The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-26
Pinewood Annexa-
ton Matter
Secretary Reardon Requests
Gov. Cooper to Grant
Hearing

to the tWO-th1rd majority citizens
Of Fulton and Calvary townships,
recently voted into Sumter county,
before the governor orders the cleo
ton petitioned for by citizens in
the thirty-five square mile area Of
the ninety-fve square miles annex
eu to this county to return to Clar-
endon. When the citizens Of
Pinewood section first started the
county only sixty square miles was
embraced within the proposed an
neXation. and before the surveys
were completed or the election or
dered certain citizens Of additional
territory of about thirty-fve square
miles who had prior to that time
asked to be left in Clarendon coun-
ty came up and asked that their
thlrty-fve square miles be included
in the survey and election to decide
whether these people would so to
Sumter county. Finally nincty-dve
square miles We're included in the
survey and petition. When the
election occurred the citizens in the
th!rty-hve square miles vot
unanimously again"t annexation to
Sumter county. They gave as their
reasons for this rather strange pro-
cedure that they never had wanted
their thirty-five square miles an
neXed to Sumter county, and had
simply tried to put over a political
double cross" by including thirty
five square miles in the hopes that
by casting a united vote against an
nexation they would have the bal
once Of power and keep those in
the original sixty-five square miles
from obtaining a two-thirds ma
jority in the total area of ninety-five
square miles. The discontented
double cross democrats leading
this movement to defeat the wishes
of an overwhelming majority ia
voring annexation to Sumter coun-
t., secured the assistance of a
number Of negroes and helped to
grant these darkies political equali-
ty by assisting the darkies to get
registration certificates to vote
against annexation to Sumter coun-
ty.
The thirty-five square miles dis
contented citizens then went to the
1921 General Assembly and asked
to be allowed. even without anoth-
er election to return to Clarendon
county, they taking in with them
practically all Of the Atlantic
Coast Line railroad voted into
Sumter county. and creating a di-
viding line of a zig Jagged nature
that would put the public highway
between Pinewood and Hodges
Corner alternately in Sumter and
Clarendon counties four times, and
running around farms Of certain of
discontented citizens. and which
will, it is said break UP the splen-
did SIX teacher graded and high
school district school at Pinewood.
reducing this to a two or three
teacher ordinary school in order
that about six white gentlemen Of
that section may overrule the
votes Of about one hundred and
thirty-five or forty other white
democrats whom these six citizens
asked to take in the thirty-five
square miles if common report and
official affidavits are correct. Tho
general assembly disagreed about
the right of a small minority to
overturn the votes of two-thirds
majority-the house conceding this
right while the senate denied it
and the supreme court Of South
Carolina decided that the citizens OF
the thirty-five square miles having
participated in the election to de-
eide whether ninery-five square
miles would join Sumter county
were bound by the two-thirds ma
jority vote.
Having beer caught in their own
trap set by them for the two-thirds
majority favoring annexation. the
thirty-five square miles malcon-
tents went to the legislature with
their first aid to the injured pleas
Now they seek to hold another cleo
ton to vote back into Clarendon
county.
The citizens of Pincwood and vi
cinity have asked the Chamber OF
Commerce to request Governor
Cooper to thoroughly investigat"
the entire matter from start to the
present and not to order the cleo
ton until both sides have been
heard from. Sumter county has
gone to hundreds Of dollars expense
giving good roads to the entire
ninety-five square miles voted in.
Everybody except &, few citizens
are well pleased with their treat
ment by this county. 1t is sale,
tina, the Pinewood citizens and
other democrats. representing the
two-thirds and more majority vo-
ting for annexation. arc consider
ably wrought UP over the attempt
to vote the thirty-five square miles
back to Clarendon. especially after
representatives OF the minority
went to the majority and asked tha:
that the surveys include the thirty
five square miles-and that this
area be voted on as part Of the
annexed territory.
e. l. Reardon.
SURPLUS OF THANKS