The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-01-23
EDITOR GRIST OF YORK
VISITS PEE DEE SECTION
Spends Several Days With Senator
McLaurin and Writes Interest
ingly of this Section.

Editor w. y. Grist of the York
vile Enquirer, spent few days re-
Gently with Senator McLaurin at
Bennettsville, and the following in
teresting article appeared in a recent
issue Of The Enquirer:
They've got better roads in North
Carolina than they have in South
Carolina. They are making more
progress in North Carolina than they
are making in South Carolina. They
are holding cotton in North Carolina
Just as they are in South Carolina.
They are equally saddened in both
states by the flu, and the people of
both states are equally apprehensive
of what the future may hold in the
shape of further ravages from this
scourge.
These are a few Of the outstand-
ing impressions that were confirmed
by a brief vacation that the Editor
took during the holidays. The va
cation was spent as the guest Of his
friend, Hon. John L. McLaurin, OF
Bennettsville, and was pretty well
filled with walks and talks and rides
and observations, scenes and i'm
pressions.
l spent two days between York
vile and Bennettsville, three nights
and two days with Mr.. McLaurin, one
of the days in Bennettsville, and the
other on an automobile trip to the
east through Marlboro, Scotland and
Robson counties to Lumberton, n.
c., where Rev. Baxter McLendon is
holding an evangelical meeting. 1
was on the go most of the time and
the two days with Mr.. McLaurin
were pretty full of interest and di-
version.
Let me say in order to avoid any
misapprehension, that there was abb
solutely no political object or signifi-
canoe in the trip. 1t was purely
friendly and social. Mr.. McLaurin
is done with politics. He is conyinc-
ed that he is not suited to that voca-
ton. He knows very we'll that he
could help South Carolina industri-
ally, agriculturally and financially
if he could be in position to shape
legislation in such manner as to
carry out the plans that he has long
cherished along that line; but he
does not feel equal to the task Of
smashing the partisan barriers that
stand in the way. So he has abso-
lutely quit politics. He has not quit
thinking of ways. and means to help
the people to get fair deal, means
of circumventing the PARASITES that
control and prey on honest produc-
tion and things Of that kind; but he
has given up all thought and desire
for official position. 1t is not be-
cause of any doubt Of his ability to
administer such position in the way
he thinks it should be administered;
but rather because he is unable to
compete in the getting there with
people who know so little what to
do with administrative office after
they have secured it. II have given
to the state several years during
which 1 could have made great
deal of money" he says, "but if the
state has benefited as much as so
many of my friends seem to think,
l have no regrets, except that l wish
1 could have more completely carried
out my plans in connection with
grading, marketing and financing Of
cotton"
While in Bennettsville 1 learned
from Mr.. McLaurin and others that
Marlboro farmers have not sold a
great deal Of cotton. They have
thousands and thousands of bales on
their farms and in the warehouses.
The Bennettsville Warehouse com
pany, Of which Mr.. McLaurin is the
principal owner, is alone carrying
more than six thousand bales, and it
would have twice that much except
for the fact that it is lacking in stor-
age room.
Bennettsville, by the way, is quite
a pretty town, so far as fine business
buildings, handsome homes, well
kept lawns and yards go; but it
won't stand close inspection as to