The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, August 27, 1909, Page FIVE, Image 5
THE FACTS.
Prof. W. K. Sligh Gives the Figures
Showing Necessity of Bond Is
sue For Roads.
The following has been handed to
The Herald and News for publication::
Editor Observer: In your Tuesday's
issue you ask the people to consider
what can be done with the means now
provid;;d before voting bonds for
roads. You then give the resources for
road purposes as follows: $12,000 out
of the ordinary county levy; value of
'haingang $5,000; six days of commu
tation tax $12,000; the one-mill road
tax (new) which is to be levied in the
event bonds are not voted $7,000;
making a total of $36,000.
First, let us consider your item of
$12,000, which you say the county is
in the habit of spending on its roads,
bridges and ferries each year out of
the ordinary levy, and which it will
have to spend every year hereafter
for the same purpose. I don 't know
where you got the idea that the or
dinary county levy is sufficient to pro
vide this sum and pay the necessary
county expenses. You must have
heard it for I, too, have seen it print
ed in your paper. I am equally sure
ron did not investigate the matter
for yourself, else you would have nev
Pr made sue.h a statement. This is
evidently another case of "they say."
Your authority you evidently consid
er very good, for you are very posi
tive that this sum will be available
from year to year. This statement, to
which you have given circulation in
two different issues of your paper,
-has had its effect, as doubtless you in
tended it to have, in causing the peo
ple to think that t-hey are providing
considerable means for road purposes.
To set this matter at rest I have deem
ed it of sufficient importance to
check over every item of disburse
ments in payment of the ordinary
county expenses incurred during the
year 1908. Below I give the result in
tabular form. The classification by
items may not in every instance be ab
solutely correct, but the figures them
selves are, and speak for themselves
.First, the absolutely necessary run
ning expenses of the county:
Salaries............$ 7,035 36
Lunacy ............... 263 05
Pensions .... .... ......584 00
Paupers .. .... .... ....178 00
County Physician........124 96
Dieting prisoners .. ......1,100 30
Books and printing ........676 69
Ferries, salaries .... ......1,213 24
Jail .... .... .... ......400 60
Liqr cr constable ........ 893 00
Board of assessors ........270 00
Courts .. .... .... ......4,286 10
Post mortems .. ... .... 90 00
* Office expenses .... ......1,513 53
County home ...... ......1,950 93
ChOaingang .. ............3,745 81
Contingent Ins.,. etc.......806 85
*To'tal ordinary county ex
penses .... .... .....$25,132 42
You will observe that in this total
of $25,132.42 there are no unusual
items. This, therefore, may be reas
on.ably taken as the cost of running
the county for one year. You will al
so observe that this .total contains
nothing for roads in the way of
bridges, commutation tax or other
items. I have purposely omitted from
it all items that may be classed as ex
tra-ordinary, such as $1,507.00 for a
heating plant in the new court house.
Now, let us look at the county's re
sources for ordinary purposes, out of
which this is to be paid, and out of
which you say the county has been
"accustomed'' to spend $12,000 for
roads, bridges and ferries each year.
The ordinary levy last year was 3
mills; it is 3 mills this year. The as
sessed value of the property of the
county last year was in round num
bers $7,000,000, thus giving an income
for ordinary county purposes of $21,
000.00 to which ought to be added1
certain fines and fees collected by the
county. I regret exceedingly t]hat ow
ing to the absence of the county treas
urer from his office during the week I
have been unable to get the exact
amount arising from this source. But
it is known that this amount is not
large enough to affect my main eon
tentions. namely, that the county from
its present resources for~ ordinary
county purposes has not one cent to
spendl on roads and bridg~es, and that
it did not have a cent last year. The
diference between the actual running
expenses, exclusive of roads and bridg
-.and the county levy is $4.132.42.
Uless the fees and fines amount to
as much as .$4132.42, then the county
is not able to pay for its absolute fix
ed charges. What then becomes of
your $12,000 ?
It is true, as shown by the s upervi
sor's books, that the county did spend
brflidg most* o10:f itfr rdgeS. But
tefo this purpose. uinless it borrowsI
r as ha en doing for years. The
he present levy the county is run
nin into debt.
Now. Nr. Editor. to over this table
Of expenditure (.cefillv and tell us
where you exepet to cut down expens
es to save something for the roads.
Shall it be salaries? The last sessioin
of the legislature raised salaries and
this item will be greater this year
than it was last. Do you expect to
feed the prisoners less? Do you ex
pect to cut off your coun-ty home?
No, you don't expect to do any of
these .things. Then subtract your
$12,000 from your grand total of
$36,000, and let us proceed to ana
lyze a few more items in your little
sum.
You say, "The value of the chain
gang for a year is estimated at $5,000
and that is not too high.'" I have been
at some pains to find out just what the
size of this chain gang has been for
several years past. I find that during
the years 1904-'05 it ranged from
three to ten men, that during the year
of 1906-'07 it ranged from 12 to 15
men, that during .the years 1908-'09
it ranged from 18 to 25 men. During
these six years it has averaged about
14. Let us say 17, for 300 working
days at 60 cents a day, makes about
$3,000. Just at this time the chain
gang is unusually large, but what as
surance is there that it will continue
to be large. Moreover, if you count
labor at 60 cents a day you ought to
charge off at least $1,000 for guard
hire, which you would not have in
case of free labor.
I have not had the time to ascer
tain definitely the number of men
in the county liable to road duty.
But if there are 6,000, as you stated,
it would show a remarkable condition
of things. I think if yon will inves
tgate you will find the number very
much smaller than you claim.
But why discuss chain gang and
road hands? These we have had with
us for years. We know that they are
not worth anything like the money
you claim for road purposes. Why
put our little opinions against actual
experience running through many
years? Almost every legislature tink
ers with this subject and we get on
the road the same old results, or
ather lack of results. The best ser
vice that this system performs is to
help one set of men out of office and
another into office.
Of course, the one-mill tax for roads
will bring $7,000. There is no doubt
about that but is t,he only thing in
your article about which t'here is no
doubt. This one-mill tax is to be
levied this year for the first time, in
the event the bond issue is defeated,
and it is to be distributed among the
several townships. Of course it will
acomplish nothing of a permanent
character. All we contend for is that
in view of all the facts (not opinions)
it would be much wiser and more
economical for the county to borrow
the money to build roads and pay a
two-mill tax. If this were done the
bond commission could take the ex
penses of the chain gang off the coun
ty 's hands by working the chain gang
in the construction of roads and pay
ing for their keep out of the bond
money. This of itself -would save at
least one-half mill on the tax levy
and would help the county to get out
of debt for running expenses. The
bill authorizing the bond issue allows
this very thing to be done.
But wny present facts as they sur
round us and produce the experience
of counties that have issued bonds
when people prefer mere assertions
and opinions of men who have not and
will not investigate the subject?
By the way. Mr. Keitt in *his ar
tile on this sub.ject by overlooking
the sinking fund provision of the bond
bill made a little mistake of over
$200000. But what does that mat
ter? He is opposed to bonds be
cause the Standard Oil company has
its eye on Newberry county with a
firm resolve to depress the price of
cotton.
Of course I do not expect the bonds
to carry in this election, bu,t I for
once will leave facts and indulge in
tihe p)rophecy that in less than five
years the people will rebuke those
who have misled them in this matter
and will vote bonds in Newberrveoun
tv for~ road constrnetion.
.W. K. Sligh.
"FARMER" FAVORS BONqDS.
Urges the Farmers to Take Advantage
of the Great Opportunity Offer
ed Them For Roads.
Editor Herald and News:
Did you ever stop to think how
much property we have made for the
corporations? We built, or caused to
be built. evCery court house, store,
bank. graded school1. collegte. oil mill,
ralod and cevy pulile enterprise
ta i in existen(e.
\'ni will 'war Irrrer. ,ayt that the
*ipaly for the tarmers. If they will
ist take advantage of it on August
FIRE AND
INSUR
"First the :
Then the
No insuran
Then yoi
Rate was f
May be
But not so
And'dr
BETTE
J. A. BI
31, by going to the polls and voting
for he issue of bonds, the corpora- I
tions and the property owners in the
towns will pay at least sixty per cent.
of the bond issue to help build up our
public roads in the country right by
our doors, and we will be paying only
a little more money out of our own
pockets.
Some one will say, "I don't like
the bond issue, let's have something
that we can repeal if we don't like
it.'" This is a great mistake with our
people and the legislature today
making laws and repealing them every
three or four years. Who pays for the
repeals ? It is just like building up
the corporations-we poor old petri
fled, parchment-minded farmers, as
we are often called by many, foot the
bill in the fall when we sell our lit
tIe cotton and pay our store accounts
and bank notes-the repeal bill is
counted in.
Now, let's stop this on the day of
the election, by issuing bonds for
good roads. It was a long time before
we could understand why some of the
corporators fought the bond Act, but
the facts have now come before us;
this would take a little too much
money out of'their own towns to help
build up good roads in the country
for the old clod-hoppers and make
things too easy for t-hem.
It is a lazy cock that won 't fight
in his own yard. That is why so many
of as farmers are at the mercy of
the corporations today. We don't fight
enoug, around our own premises,
and in our own yards, and pay too
much attention to the gold brick.
Flarntr.
August 25, 1909..
CHARTER REFUSED C.,. C. & 0.
Attorney General Lyon Holds Act
IUncenstitutional.-Recent Meas
ure Under Fire.
Columbia State.
A-ttorney General Lyon has given
his opinion that the act under which
the Carolina, Clinehifield & Ohio rai-l
road wishes to obtain a charter is
unconstitutional. In a letter to Sec
retary of State McCown yesterday
Gen. Ly~on states that the act is in
violation of section 8, article 9, of the
constitution. The opinion does not
go into any detailed explanation of the
matter but simply declares that the
'act is unconstitutional.
The opinion by Mr. Lyon wm re
sut in a refusal by Secretary of State
MCown to grant the charter on the
ground that no books of subscription
were opened in this State and on the
points raised. Mr. Lyon and Mr. Mc
Cown do not wish to be placed in the
position of opposing t.hp entrance of
the line in this State but the act is
considered of vital importance.
Mr. William H. Lyles, t he attorney
for the railroad, i5 not in~ the city bult
it is expected that t .e (orlI prtion
w~ill make somie test of the act before
the supreme court.
NOTICE LAND SALE.
We will sell to the highest bidder
n the 25th day of September. 194~9,
at eleven o'clock a. mn.. at Little
Mouta in .S. C.. t he SimeWon Miller
Home Place: will he so ld in wo rcs
Tract No . 1 contain ts 100f acre,. more
1r less. Tract No. 2 coni:lms 90~ acres
f R. L. \Iiller. 1. A. M\Iiller. Wm.
Met tz anid 'others. Lan d li es about 3-4
mil from R.il Rami nea Slim.hh Sta
TORNADO
ANCE
Fire,
smoke,
ce?
1're broke!
tigh?
true,
'high'
r as you."
R SEE
JRTON
tion.
Terms of Sale: One half cash, bal
ance in 12 months from day of sale
with seven per cent interest, and pur
ehaser to pay for all papers.
For any other information call on
B. H. Miller at Little Mountain, S. C.
(Signed) B. H. Miller, et al,
Lit.tle Mountain. S. C.
8-27-09-9t.
New
Arri vats
ANNE RSON
lOc. Conipang
Shipment 'Combs, Bar
-A
retts, Purses, Belts, etc.,
10c. to 25c.
Window Shades, all col
ors, 25 cents.
New shipment Gilt Pic
ture Frames 1Oc.
Big shipment Candy,
pure and fresh, pound 1Oc.
ANDERSON lOc CO
NEWBERRY. S. C.
NEW BARBER SHOP
JUST OPENED
At Dr. Van Smith's Old Stand
in Lower Main Street.
First Class Work
M. C. Haliman
NOTICE OF SALE or LAND.
Notice is hereby given that I in
tend to sell at public auction on sales
(dar in November the tract of land
belgin to thle estate of J. S. Floyd,
Sr.. in No. 8 Township. containing
802 acres. more or less. same to be
sold ini subdtividled tracts.
The land and plats of the subdi
'ided tracts can be seen by calling on
the undersigned at his home. The plats
can also be seen by calling on my At
torneys, Hunt, Hunt and Hunter,
Newberry, S. C.
Jd!hn S. Floyd, Jr.,
Executor of the Last Will and Tes
tament of J. S. Floyd. Sr.
Newberry, S. C.. Aug. 24. 1909.
Notice.
T'he trustees of Uniion Schoo Dis
t iet No. :32. will receive applications
for teacher until September 10th.
1909. An experienced teacher s pre..
Roll of
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Slighs, S. C., R. F. D.
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