University of South Carolina Libraries
(JOY. COOPER TAKES STAND FOR CONSTRUCTIVE WORK < Coin rued From P are One.) law so as to require the attendance at school of all children between the ages I of eight and 14 years during the mini- j mum school term. This age limit j should be raised to 16 years within the j near future. It is useless, however,! to provide for a mniimum school term I and a compulsofy attendance law i without adequate provision for en- j forcement. It must be made the duty of someone in each county to see that the compulsory attendance provision is enforced. It isn't necessary for me to urge the importance of school at- J tendance. A parent, or other person ( having the custody and control of j children who neglects or refuses to j give tcf^such children the educational j aHvantaircc nfForod hv thp Stfltp is Tint ' VMVAV^ exercising parental authority, but de- ( nying to the children who are to con- J stitute the future citizenship of this j State that light and knowledge which | is essentially necessary for the future I > well being of the State, as well as the j best interest of the child. Militaryj training was compulsory in time ofj war. If you would avoid conditions j laoil tn mar m0V0 cphnnl attonH. ' tuav AV/UU bV ?U1 f IIIOUV WVAAWA vvvvvMvk ance compulsory in time of peace. The Confederate government from 1861 laid its hand upon the 16 year old boy, j and compelled him to put on a gray' uniform shoulder his musket and fight; for Southern independence. Was not j this interference with parental au-i thority? A public necessity existed,! and parental authority yielded to the * superior right of the State. But it is useless to enact and enforce a compulsory attendance law unless adequate facilities are provided. Teachers Poorly Paid. T* 4o nnf onffipionf that wo nrnvi^A a ! seven months' minimum term. We need, and must have a better organization of our entire educational system.) We must have the' best talent inj charge of our educational work. Now, gentlemen, I promised you in the outset that I would deal with you in per-. ** ? J T# Wltr 1?ArtATVI. I ItJCl CctllUUI* XI juu auupt uij iwvui- ^ mendations as to our educational pro-' gram it means the expenditure of ' more money for the education of the youth of our State than has been heretofore expended. We can not hope to have the best talent in our schools with the present scale of salaries for school officers, and the present standard of pay for teachers. The question may be asked, can we afford to make the necessary investment in our educational institutions? I use the word "investment" advisedly, because mon-. ey properly expended in the development of an educational system suited to our needs will Drove a splendid in- j vestment. The South Carolina Council of Defense recently issued a pamphlet | -which should be read by every tax; payer in South Carolina. Its title is. "Does it Pay?" Prom this pamphlet j I quote the following: j "You prosper just in proportion to fc the prosperity of the average man; with whom you are brought into bus-| iness contact. If the masses of the people are poor and ignorant, every individual, every interest, every in- i ! . dustry in the community will feel and, register the pulling down power of their backwardness as inevitably as the thermometer records the tempera-j ture of the air. The merchant will! have poorer trade, the doctor and lawyer smaller fees, the railroad diminished traffic, the banks smaller deposits, the preacher and teacher smaller salaries, and so on. Every man who through ignorance, lack of training, or by reason of any other hindering cause, is producing or earning oniyi half as much as he ought, by his inefficiency is making everybody else in! the community poorer." , Cheaper to Educate. ] An educational system that is inadequate is burdensome to the tax-, payer, because he gets a poor return f/NT. mnnpv exnended. but an ad equate provision is the best investment the State or individual can make. In considering this part of our work, I most earnestly urge upon you provision for teaching agriculture, home k economics, vocational and industrial { training, etc., as a part of our school work. In other words, our education should prepare our children to do best the thing they must do. A great deal has been said recently about illiteracy in our State. The statement Koe Wn maHo and we can not deny it, that South Carolina in the percent-, age of illiteracy stands near the bot-. torn of the list of all the States. Sure- j ly no South Carolinian with a pride J in the past history and the traditions of his State, and with a proper appreciation of the opportunities and promises of the future can be satisfied with this state of affairs. We have established an illiteracy commission, and I urge upon you a proper support j of its work. Let us resolve here and , now that we will make war on illit-j eracy and ignorance unui men lui^o have been completely defeated, and: the State of South Carolina shall take her place in the front rank of the. States of the Union. The governor of j North Carolina is reported to have said on one occasion, "I thank God for South Carolina, because she keeps North Carolina from being at the foot oi an the States in illiteracy." Should the governor of the Old North State refer to this matter again may he be able to say, "I thank God for South Carolina, because in the support of educational institutions, and in the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of her educational work she furnishes inspiration to North Carolina for greater and nobler achievements." Urges Central Boards. . This plan contemplates and necessitate a liberal support of our institutions for higher education. It is from these institutions that we must expect the talent to carry on the work in our primary schools. I believe the legislature at this time should take proper steps looking to the coordination of the government of our colleges and universities. I believe a more satisfactory and effective administration on our educational work would result if we had one educational board, or commission for all our colleges instead of a separate board of trustees tor tne government 01 eacn msuiuucn. If you should see fit to adopt, as I hope you will, the plan which I will suggest with reference to the tax department, this recommendation for the government of our higher institutions of learning will be in absolute harmony with the plan for the administration of the fiscal affairs of the State. I think also that the same rule can be made to apply with equal advantage to all State maintained institutions and activities. One board for penal and charitable institutions and another board for our educational institutions would, in my opinion, be conducive to economy and efficiency. For a number of years we have had in connection with our State institutions for higher education a free scholarship system. I have not hesitated when a candidate ior orace 10 cruicise mm syotgm, auu I do not hesitate now to recommend to you the abolition of all scholarships and the substitution of a scholarship loan fund. This fund could be administered by the sinking fund commission or some other department of the State, as you may see proper to provide. Under the present scholarship law its benefits are awarded on competitive examination. The person making the highest mark is entitled to the scholarship, provided, of course, that certain conditions as to financial ability, etc., are shown to exist. It favors the person who has already had superior advantages. Its benefits are limited to the favored few. Under the scholarship loan fund all of our institutions of higher education would be open to every boy and girl who could stand the necessary entrance examination and who could ba accommodated by the institution. I Larger Plants Necessary. It may be necessary, ana 1 nope 11 will the enlargemnt of our plants in order to accommodate the increasing demands. The student who obtains a loan from this fund should be required to repay the same without interest in four annual installments; the first payment to be due in two years after graduation. This would insure repayment of the entire loan in ten years, or to be more accurate, each loan granted would be repaid within six years from the date granted. In the 29th annual report of the board of trustees of Clemson College, pages 1314, I find the following language: "If it is to be admitted that a tech: nical education adds to a young man's earning power- (and surely such an education represents a-capital ol at least $20,000), then any young man should ' a - 1 4U De Willing 10 accept a iUiiu raiucr mail a gift of $400 to help him obtain it. The history of such loans elsewhere is that they are eagerly sought by the really needy and invariably paid." The board of visitors of Clemson College for the year 1918 called attention to the fact that since the in auguration of the scholarship system Clemson College has expended for this purpose alone $220,000. Other colleges doubtless have expended proportionate amounts. If the money thus expended for the past ten years had been lent to worthy students we would have on hand today a loan fund of not less than $400,000, and it would not be necessary to make any other appropriation for this purpose. It may be! wise for the State, in order to promote the efficiency of the organized militia,; to offer a limited number of military scholarships in consideration of a special service*4o be rendered where no ?3 nnmnancofinn ic nrnviri prl dutjijuacc , But the scholarship should be contin-1 gent on such service. Calls for Health Survey. Ahother question which I feel I must call to your attention is that of the public health. I believe the State board of health should be authorized 1 and directed to make a health survey I of the entire State by the school dis-' tricts. It is important that sanitary j conditions as they exist in the various j sections of the State should be known, i and wherever necessary proper steps taken to remedy conditions. I have heard it stated that the health laws of South Carolina are equal to the j best in the Union. This is gratifying, but it is certainly true that a great deal is yet to be done before our people are properly protected against the ravages of disease and unnecessary mortality. Your State health office will tell you that we have a grea many deaths among infants and youn: i mothers, because of a lack of a fcv simple and necessary precautions. In formation which has come to us. inri dent to the mobilization of our troop: in the recent world war. has discloset a physical condition among the adul population, both men and women which can not be ignored and snouK not be neglected. Our people, if w< are adequately to safeguard the fu ture, must be physically and morall} clean as well as mentally vigorous. I our civilization is to endure, it musi have as its sure foundation, a peopl< mentally, morally and physically fit t< be the fathers and mothers of futur< I generations. To Outlaw Extracts. It is the policy of this State thai the sale and use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage is against public health and morals, and its sale has, therefore been prohibited. If, as the legislature has enacted, and the people at the bal lot box have declared, the prohibition of the sale of intoxicating liquors is to be the policy of the State, and 1 am in full accord with this view, we must realize that in this matter "eternal vigilance" is essential to the prop er enforcement of this provision. Re cently my attention was called to a situation that somewhat surprised me, The police department of one of the cities of tbis State made a search in the back alleys and secret places, where persons naturally resort tc <trink, and collected a surprisingly large number of bottles on which were labels showing that said bottles had contained compounds, either extracts or patent medicines, which contained from 6 to 90 per cent, alcohol. I was informed by the chief of the police department that these socalled medicines and extracts were being freely purchased from merchants, and drunk as a beverage. He further stated that his department was having considerable drunkenness to deal with on account of this practice. I have learned since that this condition is not peculiar to any one locality, but is somewhat general throughout the State. Any reputable physician will unhesi tatingly say that medicines and extracts of the class mentioned when used as beverages are more injurious in every respect than distilled liquors. It was not to rid the States of alcoholic liquors that our prohibition laws were passed, but rather to protect our people from the evil and injury incident to its use as a beVerage. If sub stitutes are being used that are more injurious, it is certainly in keeping with the policy of the State to prohibit the sale and use of any such substi. tute. It may be that the present law I is sufficient to cover such cases, but 1 believe it would be wise to pass an act definitely dealing with this question. Tax Methods Unbusinesslike. During the past several months- I have endeavored to give a good deal of my time and attention to the question of taxation. Every honest man is willing to pay his pro rata part of . the necessary burden of government. The main difficulty with us, as I see it, is a lack of business method in this . department. I believe an effective remedy will be found in the adoption of an executive budget somewhat simi; lar to the law now in force in the J State of Virginia. Under this law th? governor is required to submit to the , general assembly at each session an I executive budget containing an itemiz1 ed statement of the estimated expenditures of the various departments .and institutions of the State for the ensuing liscal year with his recommendations therpon. This budeet will be referred to the appropriate committees as any other bill. Any item, of course, may be increased, decreased or stricken out entirely, but no appropriation, not included in the budget, is to be considered until the budget is finally disposed of, except in emergency cases. This means that the members of the general assembly will have the benefit of information obtained by the governor from the various depart ments and institutions of the State in preparing the budget, which will enable them to act more intelligently in this important matter. The governor during the several months preceding the meeting of the general assembly will hold public hearings, and require necessary information in regard to each item of expenditures asked for, which information would naturally be given to the public press for the benefit of the general public as well as members of the general assembly. This I is but a brief outline of what I think should be the first step in our tax legislation. The details can be easily worked out. But the vital question is yet to be considered. It is easy to prepare and submit a budget, which in my opinion, will result in a considerable saving of money, but this will not relieve us of the present inequality of the assessment of property. I confess that this phase of the question is more difficult than any other in connection with the matter. Ibelieve, however, that in the course of a few years-we will be able to approximately I equalize the assessment if we adopt the following plan: Tax Commission Necessary. When you have finally determined IEv yo M i Ts | h :j @ C the total amount of all appropriations .for State purposes, the general assembly should by joint resolution 'apportion the total amount to the various counties according to taxable wealth. This would make necessary the maintenance of your present tax commission, or the establishment of some central board whose duties it would be to obtain and submit information neces sary to enable you to determine the proper apportionment to each county, | or you can authorize the governor to appoint the necessary clerical assistance to enable the governor's office to furnish this information. A county board should be provided, charged with the listing of all property in the county for taxation. The county could be appropriately divided for this purpose into subdivisions according to townsmp or scnoon district lines, m i i this way an annual tax survey could ; be made at a minimum cost, and in the course of a few years all property could be listed for taxation at its ac tual value, as the constitution requires. In arriving at actual valu? for the purpose of taxation various , questions will arise. It will be comparatively easy to ascertain the taxable wealth of the county, which should naturally be based on production and income from the various lines of business and industries in the county. The taxable wealth of a county will, of j 1 course, change from time to time, and I n now nnnnrtinnment should be made , each year. I have stated repeatedly j to the people of South Carolina that I did not expect a reduction of taxes, because I have felt, and now feel, that \ if the State is to develop, and there j can be no question as to this, it means. the expenditure of more money from ' the public treasury, but at the same time I insist that we can have, and should have, an equitable distribution of the tax burden. i Advocates Better Roads, j There is a general demand and a real necessity for improved transpor tation facilities. We must have better j ! public highways. Whether you decide ! - to build roads by direct State appro-1 ' priation, by bond issue of the State or , j the various counties, whatever method ' i i you may see fit to adopt it means the j expenditure of more money. The peo- j pie of the State want better roads , i and better schools, and are willing to ! . pay the necessary costs, but as you in- i .: crease the, amount of your tax, the in-; equality already existing becomes j more burdensome, and the dissatisfac- j tion with our present system becomes j more intensified. | In a general way I have submitted j to you what' seems to me, after a care- i ful study of the question, the proper j i solution of our tax difficulty. I do not expect to accomplish the object desired in a year, or even two years, but I , believe the general plan is workable, and will ultimately give us satisfactory result. It woiild require too much time to go into details. i Will Uphold Juries. The chief function of the governor 'under our plan of government as declared by our constitution, is to see that the laws are faithfully executed in mercy. It is gratifying to know i thnf tbprp is an pver increasing de- i ! mand for an impartial administration of justice. I believe that the admini istration of justice, to be effective and ! satisfactory, should be tempered with I mercy, but first of all a standard of j justice must be maintained. The law i is the security of the citizen, and he J j who wilfully violates it should expect i j to pay a just penalty. I do not wish , j to be misunderstood on this subject. I know from my own personal expeV % % ? eryone, old ung, can d vISTAI OSTL rith benefii kealth. oo lelicious. di ree beverc rience that events show juries some- j times make mistakes. In some instances judges impose sentences that prove to be too severe. Such cases, however, are exceptional. In a vast! majority of cases juries render right-! eous verdicts, and judges impose just sentences. Believing as I do, that it is to the best interest of all the people that the verdicts of juries, and the judgments of courts should be properly respected, I shall not interfere with ] their decisions, except where I am con- ' vinced that the ends of justice will be j promcieu. Need Council of Defense. After a careful consideration of the task that is before us incident to war and the readjustment period, it is my opinion that it would be wise for this general assembly to continue for another year the State Council of Defense. If such an organization was imnortant in time of war, and few will deny that it was not, it seems to me equally important for a short period &t least immediately following the war. It will not be necessary to appropriate as much money for this body as was appropriated the past year. An appropriation of $5,000 is considered sufficient, and I trust you will find it consistent with your duty to make this appropriation with a . view to the prosecution of a vigorous campaign to arouse our people to the importance of better education facilities and various other questions which will be acute for a while. Remember the Gray Line. I can not conclude this address without a word in behalf of the ex-Confederate soldier. While we are honoring, as we should, the boys who are now returning from the victorious fields of France, let us not forget the thin gray line. Almost all of- those who composed it have already crossed the river. I feel that the State is finanCONTINUBD ON PAGE 6 j coco SKIN Wf 25c bo: A Skin Bleach or Whitener f moving all blemishes and cl complexions and causing tl ? - m Don't envy a clear compli Whitener and have one. WHAT FSERS THI> iMacon, Ga. Cocotone Co. Dear Sirs: Send me by return mail two boxes of Cocotone Skin Whitener and three cakes of Coco,tone Skin Soap. They are fine and I do not care to be without them. Enclosed is money order for $1.23. Your truly, CLARA M. JACKiSON. Waycross, Ga. Cocotone Co. * Dear Friends: Your Cocotone j Skin Whitener is the finest thing i j ever saw. 'My skin was very dark j ^^ *v* o rJ A y f mOTlV i 2.UQ LUC JUL IS L LfUl lias lliaut n inuuj shades lighter, and my friends all ask me what I have been using. Enclosed you will find $2.00 Please send me six boxes of Skin Whiten er and two cakes of soap. Yours truly, ANNA M. WHITE. For Sale by SINGLETC CUIU ? Irink. | i MT If "j^|" y : to | ? A I ru?" i 3ge I ' I Ml ! I II ! I I I l ll ll ,| HM_U_ I.lllli1_? STOMACH WAS WEAK AFTER DREADED ILL* Aiter Treatment of Pellagra, Took Tanlac to Iiestore Stomach?Greenville Man.?Declares He Found Tan*, lac Fine Medicine and Says He? Gladly Recommends It Regarding the great relief Tan lacgave him from stomach trouble, whici* after five years developed into pellagra, F. S. Crumley, of No. 8 BuncombeSt.. Greenville, gave the followingstatement: "I suffered from stomach trouble about five years and it ran into pellagra. I spent several weeVs at a government pellagra hospital at ! Spartanburg, hut after I came homewhat I ate continued to hurt me. Gas formed on my stomach and I hatf pains in my abodmen, My appeti*t> was not good and I could not rest well at nieht "I began to take Tanlac and it socr* corrected my stomach trouble. In a couple of days I could tell a big difference. My food was digested, gasstopped fornvng rm mv stomach ant? the pains left. The Tanlac soon got me so I could eat as much as anyone,, my nerves were quieted and I slept, soundly. "Tanlac is a fine medicine for* stomach trouble, and I am glad to recommend it to all with such ail? |9 > ments." pick up list of agents. NOTICE TO WASHERWOMEN OP THE CITY. All washerwomen that expect to* take in washing the present year miiet nut q nermit. These Der mits will be issued by the city clerk, Mr. J. W. Chapman. These permits, must be secured at once 0. S. Lindl r. Health Officer. Newberry, S. C.. Jan. 22, 1919. 2t tTo n e 1ITENER t FREE :or dark or brown skin, re- \ earing swarthy or sallow' 3 lie skin to Grow Whiter^ f, sxion, use Cocotone Skin S I ?'.? * ? K OF COCOTONE. , Montgomery, Ala. j Cocotone Co. Dear Sirs: I fine that Cocotone Skin Whitener is the best preparaj tinn t have pver to clear the skin, and wish, you would mail me two boxes at once. (Signed) MRS. C. P. JOHNSON, Do not accept substitutes or iml tations. CUT THIS OUT. " * THE COCOTONE CO. Atlanta, Ga. I have never used Cocotone Skin I Willtener, uui n yuu win seua me a 25c box free, will be pleased to try it. I enclose six 2c stamps to cover j cost of mailing, packing, etc. Name ; Address AGENTS WANTED. >N'S DRUG STORE