The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1920-01-21
Mr.. ]. ]. CANTEY GIVES
news and VIEWS

Editor of The Manning Times:
1t has been quite long time since
I have taken the liberty of sending q
letter to your paper, but since Sum-
merton takes up very little space in
your valuable weekly during these
dcys, l hope you will permit me to say
a few words upon the subject of law
lessness, which seems to prevail in
our County. In the first place, much
ade is being made these days about
the enforcement of the stock law in
the various counties and quite re-
Gently Georgetown was placed among
the civilized counties, because she had
voted out the free-range and had
voted in the enforcement of the So
called stock law. Now. Clarendon
County, is under the provisions of the
stock law and every good citizen of
Clarendon is supposed to keep his
stock, including cows and hogs,
fenced off the public, but as a matter
of fact, very few people in Clarendon
County fence in their stock during the
entire year, and just now, Clarendon
County is practically free range.
Some of my farmer friends are daily
complaining about their inability to
get stand of oats or wheat, on ac-
count of the numerous hungry hogs
and cows, which just now are prowl-
ing all over the County like thieves
in the night, anc t,ally, the little
town of Summert" IS practically
like unto cowpc where cows walk
up and down the streets and make
them practically impossible for child
ren and ladies, to say nothing Of the
terrible odor which permeates the
community, on account of these per-
ambulating COWS and hogs.
Then, again, take the fence law of
the State and you will find that this
law is violated by socalled good citi-
Zcns with impunity. The law provides
that no barb-wire fence shall be erect
ed within twenty feet of the public
highway. yet the barhwirc fence by
the side of the public highway is a
common nuisance in Clarendon cOun-
ty. The truth Of the matter is, we
have citizens in Summcrton who defy
public sentiment in this matter and
regularly maintain barbwirc fences
immediately up against the public
streets or the public highways, and
the Mayor and the Magistrate and
other officers Of the law do absolutely
nothing in the direction of law en-
forccmcnt in this respect.
1t is criminal negligence in South
Carolina for anyone to carelcssly or
ncgligcntly start fire, but Clarcn-
don County during the past few
months has been burned practically
all over, and certainly the officers of
the County could have discovered
some criminal along this line, Wien
an immense fire can be seen some
where in the County on almost any
day.
Most Of these fires have been start |
cd Intentionally, thinking the boil
wccvil would be destroyed thereby
but that IS 10 excuse for a plain vio-
!&tion Of the law Of South Carolina.
Now, Mr.. Editor, The Grand Jury
for Clarendon County, will convene
in the next few weeks and I hope to
sec this matter of law violation taken
up by the said Grand Jury. Every
citizen who allowS his stock to run at
large in plain violation of the law,
and every citizen who erccts a barb
wire fence in close proximinity to a
street or public highway, and every
citizen who negligcntly starts fire,
and every Magistrate and town May
or and Sheriff who ncgligently fails to
enforce the provisions Of the law
should be indicted by the Grand Jury.
Yours truly,
j. j. Cantey.
4 I(NY nFSER'HInC