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The Lexington Dispatch. G. M. Harmax, Editor and Publisher Entered at the Post Office at Lexington, S. C., as second class matter. The subscription price of the Dispatch is $1 a year; 50 cents fcr six months; 25 cents for three months?invariably cash . in advance. | CIRCULATION 2,377. Wednesday, August 21,1907. Sr. T. S. Dreher. We publish in this> issue a paper from Dr. T. H. Dreher of St. Matthf ; ews, on the new county question. The doctor charges us with "conspicuous in justice" in the articles we have written on this question. Any body can make charges of this character, if their self-respect will permit them, but the doctor and all his Calhoun county advocates combined cannot prove it. In fact, we are satisfied that they cannot fool their own sense of justice (?) to the extent that they would be willing to believe such a charge. But the learned doctor will be proved to be "conspicuously unjust," an indulger in the "veriest ?~ "oUnrroT nf slnTA." and a | XVI b, a> ouu6vi v. , "double dealer" in his handling of the new|county question. He has charged us with all of the above and more. When argument and reason have g| abandoned him, he has resorted to unltiiid,; trntrue, and personal charges agaitist the editor of this paper. Such conduct in a newspaper controversy must be born of desperation and for- < eign to the better nature of the one f who makes use of it. The learned doctor says, "You quote an array of figures which is neither fair nor true." We say they " . are both fair and true and the Acts of South Carolina will prove both. He says he supposes the comptroller general's report is our authority for the tax figures we have furnished, but how he can suppose about the matter & when we plainly wrote that our authority was the statutes of South Carolina we are at a loss to understand. He certainly ought to be able to read f print. He says, "It is incredible how people can loose by going from a 4 to a 2 mills levy county." How he could > have possibly distorted anything we . said into meaning that, even in the wildest flights of his imagination, we ? cannot conceive. I$e certainly does not mean to contend that in going to Calhoun county from Lexington county any body would be going from a 4 to a 2 mills county. That would not only be "conspicuously unjust" on his part, but it would brand him as a deader in the "veriest rot." Certainly Lexington is not a four mills county, and no one would have the hardihood to assert that Calhoun will be, if formed,,a two mills county. His own figures, subsequently given in his own article, prove the falsity of both assertions. He says that he finds from the comptroller general's report (a report not in existence for 1907) that the tax levy for Lexington county is 11 mills, and yet in twenty lines below that statement he gives Lexington's tax levy as mills. Is that 4'double dealing?" That sounds very much* like it! Certainly the doctor ought to allow the comptroller general to ma^e his report for 1907 before he quotes from it. If he does not, people will be inclined to think the doctor's assertions and assumptions to be, what he charged us with being, "neither fair nor true." If he will take the trouble to write the comptroller general he will find that the report from whicn he purports to quote, will not be published earlier than December next. "In the ways that are dark and the tricks that are vain the heathen Chinee is peculiar.'' Again the doctor says, Orangeburg's tax levy is 3 mills, and by im' J iU.i. plication insinuates mai w c uiu uuu . give the correct figures, when we gave the tax levy for ordinary county purposes at 2 mills. What we gave is , correct and he knows it. If Orangeburg has a 1 mill levy for road purposes, then good and well, but doctor don't try to figure it against the levy for ordinary county purposes in other counties. That would be unfair and misleading. We gave Lee's tax for sinking fund, because that was incident to back indebtedness created upon the formation of the county and not an independent matter such as a levy for road and school purposes. If Calhoun county should require road improvements and amplified school facilities, she like Orangeburg, and other counties, would have to levy a 1 tax for that purpose. But even if we take the doctor's own ngures as ne has them, he admits that Calhoun county would require % of a mill . more tax than Lexington and Orangeburg; and the only inducement he has to offer the people he wants to -- vote themselves into his new county, in consideration of this additional tax, is that they will be a little closer to the court house; and in addition to j ' f 6 Scoffs Emulsic ? nursing mothers by inc ? nerve force. It provides babj and mineral food f< ALL DRUGGIST the other admitted increase in taxation, they will have to tax themselves to build the court house and jail, admitting, for the sake of argument, that St. Matthews will put up $20,000 for that purpose, for that amount will not build and equip a modern court house?and that is the kind the doctor proposes to have, because he believes (so he says) in development and progress. The new court house at Sumter cost more than $50,000 and the one at Camden more than $30,000. That will afford the people an idea of what court honses cost. The doctor harps on the idea that people will be close to the court house. Now, how many people, outside of the politicians, really desire to be close to a court house? What benefit will it be to the average farmer? Not much! The average man in the country doesn't care half as much about being close to the court house, as he does about being close to his school, his church, his lumber, flour, ?i.x? ?r? "u ana grist mins, ms cot tun gin, ma railroad station, from which he hauls his fertilizers, his neighbors and his market. Those are the places he wants to get close to, and every sensible man knows it; and there is but one way to get close to them and that is to build good roads. There is no other way under the sun. And if the good people who propose to cut themselves off from Orangeburg and Lexington counties, will figure (taking the Acts of South Carolina as their guide) how much higher taxes will be in a new county, and set to work and get the old counties to add that much more tax for road improvement, we would all be closer to the court houses and other places. That cannot be successfully denied. Not only that, i if a new county is formed, the taxes will be higher and there will be no better roads either. We say let's | have more good roads and no more j expensive County governments. When we called the people's attention to the fact (one the doctor cannot deny) that it would "require a 10 to 15 mills tax levy on their property for the additional sum necessary to pat up their court house and jail." He says "it was nothing, more nor less, than a sly, court attempt to deceive the people into believing that this lew would be indefinite if forced upon them:" Perhaps if the doctor's mind was not so full of "sly" ideas and "deception," he would not be so ready to accuse other people of the like, and could the better understand what he reads. He cannot put his hand on a single line in our recent article that would justify his groundless assertion. What we wrote is true and he knows it, if he has figured it out. He says they will not pay for their court house and jail all at once, but they will bond their county for that purpose. That is not a very pleasant prospect for the man who votes himself in the new county, if he is seeking lower taxation. Let the doctor say what he pleases?we admire his enthusiasm in a poor cause ?but we don't want him to misrepresent us. TX*\ i-r\ flia t.ov low fnT all lie 1 C1CIO W VUU uu. AV> j ? purposes in the old counties of the State and to the tax levy for all purposes in Bamberg, Cherokee, Dorchester, Florence, Greenwood and Lee counties, giving what purports to be the average tax levy in both. Now, if we understood the difference between new and old counties as they are commonly called, the old counties are the ones formed previous to the formation of the constitution of 1895 and the new counties the ones formed during and after the formation of the constitution of 1895. That being the case, then the doctor has Florence down as a new county, when as a matter of fact, it belongs to the column of old counties. He left out Saluda from among the new counties and it should have been there. When the doctor consults the figures, he will find that the charges indicated will throw quite a different light on tile matter, v^ri euurae nc waa nuu attempting to deceive the people, he just made a big mistake. The doctor seems to rely on the Comptroller General's report for some, if not all, of his figures, we will, therefore, refer him to that report for the fiscal year 1906, and he will find from that report that the average tax levy for the old counties for that year (for all purposes) was 12.7 mills, that for the new counties it was 13.3 mills and for the counties of Lexington and Orangeburg it was 11 mills. Since there is no Comptroller General's report for 1907, we will i m strengthens enfeebled O reasing their flesh and Jgj r with the necessary fat Q >r healthy growth. Si 50c. AND $1.00. ? have to take the acts of the legislature for that year (and as a matter of fact they are the best authority) to see what the relative tax levies for this year are. We find from them that the average tax levies are as follows: Old counties 12 mills, new counties 12.4 mills, and Lexington and Orange burg counties 10.2 mills. From the above it will seem that the old counties have a lower rate of taxation than the new ones and that the counties of Lexington and Orangeburg have lower tax levies than either. Not only that, but it will be seen from an investigation of the records that a very much larger per cent ol the old counties, than of the new ones, have extra assessments for public buildings, roads, &c., which shows - - ? 11 that the old counties are Duiicnng roads and making other improvement? that the new counties are not making and yet their tax levy is less. The doctor will find that we have plentj of "props" left if we will take th< time to investigate facts and not g< upon assumptions, suppositions anc bold assertions. The doctor charges us with being i "double dealer," and to support tha wild assertion, he says we said to i friend that Calhoun would be i "dandy little county," if formed. Ye it will be a "dandy little county' with "dandy, big taxes." Is tha what the tax payers are looking for If so they will be able to secure it b; going down and helping form Calhoui county. The idea, Mr. County Tax payer, is to let you tax yourself fo this new county, for the pay o officers, and for the building of; court house and jail and on Monday they will let you go to town and loo] at them provided you don't spit to bacco spit on the floor, and if you ge in a little trouble and somebod; swears out a warrant for you, the; will board you in jail at the publi expense for awhile. That is wher your pleasure in the new court hous and jail will come in. In the mea: time property will grow higher in St Mathews at your expense and th business men will look pleasant am give you a smile when you go to towi to spend your money. It's a grea scheme, it is. We regret that we will be unable b follow this controversy further, on ac count of space, hence we make th< announcement that with this issue i will close. It has been quite a de lightful mental exercise following th< doctor in his many sided defenses o his pet scheme. He has cut up a many mental antics as a jumping jacl in the hands of a delighted child, onh to assume another attitude when cor nered. We have endeavored to write fo: the benefit of our people, the truth at it has appeared to us. Our figurei have been taken, not from our imagi nation, but from public records. W< trust that what has been said wil prove of benefit to our readers, wh< have been interested in this discus sion. If it has, We are satisfied an< our conscience is easy. Quite a number of citizens frorr Leesville have been attending conr this week as witnesses in the Able7! case. SPOT CASH Hardware and Paints ! If you would economize, our store is the place to spend your money. No debts to lose, and no unprofitable customers to serve. Hence you are doing business on short profit and quick selling at our store. ! 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In addition Z2 i sliffhtlv used and second-hand instruments at nrices and SfcJ lative Lexingtonian, will give his personal attention to 53 and they will receive our prompt and careful attention. 69 5 & Barton Co. if :OADWAY, AUGUSTA, GA. gg 35S5fi5H5fi5H5H5f!5B5fi5fl5fl5ca pvvvwvwvuwwvwvwwwwvwv m TiTTiiTTTitTTtTnnTixmxixxxmxixiixxxxiiiiimxmxixzxixxxxxx M No. 6994 5 The People's National Bank i 1 PROSPERITY, S. C. I Paid up Capital - - $25,000.00. | jj Surplus and Individual Profits $5,000.00. ? Stockholders* Liabilities - $25,000.00. ;jj 1 For Protection of Depositors. S H. C. MOSELEY, President. M. A. CARLISLE, Vice-President. E W. W. WHEELER, Cashier. GEORGE JOHNSTONE, Attorney. 3 | ^ Better a conservative interest on your deposit with its ! j safe return when wanted, than a high rate and a feeling of j 3 doubt about the principal. j 3 A National Bank is a safe Deposit. Government super- j jj vision makes it so. 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