The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-29
Chamber Of Commerce
Big County Mass Meeting For
Monday Evening To Plan
Welcome to Returning
HerOtS
Ladies and Gentlemen Urged to
Attend.


ter County seem not to have sense6
the opportunity presented to them ir
the County Court room last Monday
evening at the meeting called by the
Sumter County Chamber of Com
merce to plan to entertain and to well
come the returned and returning he
roes from the County Of Sumter who
helped to "bust the Hindenburg line,
and to make the world safe for de-
mocracy, civilization, and decency.
While the citizens Of the county
seat, Sumter, turned out about seven
ty-five, strong, as we love to say, nev-
erless this number was a very poor
indication Of our appreciation OF
heroic work judged by numbers at
least, although individuals present
We're representative men and women,
and the not more than four or fiva
from the country districts, equally as
patriotic and representative, all put
together did not represent one tenth
Of one per cent Of Sumter County's S
white citizenship who should have
been present. Judged by the attend
ance at this meeting, if attendance is a
criterion of the interest, then more
than 2inety-nine per cent of Sumter
County's white citizenship do not care
a rap whether our boys come home or
stay in the encampments of Europe
or in the cantonments Of America.
Neither are they interested in the he
roes who have come home.
What is or rather, what was the
7, oJ1i S11no Conn
ty any how, that is judged by the poor
meeting? By reference to another
column Of this issue Of this paper it
Will be seen that President E. S. Booth
of the Sumter County Chamber Of
Commerce, by orders received from
the patriotic and grateful, compare
lively few men and women attending
the meeting last Monday evening, has
appointed a very strong committee of
arrangements Of ladies and gentle
men representing city and rural dis
trictS TO formulate suitable arrange
ments for a proper welcoming of
our gallant boys who served in every
branch of the service, at home or
abroad, including those who have al
ready arrived in their homes. And in
order to retrieve if possible the spirit
of loyalty, love, gratitude, and coun-
ty pride which, judging again from
the poor attendance at the first meet
ing. was for the moment lacking last
Monday evening, President Booth has
called, by order of the first meeting.
another meeting for next Monday
evening, March 31st at the Court
room at SIS o'clock new time" to
give every one the full opportunity to
show his and her, and Sumter Coun-
tvs gratitude, patriotism, and county |
pride by being there ready for busi-
ness.
every sense Of the meaning. The |
ladies and gentlemen Of the rural dis
tricts can well afford TO ride in at a !
reasonably early hour Of the evening |
under s'set the clock up" time begin |
ming next Sunday morning, in order to
cooperate with their fellow citizens
in honoring the city, town, and rural
boys 1ho deserve more honor and
thanks at Sumter county's hands
upon them.
The ministers Of every white church
in this county have been written to by
the secretary of the Chamber of Com
merce requesting them to devote few
minutes of their Sunday service time
(on next Sunday to announcing next
NIondav evenings meeting, and urging
their congregations to attend this I'M
portant meeting. Even now it loo;1:
as though "our boys" will get home, or
most Of them any how before we can
get ready to give them the glad hand
in proper style.
So let us all appoint ourselves q
committee Of one to see that the
"other fellow" attends next Monday
evenings meeting. Sumter County
ought to be out ''in full force, the
ladies and gentlemen, and then the
entire county should "be on the jump"
until ..the boys come home" and un-
til Sumter County has appropriately,
as an entire county. honored the great
heroes of the greatest war in history