Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-11-22
portant that they should be wisely

portant that they should be wisely
dealt with.
Many of these trees are mutilated
and one whole side Of them cut. so
that they look like a new variety Of
tree with only one side. Not only are
the trees on the sidewalk mutilated,
but those growing in the yards of the
people.
Miss Mary Fair planted memorial
trees On the lane leading up to the
home of her uncle, Mr.. N. L. Brun-
son, and said she felt the need Of
Shade so much as she walked each
day back and forth to her work. At
her expense she had this done and
said she wanteu them to be memo
rial to her after she had passed away.
These have also been badly disfgur-
ed.
There is superstitious idea that in
certain seasons shade trees should
be trimmed. This is not the case.
Shade trees should never be trimmed
according to tree conoisseurs for The
sake of the tree. I heard Prof. Moore,
of Columbia, professor in the South
Carolina University, say that every
time tree was trimmed, there was "a
place made for decay which would f.
nally reach the heart of the tree: A
tree on sidewalk of course, should
not have limbs obstructing the pas
sage of pedestrians, or dead limbs
which might fall, and there might be
the necessity for some concession
for telephones and electric lights, but
there should be a distinct limit to
the wanton vandalism which is being
perpetrated on our trees.
All the trees on our park were cut.
That may or may not have been a
wise step, but 1 believe that when
anything so drastic is contemplated
that there should be mass meeting
of citizens called, and reasons stated
for the move.
Ordinarily people trust the affairs
of the city to be administered wisely
by those whom they have elected to
office, but there are two sides to a
question. The officials are the ser
wants and not the masters of the peo-
pie. This is government of the peo-
pie, by the people and for the people,
and as a true Democrat I believe we
should have the power of protest and
the right to be heard. There should
be an open administration of affairs
and confidence and mutual under
standing, or there will be distrust,
and suspicion and feeling of in
justice.
I have recently visited several
towns, some larger, some smaller
than Edgefeld. They have more in
dication of progress in some of them,
but trees overhang the streets and IN
some places large oaks stand in the
center of the sidewalks. They are pre-
served on account of their age and
beauty.
When every tree was cut on the
sidewalk from the home of Miss Ell
la Bates down to the bridge, pro-
tested to a member of the council
and he said it was because the side
walk was wet and if it was paved the
trees could be left. l have noticed
in other towns that the trees
stand untouched on the sidewalks,
paved or unpaved. The same trees
which were said to make a wet side
walk, were the trees which in summer
protected the. pedestrians and gave
them shade. The sidewalk has been
as wet since as it was before the
trees were cut.
If no protest had been made l
would think that the vandalism was
only thoughtlessness, but meny OF
our intelligent citizens have protest
ed and their protests have been met
with sarcasm and threat to contin-
ue the injustice. These replies to the
protest of our citizens have not been
calculated to make good feeling in
our community.
I sometimes feel as if I were living
in the days of the Spanish Inquisi-
tion when helpless women and chill
drlen were guillotined without mercy