in the city. - ,.. Pee
: During the next twelve months,
or two years, the city of 'Abbeville
will agitate the question of issuing
bonds for street improvement, and
in that time, perhaps, bonds will be
issued in a large amount for this
purpose. It will be the task of the!
city council to see that the money
arising from a sale Of these bondsl
IS properly spent and that the city
receives value received for every
dollar spent. The amount to be
expended will be the largest per-
haps ever spent by this municipal
ity, if not larger than all former
bond issues combined.
Therefore, leaving out the matter
of needed changes in the police de-
partment, and the necessary changes
which will be brought about in the
matter of street building and street
maintenance, all of which will cry
for. economy and efficiency as never
before, and therefore, for the SER
vices of our best business men, it
is evident that the expenditure of
this vast sum of money, will call for
the best thought and best care of
the leading business men of the
city. The voters in the different
wards, therefore, should bestir them
selves to see that men of the best
business ability in the several wards
are nominated and induced to run
in the primaries, and laying aside
all lesser considerations, and all
political bias, we should vote to put
safe men on the council.
And this brings US to another
matter about which we have prom
ised to say something, and that mat
ter refers to the pay of councilmen.
We will not say that man who ac-
cepts two dollars for attending a
meeting of council is unworthy to
be a member of the council, but we
will say that man who runs for a
seat in the council for the salary
attached to the Office is unworthy
of the position.
If councilmen are to be paid at
all, they should be paid what the
sar,,;oos of a real councilman are