The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-06-16

the meeting ana iequeSeeu
! percy Smith, vice president OF the
chamber of Commerce to pres!dez
Mr.. e. W. Dabbs, was the first speak
Ter of the occasion who discussed al
some length the prop before the
! ,neetine. Ee advocated the building OF
SIN, feI.s roads before spreading out.
! ,,;,.. roads in some parts of the county
are so bad that the citizens have to
90 TO other county seats to DO their
law. makers to amend the existing
laws. If ttatzeffectz IS found TO be- de-
s;rable thing to do. The board can
mot build good roads, but :t7can CO
operate with the State Highway Corr
mission to the end that moe good
roads will be built.
.>;Yhese are all educationa- pro
iects. calculated to help bring South
! Carolina up to that condition which
! Governor Cooper has described as
Iputing our house in order for the,
expected guest making South Caro-
lima the best State in the union and
then telling it to the world.
California proved that she could
; raise oranges. pr,lnes and ralsl1ls be-
fore she undertook to sell land to
men in other states; Washir o, and
Oregon planted thousands of acres OF
| apples before they sent agents: to the.
east to sell orchards. South Carolina
| mast do similar things, except that
being an older state. she must elm
| mate those artificial and natural con-.
d;tiops which have been her most
serious handicaps.
Nov it will De apparent that such
I, program while. it: remains on paper
IS nerely pretty TO look at and dream
about. Hence the need for lifting ii
tout of the realm Of theory and put
ting it into practise. That requires.
men and money.
1T is quite possible that the pro-
posed activities of the South Caro-.
lima Development Board could be sol
presented 80 small group OF the
States leading men that they would
gladly provide it with the required
.esources.> They would do this as
business proposition. in the belief that
the promised betterment Of the State
w uld be reflected in their net in-
comes As matter of fact we have
been told by business men that we are
too modest in our financial Soa';
tha; we ought to have $5o0.00o year
insteadof$250,0 600.
But membership sf this char
acter would defeat one the prime
purposes Of the organization. 1t would
lack both numbers and influence.
Such program as we have outlined
ought to have not less than 5000 to-
10 900 citizens of South Carolina ac-i
tually enrolled and supporting It. for
then it will be representative and dem
ocratic. and will express the senti-
nents of the state as whole. Anoth-
q, consideration is the momentum
which such numbers will provide.
Practically every one in the state will
have an understanding OF the aims
land purposes of the South Carolina
Development Board and therefore we
shall have united citizenry beh>.d
every. worth while project we under
take. Such an influence will be both
potent and rapid in the establish
nlent Of conditions which will place
South Carolina in position to capital
80 its now latent possibilities.
Now as a program is of 30 value
until it is, taken up and put to work,
so is the combination of a program
and numbers behind it-sentiment.
in other worfN-meffective without.
resources. Therefore. the develop
mcnt Board lnust have q sufficient l.!
corae to do the things it has laid out
fo., Itself f'he goa: Of the expansion
campaign which will be made from
June u To % is S23d.000 a year for
three years. This is a conservative:
sum. we believe. when we think Of
South Carolina as having 40 coun~
ties in every one of which there is
some work to ne done of the highest
importance to the state al large. The
money will be apportioned under
budget made by the directors. No
part Of the funds Will be used in the
conduct Of commercial! enterprises.
no ,nenlber OF q commission or Off
i'cer. or other persons except -.,ff ice ent-
pioyees viii receive any conpenSa-
ton for services.
THE ,hree-year clause in the ple'l
ecs of support has been adopted sin
ord, 10 assure the permanance Of the
movement No undertaking of ,.!is
s9,., can hope to complete its initial
program in one year. Nor can n
tcrrupt its activities once a year TO-
finance itself for another Il months.
Movements "f this character have been
in existence in other states for many
years ali becomin. -onger with the
passing OF time. Ine South Carolina
PIau as the development boards pro
gran. has been named, long before
it's third year Will have established it
self 50 firmly as a voluntary state IN
S,i,ution that its pcrmanence viii i,e
beyond question. Also by that time
the world viii know and appreciate
the effects Of whole state united be-
hind a slogan like Do it for South
Carolina