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The Press and Banner ABBEVILLE, S. C. Published Every Wednesday toy THE PRESS AND BANNER CO WM. P. <?REEXE. Editor WEDNESDAY, FEBY. 16, 1916. HIGH TAXES. There has been some discussion as to high taxes between the editor of the Medium and the local editor of the Associate Reformed Presby terian, in which the one charges that taxes are higher than they should be, and that the amount which the tax-payer is called on to pay is constantly increasing, and in which the other says that taxes this year are lower than in 1911. We think that both are correct in a way. But we call to the attention of the editor of the Medium that the taxes for the last three years are higher than at any other time in the last forty years except the one year referred to. In that year the levy was one-half mill more than the past year. But in that time there has been a new assessment of the property of the county for taxation, and in a great many cases the assessments were raised, and a man today, while paying on a smaller rate of taxation, may be and sometimes is paying more taxes than in 1911. Taxes may be raised either by raising the rate, or by raising the assessment; and by raising the assessment, the tax-payer may have the rate lowered and still pay more taxes than formerly. For the information of the people of the county, we have published on the front page of this issue, a statement of the tax levies for the past forty-two years, in order that the people may see just how taxes have grown, and how much more they are paying now than forty years ago, even though at that time there were charges of gross mismanagement of the county affairs. In 1890, the Reformers came into power, winning their fight on the assertion that taxes were too high, that the government was in the hands of "plunderers" and the state "permeated with incipient rottenness." They have in large measure been in charge of the government. But during all these years there Was little difference in the amount of taxes levied for current expenses in Abbeville County. The first year that the current expenses of the county called for a levy of as much as four mills was in 1910, when the levy was increased to that amount. In the following year, the levy increased to six mills, and we paid in addition one and onefourth mills for past indebtedness, the county being forced to borrow of the sinking fund commission the sum of twenty-thousand dollars to pay past indebtedness, which represented money spent in previous years over the income of the county. In 1912, we paid four mills, and since then we have paid five mills each year for current expenses, and in tVip four vears we have naid the additional aggregate levy of five and one-half mills for past indebtedness, amounting to about thirty-three thousand dollars. We undertake to say that the county of Abbeville can be run on as small a levy as in 1873, 1876, 1890 and other years. The county was then almost twice sa large, it is true, but we believe the figures will show that prior to 1880 the entire taxable property of the county was only about six millions of dollars, and that the county was then run for something like twenty thousand dollars, including the pay of officers in that part now included in Greenwood County. In 1876, there was only one bank in the whole of Abbeville County, we believe; there was no railroad except the Southern; there was not a single cotton mill; wnv nn All mill Tkoca rAfrtnva firtnc are now paying to the county of Abbeville more taxes than it took to run the whole county prior to 1880. We spent last year something more than fifty thousand dollars in one-half the territory where we formerly spent only twenty thousand dollars. Why the difference? We will undertake to tell you next week. COLD FEET. If the delegation in the General Assembly lack the nerve to do away witn ine cnain-gang in Auoevuie county, they might at least discontinue it until the next election, and allow the people to say whether they desire to continue it. There were a great many people who thought the people still wanted the Rural Police system, but when the people got a chance at it, they showed that they had it sized up properly. We believe the chain-gang system would meet a like fate. A USELESS OFFICE. We have not seen the Bill of th( Senator from this county with re gard to the office or position of Coun ty Superintendent of Education, bu we understand that he proposes ti have the county re-surveyed and di vided into school districts, and tha each district shall elect a member o a County Board of Education, an< that these representatives of th districts shall employ a man as coun ty superintendent, much as a princi pal or superintendent of our cit; schools is employed, to have charg of the schools o^the county at a sal ary of twelve or fifteen hundred do] lars per year. The system might be an improve ment on the present system i theory, in that a man competent t teach, and therefore to give ir struction, would be employed, whos business it would be to visit th schools, offer suggestions, and pei haps assist the teachers in the genei al management of the schools, bu in practice the scheme would amoun to nothing. If effective work is to be done, th schools should be left alon< Every community is able to an should manage its own school affair.1 The time for a teacher to learn hoi to teach is before he or she begin to teach, and not afterwards. W have summer schools where teacher and prospective teachers may lear: [the art of school management an the art of imparting instructor Besides this most of the schools an ? i-- At 1_ _ .1 _ i. colleges give xo mose wno uesire t, teach instruction along these lines Therefore, there is little netid of , superintendent, who would travc around among the schools, and read them once or twice a session. A most he would only scare the pupil to death that many times by hi visits. The office of county superinten dent of education is an entirely use less office. The duties of the offic may be performed by the Treasure of the county, who collects the taxes and who can apportion them amonj the several school districts;. Th warrants are drawn by the trustees and should be paid by the Treasure without the useless intervention o a County Superintendent of Educa tion, ana tne Treasurer snouia Keej the necessary books. There is no thirty days work in the office in thi course of the year and the salar; paid is entirely out of proportion ti the work done. We know that it is the theory o the law that the superintendent o: the county shall visit the schools but this is and always has been far cical. The visits if made monthl: would amount to nothing as th< work in the end is dependent wholl: on the teachers. If the delegation wishes to be o: service to the schools, they may d< so by abolishing the office of Count: Superintendent of Education, ant giving the money paid him as a sal ary to the schools of the county What the schools need is not a super intendent, not offices and officers but more money to employ capabl< teachers, and with which to run th< schools for longer terms. THE LILES LAW. The General Assembly has finallj passed the Liles Bill, and the sam< has been sent to the Governor foi his approval. By this Bill any per son convicted of selling1 liquor wil be sentenced to the chain-gang in stead of being allowed to pay a fine A person guilty of storing or trans porting contraband liquors may b( fined for the first offense, but foi subsequent offenses, a chain-gang sentence will await him. The law is along the right line. Ii is now up to the officers of the lav to catch the liquor-sellers. Thej abound in the land and mast b< caught. If the present peace offi cers around Abbeville cannct catcl those who are selling liquor here ir _i _ j.: r i Z4. ...:n u ~ ? vioiauuii uj. law, iu wm ue iieuessiu j to get officers who can. RESPECT LAW BECAUSE IT IS LAV The Progressive Farmer. ti IL:? ?i.u^ -c It is inis spirit, uic spirit ui uuw ing to the will of the majority, of ac cepting frankly the results of ou: processes of law, however disagree able they may be to us personally a any time?it is this spirit on whicl rests the foundations of civilizatioi and safety. He is usually a childisl weakling and a contemptible mai not to be trusted who will not abidi by the results of the game, playe< according to the rules?he is "not i good sport" and men rightly desips< him?and the same thing is true o the citizen who will not honestly wai for and accept the verdicts of jurie and courts and elections, these beinj the established rules set up by th< people for the settlement of cause and cases. Take this standard of judging th< "civic genius" of your county an< see how your people stand. Are the; willing to abide by and accept thi verdict of law, and are they fiercel: resentful of any man who, unwilling to abide by law, becomes instead "s breaker of the public peace?" Thi is a good test of a people's progres: in civilization. TIMELY POINTF.RS FOR ... ORCHARD AND GARDEN 3 IF February 12 to 19. yj (The Horticultural Division of t Clemson College will be glad to an- |i a swer your questions on orchard or ? garden work.) Jy For early bearing there is no U t better peach than the Mayflower. g f Do not neglect the planting of J d spring Irish potatoes. U e Spray all fruit trees for scale in- ^ sects before the buds open. 3 I" If you failed to plant sweet peas U i- in fall, you may plant them now y y and expect fairly good results. >1 e Order a small quantity of seeds , of vegetables that you have not |i tried before. You may like them 3 L- and a variety will never do harm. |j If you contemplet top-grafting || j. apple trees, secure the scion wood g now while it is dormant. Bury the 3 n twigs in moist sand until they are y 0 ready to be used. 3 i- Have all the hardy spring vege- 3 e tables on hand so that you may U lose no time in getting them planted q when conditions are right. 3 Does your orchard now contain U - all the kinds of fruit that may be m ^ grown in your locality? If not, -2 , you should plant, during the next JJ lt few weeks, those that are lacking. m Blackberries grow wild in abund- 3 e ance in South Carolina, but would | ] it not be well to have a few bushes || d of the cultivated sort in the gar- sj den, where they could be conven-'i ' iently gathered? ja v Beware any agent that tries to I s sell you something to put in the | e trunks of your trees to cure blight a It is understood that several pow s ders for which this power is claim- | n ed have been put on the market. Id F. J. Crider, Asso. Horticulturist j Clemson Agricultural College | d s 0 KNOW YOUR COUNTY AGENT. J 5- I Clemson College, Feb. 10.? The county demonstration agents; of the | hnvp all returned i:o their h counties with new ideas and new SJ t enthusiasm as a result of the semi- U s annual meeting of agents recently q held at Clemson College. They are 3 s launching the work of the new crop U year and making plans to carry out y i- the policies decided upon. |3 P'or many reasons, this is the J| best time of year for farmers who || e do not know their county agent to r get in touch with him. If you do not know who your agent is, find (| _ out from y.our neighbor, then take " the first opportunity to become ac- 3 e quainted with him. You will find U >? him glad to make your acquaint- 3 r ance, for part of his business is to ? know the farmers of his county U Having got to know your county Q " agent and having found out how Sj E> to get word to him when you U t need him, use him in any way that you can. He is the servant of the "j, county and will divide his time V among its people as well as he > can. f r kttfr from MR W. C. BENETi" f ' ? Cashiers, N. C., 11 Feby., 1916. - Dear Sir: j If you have any spare copies of this week's (Feby. 9th) Press and fjj Banner, you will do me a great kind- 3 f nessi if you will send me 3, or 2, or U even 1. There is so much in the rt f paper about old Abbeville, I want to if } send the Press and Banner to my U widely scattered brood of sons, who rt f all proudly claim Abbeville as their 5T 1 birthplace. My own copy starts to. day on its journey across the ocean rt to "22nd General Hospital, British 3 * Expeditionary Force, France," "J " which is all the rigorous censorship U , permits me to know of the where- R i abouts of my son, George, army sur- Jf ; geon, and British Captain. He will U enjoy Manse Hollingswor :h's reminis- ft cences, (he may even find his fath- ZT er's letter interesting) and even the U local paragraphs and advertisements rt will give him pleasant entertainment Si behind the trenches "somewhere in W! France." rt i Let me tell you a curious war in- 3 r cident: A Scottish magazine pub- If . lished my war ballad, "That Little ^ j Contemptible Army," both words and |? music, last June. The September S ' number printed a letter from the bat- "fj . tie front which told that after a UC . Scottish regiment had stormed and K nontiiMi) cnmo riormun trPnfVlPS. the 31 ' writer, a lieutenant, found in a Ger- U r man dug-out, a copy of that June ^ ,r magazine. I wonder if the Teutons liked my song. L? t Yours very truly, ! ? W. C. Benet. lift ; i# 1 BILL ESTABLISHES !U - DE LA HOWE HOME j? ! Asylum and School for Destitute White Children in Abbeville County. S r |f The bill by Messrs Moore and Rob- U inson to establish the John De La S Howe industrial home and school "J J for destitute children, carrying a LC State appropriation of $10,000, was given a second reading in the house - yesterday morning, with practically U - no opposition. The management of ip l- the institution, which will be located ST \l.K?,.:ilo /?/>. nf<r An. LE - on JII'UpCI ill .TTOOlUt V?UIIV ^ t sign ted in the will of the late John |? i De La Howe, is placed in the hands * i of a board of trustees to be selected "J i by the general assembly. !|? l Tie school will be operated for.S e white boys and girls between the "J 1 ages of six and 1(3. who are destitute; U 1 and who have neither parent nor;ff 2 guardian to care for them or whose; "J f parents or guardians are unable to U t care for them. An inmate of the . [? s home shall be kept there until 21 | IT ? years of age, unless sooner dismissed ;U b by the trustees or a judge. The bill jj> s requires that each boy or girl shall Sr work at least four hours a day and If e shall be instructed in such branches |r i of useful knowledge and arts as may JT f be suited to his or her years. jf e |X 7 A boy is always a boy, but a man ? isn't always a man. Jjf i No man can be happy unless he |? s tries to make others happy. s The happiest woman, like the hap- J# piest nations, have no history. .. Our Furn Cai? E'livtiioliinrro fUf V, iui i uiiuaifiifgd uiai n OUR STYLES are not like t that you'll find at every c i Clothiers. 3 We'll show you many tli that are quite different the ordinary styles and q ties you'll find in most < 3 stores. i J Furnishings can never b new and fresh. ] j Come Here for j Your Shirts, C 3 \ Gloves, Hosiery | Etc., and you'll ? ! things at moder ! | Parker ? ricinuMuricicicuMiiMiiaacuMijacu tllilJulJUUUIJUIJUIJUUUlJUUUO CashBarg Special | For the Entire Month < i take suhscri \ at MOc tl | j i or you can get "The De I i 1 *_ f j \>tanaara rasniun ouutv ii coupon for 50c. Subscribe I' . I || I I II !! - I _ I I Cash Bars ! Standard Pattern | ABBEVILL iffiffiHWraffiKHWffiBafiraffiffiBiJfiifi! nnnnri ir-it-innnnwpinnnnw XIJIJUIJ13 JIJIJUUIJIJIJIJIJULILJIJ ishings. J ?u'H Like, Come Here 1 , ?ther A (3m I ij [1 ,tn?s 1 MmlMw 1 1 from ypjMj|||r^ I uali-jijif' jther : - . lit; HlM' i iwrm i mcMgrt# jj . I ollars, Ties, j , l Underwear, [i ret the correct ! j i! ate prices. . . | k Reese |j. . Eiziziariiir^^ ain Store [Offer I . | | Pphrimrii 11)0 mill S y I jl v^i/ i w i y vw v w 31 pfions to ^ s signer" I in ?e 1 gbt ? sn Mi signer" including- the ^ " with a free pattern y; now. ffi ? ? . is s IE am Store 1 Headquarters jjj .E, S. C. y; S ifiSSifiifilfiSfiifilfiSlfiifiifiSlfiSlfiifiSfl