The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-10-19
Mayor Jennings
Issues Ultimatum
Serves Notice That He VIII
Not Consider Proposed
Petition at All

notice in your issue Of th"
18th under the heading Gas Sit
uation." that it is stated that the
committee proposed to prove 10 city
council that the original petition
was valid and binding. and TO ac-
complish this the committed had
started out with a paper which
asks the men whose wives sigma
ture were stricken from the origin
al petition by Mayor Jennings to
sign. You state in your paper that
the petition reads:
We. the undersigned, demand
that city council honor the names
of our wives who signed the follow
ing petition"
In the first place. there were no
names stricken from the petition
by me, but the petition WAS check
cd .against the books Of the gas
company and Of those on the Pc
tition only 359 corresponded with
the subscribers on the gas COM
panys books | wish TO say now,
so that there can be no misunder-
standing, that SO far as ! am con-
cerned, if petition is presented
r-a ling as stated in your paper as
quoted above, that l Will not con-
slider it at all
1t is also stated in the same
piece:
The committee Of the League Of
Women Voters who secured the sig
natures Of more than Is per cent
Of the gas consumers to the pc
tition presented to city council in
compliance with the agreement
made at the mass meeting has not
been defeated or surprised by the
railing Of Mayor Jennings that the
signatures Of the wives are not
valid under the agreement.
I beg to call your attention to a
resolution which was passed by the
mass meeting. which was to the ef-
feet that it was the sense OF the
meeting that if rs per cent Of the
subscribers petition city council TO
grant the increase that city council
should do so, provided the gas
company agreed the: ley would
continue to operate at the franchise
rate until such petition was tiled.
The resolution further provided
that the gas company should notify
city council within four days as to
whethe it agreed to the terms o!
this resolution Within this time
the gas company notified city coun-
ell that it had decided 10 circulate
petition and return it to council
within thirty days and that they
would operate during the month
of October
This was not q compliance with
the re solution uf the mass n.eeting
because it provided that the COM
pany should operate until such q
petition was fled, and H,h.-n they
notified city council. as above stat
ed, | knew it was :.ot Il COM
pliance, but l Aid :iot want to take
any technical position. ana, there
fore adhered to my a~ra e,na,it to
vote for the increase if such :; PC
tition was furnished, and have
never changed from this position,
any other statement 10 the con-
;:ary Notwithstanding.
1t appears to me to be not SO
much fight now TO get the gas
company's rates increased ir order
TO help the company out, but il
seems to have centered on q per-
sonal fight on me, for what rea-
son do not know. But there is
one thing | do know, and that is,
ever since have been mayor for
about twelve %ears, there have
been some people whose advice as
10 how TO run the city have not
! sought, nor am I seeking ii now.
have used my own judgment N
all city matters within my Jurisdic-
ton since l have been mayor and
/ | expect to continue to do so until
the end of my present term, unless
| am sooner removed by death OF
otherwise, and, as stated above, !
will recognize 10 petition, 1t mat
ters not whom it may be signed
bv. that makes a demand that l do
thus and so. and if it is desired 10
have some one else who Will rec
ognize such a petition in my place,
then those who want it recognized
Will have to wait until my time Is
I'D or | am removed by death OF
otherwise.
mean no reflection whatever
on the ladies who signed the pc
tition, nor do / mean any on the
League of Women Voters. the mem
bcrship Of which l understand is
composed Of 40, because I know
q great many OF these ladies, and
at least some Of them that | know
are not in sympathy with the attl-
tude Of the gas company at this
time.
The gas company, instead Of no.
tifying city council in writing that
il was going TO cease 10 operate at
ter September, sent a circular letter
to the consumers, l assume IN order
TO frighten the ladies' Then, when
they desired 10 have the petition
circulated, they preyed upon the
sympathy OF the ladies and had
| them 10 circulate the petition.
Now they are trying TO get the
subscribers who are men TO sign a
petition, using as pressure that an
less they do SO they are not stand
ing by their wives. l do rot believe
many men viii be thus Influenced.