Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The Press and Banner. ABBEVILLE, S. C. Published Every Wednesday by The Press ami Banner Co. WM. P. GREENE, Editor. WEDNESDAY, FEBY. 23, 191(J. THE CHAIN-GANG. We promised in our last issue to , tell the people of the county, ar.a especially the readers of this paper,' why it is that taxes have been grow- j ing at such an enormous rate in re cent years. There is really no se- J cret about the matter, and we claim no especial credit for discovering the trouble, because the reason is patent, and any man who reads the figures which we presented last week will know what the cause is. Taxes from 1873 to 1893 remained at about the same figures. The gen- j eral running expenses of the county were paid from a levy of three mills during all these years with an occa- | " * - - -Ml X sional levy of a half mm or a mm u> pay past indebtedness, representing unusual expenarcnres In the preced-j ing year. But for the past Ave years we have paid an average levy of five mills and an additional levy of mere ! than one mill for past indebtedness,' and we believe, in addition to this, I the Supervisor is allowed to, and does levy an additional one mill for roads and bridges. Some unthinking person might lay this condition of affairs to the present administration, but in our judgment the cause is not there. The present Supervisor has probably made some mistakes, we believe he has, and who has not? We think , that he has perhaps played lavomes too much, and that he has been and i is extravagant in some matters. But all these count for little when we come to figure the difference between taxes now and twenty-five years ago. Now what causes the great increase in the tax rate? Why are we paying three and four times as much taxes as in 1890 and theretofore? 1 The figures show that it is caused by the iniquity of a chain gang. Inj 1898 the chain-gang system was adopted by the legislature. We do not recall just when it went into j 1'? Knf fiuo operation in una tuuuy, years after the law was adopted we find this county borrowing money FOR THE FIRST TIME TO PAY PAST INDEBTEDNESS, the amount borrowed being TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. And from that day to this the chain-gang has drained the coffers of the county treasury of Abbeville County. We spent J last year according to the report of I the Supervisor the enormous sum of FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS TO WORK AN AVERAGE OF SIXTEEN NEGROES, unless we are misinformed. (We have heard the average publicly placed at that figure and it has not been denied) In ofMi+irm +n this we snent about seven EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY ACT. N When the legislature passed the Act ostensibly to make the Federal Employers' Liability Law apply to intra-state railroads, but in reality to make the railroads liable in every case, because that is what the law amounts to, it should have gone a step further and passed the bill for the compensation of all employees of railroads for personal injuries on an equitable basis?one that was fair to the railroads and fair to the employees. This would have eliminated the railroad lawyer and the damage suit lawyer at the same time, but it would have promoted the ends of justice. If the railroads must pay in every case, the amount they should pay should be regulated by a just and uniform law, and not left for settlement by different juries whose decisions will never be uniform. Such a law would have guaranteed the employee a fair settlement in every case, and it would have saved the railroads and the employees and the people the expenses of litigation. Of course the railroads would have been called upon to pay more damages, and they would have had the right to expect increased rates both from passengers and freight * - ' - ? ? AL ? 1 ?/*? ol ofuro smpmenxs ^someuiing uic icgioiawi^ did not seem willing to concede, but something the courts will enforce) for after all the people who ride and the people who buy goods shipped from elsewhere must pay the damages The courts have declared that the railroads must be allowed to make a reasonable profit on the value of their property, and the money really invested. In order to make that return, when liabilities are raised, revenue must be raised, and "the people pay the freight" in the long run. GOOD ROADS. The road just beyond the residence of Mr. Hugh Bowen has been covered with chert and is in splendid condition. The chert was hauled by the people of the neighborhood, who contributed about twentyfive teams for the purpose. And this is the means by which the county will have good roads. When the tax-payers learn that the roads cannot be worked by convicts in charge of political appointees, but that the people must do the work themselves, we shall have better roads. Until they learn this, we shall contiue to spend thousands of dollars for guards, bosses, and other expenses of the chain gang, and the roads will remain as they are. THE HIGH SCHOOL ACT. As we understand the amendment to the High School law, passed by the legislature which has just adjourned, it is proyided that all high schools in the state become entitled to share in the appropriation made for high schools. This removes one of the objections to the law in so far as this school district is concerned. But we still contend that the legislature has no right to tax the outlying country school districts in order to run high schools in Lowndes* * -"'I - T^._ XXT?,.t- Tt/\na1/?c vine, Antreviue, uuc n wc, ^uau.uu and Abbeville, and unless we are misinformed, that is what the law means. BE A BUSINESS FARMER. Clemson College, Feb. 21.? It is becoming increasingly necessary for the farmer to be a business man and it is advisable for him to imitate the methods of city business men, who have been at the art a longer time than he and have developed it more. It is chiefly in what might be called little things that the difference between the businesslike and the unbusinesslike farmer is revealed and in none more than in the business letters of each. There is really little reason why a lawyer or a merchant or a manufacturer should chow more courtesy to the farmer than the farmer shows to them, in the matter of correspondence. Yet that is the way it seems to work when one compares the letters of the two sides. The cost of neatly printed stationery will not hit the expense side of p. farmer's ledger hard enough to count, while the use of it is more than likely to do fine things for the profiL side. A printed letterhead (especially when the farm has been given an attractive name, as every farm shoul be) will create a favorable impression, will advertise ths farm and its products, will identify the writer no matter how he scrawls his signature, and will make him and all his family feel a little extra pride in the farmstead. In South Carolina and the South generally, farmers who use printed letterheads are as yet comparatively few and the number is still small enough to make a good looking farm letterhead conspicuous. For this reason, those who begin this practice at once will get the benefit of the extra publicity that goes with novelty. Danger that is known is a guidepost to safety. The closer you get to some people the more distant they are. Don't keep a good movement on hand; put it on foot at once. thousand dollars for roads and bridges, which we presume means at' least in part chain gang expenses, as the bridges are built by the chaingang. We spent according to figures which have been given to the writer, forty-two hundred dollars for guards to guard these convicts and in addition boarded the guards and paid other incidental expenses. FOR THE SUM OF FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS WE ASSERT THAT THE COUNTY CAN HIRE AND BOARD SIXTEEN NEGROES, AND THAT A GUARD OR OVERSEER CAN BE HIRED FOR FIFTY DOLLARS PER MONTH, AND THAT HE CAN BE BOARDED FOR TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. AND AS MUCH WORK CAN BE SECURED FROM THIS FORCE AS FROM THE ENTIRE CHAIN GANG WHICH AT BEST IS COSTING THIS COUNTY AROUND TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. Will the people of Abbeville continue a system of working convicts on the public roads, when the iiabor of every convict is costing the coun ty ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS PER YEAR? Do the people of the county feel that they are able to pay about four dollars per day for every day';- work done on the public roads of Abbeville county by convicts, that is if they actually work for two hundred and fifty days in the year. The chain pang system can be abolished in this county by the proper authorities and the convicts leased to other counties, where it is claimed they are worked profitably. What say the grand jury of Abbeville county which is to assemble on next Monday? Will they demand the right of the people of the county to be relieved of this terrible waste, or shall the dance go merrily on? ' GET READY TO PLANT THAT SPRING GARDEN Clemson College, Feb. 19.? The season for spring garden preparations is here and everything should be got in readiness for planting time, which for some vegetables will soon be here. The information given below is to be found in fuller form in Bulletin No. 166, Home Gardening in South Carolina, which is to. be obtained by addressing the South Carolina Experiment Station at Clemson College. The facts given below will be in the following order: first the vegetable; second, quantity of seed or plants to sow for family of six; third, when to sow in the -open? ground; fourth, .depth to plant seed; fifth, width of rows; sixth, whether in hills or drill; seventh, distance between plants in row. Garden pea, 1 quart, January 15 to March 20, 4 tc 5 inches deep, 3 feet, drill, 18 inches apart. Kale, one-half ounce, February 15 to March 15, one-half inch deep, 3 feet, drill, 2 to 3 inches apart. Lettuce, 1 packet, February 15 to April 1, one-fourth inch deep, 18 inches, hills, 6 to 10 inches apart. Celery, 1 packet, February 15 to March 15, one-eighth inch deep, 5 to 6 feet, 6 to 8 inches apart. Onion (Sets), 2 quarts, February 15 to April 1, one and orie-half inches deep, 18 inches, hills, 4 to 6 inches aoart. Parslev. 1 Dacket, February 15 to March 15,* one-half inch deep, 3 feet, hills, 12 inches apart. Beet, 1 ounce, March 1 to April 1, one-half inch deep, 3 feet, drill, 3 to 4 inches apart. Carrot, one-half ounce, March 1 to April 1, one-half inch deep, 3 feet drill, 3 inches apart. Parsnip, one-half ounce, March 1 to April 1, three-fourths inch deep, 3 feet, drille, 4 to 6 inches apart. Irish potatoes, one-half bushel, March 1 to April 15, 4 to 5 inches deep, 3 feet, hills, 12 to 15 inches apart. Radish, 1 packet, March 1 to April 1, one-half inch deep, 18 inches, drill, 1 to 2 inches apart. Spinach, one-fourth pound, March 1 to April 1, three-fourths to 1 inch deep, 3 feet, drill, 4 to 6 inches apart. INCREASES CREAM YIELD ONE-FOURTH Clemson College, Feb. 21.?Would you, Mr. Dairy Farmer, you who have four or more cows?would you care to invest a small sum in a machine that would add one-fourth to the cream proceeds, provide fresh skimmilk for feeding to the young stock, enable you to get sweet cream at any season of the year, and save the housewife no end of labor? Would you stretch a point to get a machine like this? Than, say the dairy experts at Clemson College, buy a good cream separator. Farmers who use a cream separator are frequently amazed at the increase in the quantity of butter they make. It is not uncommon to hear a farmer say that he makes as much butter from four cows as he used to make from five when he was raising cream in pans or crocks. Moreover, the saving of labor and the ea.;;e with which sweet cream can be obtained at any season of the year are other separator advantages that are worth even more than the saving in butterfat. Skimmilk fed fresh from the separator is warm and has saved the lives of many calves that would have been fed on cold milk or on no milk at all. Do not make the mistake of buying too small or too cheap a separator. One of the standard makes will last for vears and is one of the best investments that a farmer can make. Every farmer who has as many as four cows should have a dairy separator. GROWTH OF AUTO INDUSTRY BEEN VERY ENORMOUS Washington, Feb. 18.?Enormous growth in the automobile industry of the United States in the census period from 1909 to 1914 is shown by a special report on the industry made public today by Director Rogers. The returns show that during 1914 there were in the United States 338 establishments manufacturing complete automomibles, their output being 573,114 machines valued at $465,042,474. Thirty-eight of these establishments were engaged primarily in the manufacture of bodies and parts, agricultural implements and other products, and reported the manufacture of automobiles as a subsidiary product. In addition there were twelve establishments which manufactured twenty cars, either for experimental purposes or for their own use, upon which no market value could be place'd. At the 1909 census 315 establishments were reported and engaged in the manufacture of automobiles either as a primary or as a subsidiary product arid thenoutput was 127,287 machines, valued at $165,099.404. During the five years 1909-1914 there has been an increase of 350.3 per cent, in the number of automobiles manufactured. BURTON HICKS TO BE CANDIDATE FOR STATE SUPT. OF ED. R. Burton Hicks, a member of the Spartanburg delegation in the legislature, has announced his candidacy for the office of State Superintendent of Education, and in the summer primaries will canvass the State with the candidates for the other offices. Mr. Hicks will oppose John E. Swearingen, the incumbent. Mr. Hicks is a lawyer and lives at Woodruff, when; he also publishes a weekly newspaper. Before entering the legal profession Mr. Hicks taught school. He is a graduate of Wofford College, the well known Methodist educational institution at Spartanburg.?The Columbia Record. Complaint of ill luck is often an apology for laziness. The wise man takes a back seat and watches the fool butt into danger. | Boy's Spri | YES. THEY'RE HI ffi - I Clothes 3i I I . ^ v^'Ot/iCo Clothes' mm |h ?g I ' attract | Let us show you these nev | Parker 6 I fash Rara | Special jjj For the Entire Month o s ? take subscrif So j " The De; 31 | atZOcth S or you can get "The De< S "Standard Fashion Book' jjj coupon for 50c. Subscribe ? Hi ????????? J Cash Barg; Standard Pattern 1 W ARRFV1I.I.1 ij- nuuu v *i ? ^ ng Suits 1 HE ALREADY [ for Boys of all ages? ffi made by Boys' Clothes |j icialists? I that have a stvle look? kb with snap to them? j i built to hold boys who {1 ve "sand" in their make ?i I you'll appreciate! j j Splendid j j viot, Worsted and ij Serge Suits j i s very newest and most j ] ive styles. {j vSpringSuits for Boys jj i Reese jj KfiiTiiTiin r.TiircrdTiiriiJiin^^ Ci i! ain dim i II Offer || { t t ebruary we will | itions to 1 signer" i e Year S E Jl signer" including- the S ' with a free pattern s now. jjj 1 ? /m . # iix m iin More i headquarters ? E, S. C. m