The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-09-24

paid eleven hundred dollars of the
cost in lieu of an annual dividend.
This tobacco warehouse property is
according to good business men worth =
more than its first cost. The cor,
poration hires no salaried officers, and
IT owes fifteen hundred dollars, has
enough cash on hand to pay all rum
ming expenses, and will get enough in-ze
come doubtless from rents to pay the
fifteen hundred dollars by September
18th, 1920. ALI of which is mention
ed Just to show that tobacco ware 8
house stock and to3acco market .in-
vestments pay the stockholders by in-S
! creased values in the property pur-
! chased and operated, and in the de-
! velopment of local tobacco market.
The tobacco warehouse business in IS
Sumter has not been. a failure. and
| no one except those who got cold s
feet and sold their stock during the
war to other stockholders for less
than par value, have lost cent, that
is provided these shares sold were sotd1
for less than par value. No one but z
!! the sellers and purchasers know how
much was paid. &.
Sumter tobacco warehouse officers
and directors. are those who direct
and look after the interests OF the
stockholders. The manager is man:
aged" and manages those things he:
is told to manage. That is why,
doubtless there are no defunct tobac-s
co warehouse corporation in Sumter
So you can put your money in a to-a
ibacco steam dry plant and stemnery,
rest assured that it will not be de-
funct enterprise, that it will not be
,i controlled outside capital interest
eG in moving this new enterprise TO
some other place, that local capital
will be sufficient to keep it in Sumter
that there will be legitimate, sound,
good loca, business cooperative di-
rect;on looking after local stock in
; this enterprise, that no outside capi-
tai rorl few local men either will
grab off more than their legitimate
or just share of the net profits or work
to the exclusive interests of outside
: capital.
!, When you put your money in Sum
, ter tobacco warehouse or market
SlOChr you Cctil 1SSI c~oSQA GU |AAc~S
will not wind up with any worthless
gaudily printed shares of capital
stock in your safe to cry over and {
give you an excuse for not taking
stock in any other Sumter enterprises.
The present abnormal war prosperity
and fat profteering will not last for
:. ever Competition and competitive
and fair prices will win out sooner
or later.
Come out tomorrow afternoon and
help to get another important enter
prise for Sumter. Do not allow thi5
representative of big corporation to
talk to practically empty seats: Show
hin, that Sumter business and profess
sional men have confidence in Sum.
ter's future and in the future of the
Sumter tobacco market. That Sumter
men are not cutters
Sumters business establishments,
her merchants and banks are going
up against keen and greater CONNER
cial and financial competition every
year by the establishment of banks
and tobacco warehouses, competing
stores, competing cotton markets, and
other competition in growing but
hustling and smaller towns and towns
of equal population also, around Sum
ter. Sumter can not exist forever on
the same customers and tobacco and
cotton. corn. hog. cat, producers and
other farm producers.
Old customers die. many are weanS7
| ed away by other competitive and
nearby towns Sumter must get
! h.,eyi md
new customers.
Sumter business men must help to
create more and new trade. When
the boil weevil hits Sumter county.
Sumter will need something to supply
money for customers to spend with
Sumter establishments. There will be
little cotton compared with the. cotton )
now produced, and little money in
producing cotton. Thousands will be
unable to produce cotton prohtably
under boil weevil conditions. Diversi-
fcation of farm products. markets and
just as many industrial enterprises to
employ people as Sumter can possi-
bly, secure within the next two years
are the things Sumter will need to
keep from undergoing the same fnan-
cial depression, bankruptcy, and
throwing away of thousands of acres
of $3.50 to $3.50 per acre farm lands
now changing hands in this county,
which other unprepared and unbeliev-
ing boil wecvil sections Of Georgia,
Mississippi and Louisiana experience
ed because theN waited until the boil
weevil got there to diversity agricul-
tural activities. and to provide mar
kets for profitable diverSification.