Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

1 i J. J •f County Tax System * ? Needs To Be Changed The article in last week's Chroni- ! are paying more taxes than neces- "And Anoftier Nice Thing... I Can Go To Church And Not Be Chewed Out..." de concerning the wide variations in Laurens County tax assessments pro bably came as a surprise to no one. Everyone seems to have his favo rite story about some injustice of the system. Such as: A piece of property almost in the heart of downtown Clinton but listed on the tax lxx>ks as “farm lanil.” Some people in Laurens County are 7wiving a premium tax rate on prop el ii while others, with almost identi cal property, are iiaying only token taxes. The }>ecp!e who administer such matters in the county are not the ones V' blame. It’s the system—or lac’- of a fair -ystem—which causes the inequities. to the house but it remains on the tax L<>dks as a four-r<H>m house. The county is not realizing true value fr<-rr. property taxes. Also. f here nrohav.ly are many ijeojde who sary, for lack of a mapping system. Any system which allows the tax inequities which exist in Laurens County should be revamped. Tax assessments currently are made on a very informal basis. Usuallly the building permit is used as the guide. Those who are wise in such matters can have their valuation set very low. Those w ho do not know how comers may be cut and who give an honest valuation may l>e i>enalized in a com- parison <>f the amount of tax they pay and the amount someone else may pay. The county needs a reassessment of all property on the tax books. It also needs a county wide tax mapping system which would keep the taxes uniform and it needs some way of double checking on the property. A man may build a four-room house and list it as such for tax purposes. Next vear. he may add three rooms 10—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., Jan. 4, lo| A Thought For New Year! 4 Spending Must Be Cut Before Tax Hike Approved j m /J Gfty v *f . EVERYDAYl COUNSELOI OA! G V KJ CuAV News Items: ••WASHINGTON (AP> —The Fed eral Reserve Board move^l Wednes day to tighten its reins on the na tion's credit by increasing for the first time in seven years the amount of reserves banks must hold against checking accounts. “The surprise action was taken, the board said, to help stem infla tion at home and strengthen the dol lar abroad.’’ “SAN ANTONIO. Tex. (API — President Johnson waded Wednesday into farm funds for a new federal budget that may climb beyond $180 billion under an everything-included new lix)k. “Under an old format slated to be scrapped, it might have passed $140 billion.” “PARIS (UPI)—An economic or- Retirees And Inflation BABSON PARK. MASS. — Housewives in nil income brackets are acutely aware of the climbing prices in food, clothing, shoes, serv ices, just about whatever they buy. But the cues who really are at the mercy of price in flation are the retirees, those with no extra family income, no raises, no stretch in their budgets. How are they going to make out? How can they keep their expenses down to a reasonable level? PLANNING AHEAD IS A MUST With such people — most of them 60 years, old and more — there is a real need for meticulous health care, including the consumption of foods that are nourishing but with'n monetary reach. Most people think of meatb as the prime source of proteins, and the cost of most meats may be just about! prohibitive for many fixed-income older' people. But there are ways of having plenty ol proteins without laying out $1.50 a pound or better for fine steaks. The cheaper cuts o: many different types of meat are fully as tasty and nutritious even though they us ually have to be cooked longer. Then, too, it should b« emphasized that there arc many other common sources of protein, such as beans, cheese, milk, and eggs for those who need help in planning nourishing but thrifty meals, the govem- mont has many booklets obtainable. Your local library will help you find plentiful sources of such information. Also on the shelves there will be books on sound nutri tion which may open entirely new doors t« those who have never given enough thought to the importance of careful food selection and cooking in terms of health. ILLNESS PREVENTION EASIER THAJNLdpBE While balanced meals are an essential for those in the higher age groups, there are many other considerations that are wdrtfi attention in preventing costly and distresling medioal outlays. An annual checlttip with your regular doctor will make you feel safer from diseases that early detection may make easily curable. Weight-control pro grams are. extremely valuable, although frequently ignored or postponed. Safety features — such as night lights in treacher- , ous parts of the house, hand-bars on bathr [ tubs, and non-slip rugs — may avoid brolap bones and hospitalization. /. Exercise, especially outdoors, should be included wherever possible. Dr. Paul Dud- < ley White’s insistence upon walking and bicycling to prevent heart disease has gained nation wide attention. Evan the milder sports such as ping-pong, swimming, croquet, and golf are fine constutionals, and good for the morals as well as the physical condition. Particularly rewarding for those with no regular occupation are the simple hobbies that cost little or nothing: Birdlng, painting or sketching, collecting wild flowers, mush rooms, mosses, ms shells, ires leases, or jranization including some of the world’s wealthiest nations Wednesday warned the United States to take early belt-tightening measures to cut its balance of payments deficit, widen- ed by the Vietnam war.” Those three news items undoubt edly will add a note of urgency to President Johnson’s appeal for a 10 7>er cent tax surcharge when Con gress returns to work next month. The United States must take every step to protect the value of its dol lar. If the dollar is not adequately protected, the entire world economy will be in danger and the United States will be in an extremely weak and vulnerable position. As President Johnson prepares his budget message, and as Congress con siders his requests, we hope that • it is now evident to all that the United States can not fight two wars—pov erty at home and the Communists in Vietnam—at the same time. Johnson has said in the past that the United States could fight on both fronts. The irony of it is that this na tion's efforts to finance the two wars have stimulated inflation to the point that it has robbed the poor of most of the extra advantage they were supposed to realize from the govern ment programs. WE MUST learn a lesson from Britain. The British were not willing to tighten their belts in an effort to save the value of the pound. Their politicians did not have the courage to put into effect necessary measures. Wages, prices, and gov ernment programs spiralled until the pound had to be devalued. We hope that our leaders have the strength of character to call for whatever measures are necessary to bring this nation to a more solid financial foundation. We realize there is much that we do not understand about national finances. However, we can’t believe that the basic principle is any differ ent from sound management of our home finances. If our household debts begin run ning too high, we have to cut back. We have to do without. We do not try te evercome it by piling on more debts or making more expensive *» commitments. Our national leaders’ first concern must be in looking for places to cut government spending. If all the pork-barrel »pending>nd unnecessary governmental frills are eliminated, the taxpayers then might not begrudge the proposed 10 per cent tax gurchage, if this ii what is needed. However, most taxpewers aren’t going to sit still for a tax Increase which goes to support governmental policies and programs which actual ly promote inflation gg0 threat*® to weaken this groat Military Men Need Support Of Civilians By DR. HERBERT SPAUGH j Here is a New Year j thought. A number of years ago Channing Pollock, auUior and playwrite of the Past Generation, coined a phrase [which I've never forgotten: i ‘The slow stain of sin.” He j used it to describe what was happening in England and In this country. I have just I found in my scrapbook an article by an unknown author ! of the same period titled 'The Lost Bible.” j “One day, so runs a fam- : ous story, England woke up and found that the Bible was j gone. Not only the book it- I self, but all trace of its in- I fluence has been erased ' from life. I “The result was appalling, j A great literature became well nigh unintelligible; Shakespeare was almost un readable. The gorgeous pages of ^ Ruskin looked like a •noth-eaten tapestry. Every day speech stammered and ‘altered A change passed ov- sr the whole tone and temper of the nation “Life became hectic, hur ried. and vulgar. Old res traints were thrown off, leav- i mg instinct to run wild All I values were blurred, and life itself became little and jmean. not so much tragic as tedious, trivial, frivolous, or! humble repentanc else drab. Something line.; for God s | bigh and fair had gone out By THE CHRONICLE’S Capitol News Bureau the Bible If they have tan if as a lesson in school, has been quickly forgotten i is no longer a book citlu t comfort or command. a days of old. We are laced an amazing spectacle—a erous, charming, candid eration without the Bible This story was wntt] long before World War but it was almost prophe Look what has happened the great British Empire longer does Britian rule seas. England, once a . r.i banking center and the wiiJ shop of the world, is in uni industrial and financial fieulty The Bible is almj gone, and the churches no longer a factor in Brit' life. The slow stain of sin n crept over England, and creeping over the I n ■< States. This is being preae ed and proclaimed by - current news magazines ft will take nothing It- than a moral and spinTnl revival to stem the tide, gj tore the home, renew t$ church and save our econl my. It is high time that get down on our knees e and ptyj mercy and gnW , , ance. Commence the V °' 11 | Year w ith God Something like that has|(\ 0 ( e; \ new combined e happened in America, and it, tion of p r> Spaugh s boo , , , . , _ i is the greatest calmity of the i opathwav tn r-/— brought about by an inereas-, vious understanding and ded- ! ast hundred vears The Hihie ' l ™ vay to t ontentnu ed absorption of nower ■ ... last nunareo j ears. 1 he Bible and Evervdav Counsel f P 1 I )()VVer ’ I‘cation to the military man is not actually lost. but it Everyday Living” is noi available. Copies mav be oi dered Ihrough your bookstol or from The Everyday Coul selor in care of this new] paper. Price $2.25 each ! \ COLUMBIA—Our most fer- Tht '. ,ear . t 1 oday should be , can set an example for the |‘s unknown. Our people do that the military man is not 1 vent prayer in this new year a , r > 11,1,11 18 m 1 , rest of the nation to follow, not read it. of 1968 is for peace Many f p d y Th Car ^ ! The military man needs and It fills one with dismav to men from many nations ‘ " ely us< d lh< re f K>rtld ! deserves the support of the see a fiencration urowina up will be searching for j a " d Problems wrth people in his quest for peace, who know almost noth,n e of in Vietnam are suf- 1 b be searching for peace in this new year The war ' times we live in, however, al-! f,c,ent testimony to this con- ready involve conflict, and ce ™‘ there are further conflict con- ^ be m 'l' tar y nian believes ditions in the making. In ad- our coun ^ ry should have a dition to prayers, therefore, establishment see the best insurance we in our ond to none ,n order to re nation have for peace is the I ^ a ' n f ree a od insure peace U. S. military man. THE CHRONICLE, CLINTON, S. C„ JAN. 4, 1968 South Carolina has had more than its share of out standing military men such as Wade Hampton, Charles Coatsworth Pinckney, Fran cis Marion and now William Westmoreland. It has honor ed these men, their courage, integrity and dedication to our nation by both prayers and observances. South Carolina has had its share and perhaps more than its share of sons who have died in each of the wars our country has undertaken to preserve peace. Today, our people more than most still believe that the military man Is our best insurance in the cause of peace. In many parts of the na tion, however, there is a growing wave of anti-militar- Jfm, punctuated with emo tional outbursts such as the ftmti - draft demonstrations Therfc seems to be a growing trend by some elements in our nation, both in and out of government, to discredit the military man. Often our fighting men are represented as witless oppon ents to civilian intellectuals in thehr pursuit gotiations which peace. Often the man is represented as a trig ger Happy fool or a dangerous "tHw’"lackers say they | “ d ,„ at .| he _ r . i ‘ h . t fear military domination of our country. They point to the great size and power of our military establishment and examples of military takeovers in other countries. Such a view is false for these takeovers are not at all simi lar to our situation. Historically and down to the present there has been complete civilian control of our military establishment. This is as it should be. The heads of the Department of Defense are appointed civi lians. The power of the pufie, an absolute prerequisite for domination of military pow er, is in the hands of a civil ian Congress. Our form of government provides these and other effective checks and balances to prevent mlh- tary domination Rather than an imbalance favoring the military today, we actually have the reverse. Within the Department of Defense, the Secretary has increased the size and power of the Secretary’s office. At the time McNamara took of fice, there were less than 2,000 employees in the office of the Bee. of Defense. As of But the civilian anti-militar ists have taken the position that parity with the Soviet Union will better insure peace. This is an area of serious disagreement in which military opinion has either ignored or downgrad ed. The military man also be lieves that in war, whether it be a small or big war, the end objective for this country can only be victory and the suppression of an enemy’s ability for further aggression. This again is an area of con- j flict with civilian anti-mili-! tarists who believe that vic tory over any form of Com munist aggression would eith er create a dangerous imbal ance in the world power structure or stimulate an es calation to a nuclear war. It is not pointed out too clearly or often that in a military man's planning he considers all the factors related to war and peace and not just the particular military require ment of the moment: ‘ (Ihp (Elintmt (Eljrmtirlp DONNY WILDER, Editor and PubUsher Established 1900 PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY THE CHRONICLE .PUBLISHING COMPANY . * * . » »* > j I » »• ■, * r 1 Subscription Rate (Payable in Advance) Out-of-County — One Year, $4.UQ; Six Months, $2 50 One Year, $5 00 Second Class Postage Paid at Clinton, S. C. POSTMASTER: Send Form 3579 to Clinton Chronicle, Clinton, S. C. 29325 Member: South Carolina Presz Association, National Editorial Association National Advertising Representative: AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION _. . New * ork. Chicago. Detroit. Philadelphia The military men believes that when an enemy says he will “bury you” and all his actions and all his of^wTsV'ne-! words are dedicated to your lead to destruction you have every military! right and obli gation to pro tect your people. Further he believes the use of force at the right time place will reduce the risk of war. If it is not used when it Should, be, it increases the- risk of escala tion to a larger war. The war in Vietnam today is an outstanding example proving this point. In 1964, Gen. Curtis LeMay in testimony before Congress summed up the military posi tion by saying, “If we can prevent a war from happen ing/ we will have succeeded in our mission. If the war happens, I think we have failed.” Does this sound like a “trigger happy” indivi dual? One will also find spiritual qualities in the military man that influences his thinking and his decisions. He res pects life more than most having lived close to deathf. His moral values are out wardly expressed in both love of God and lovp of coun try. He is a man in which this nation can take pride. Perhaps the • people of South Carolina by their ob- Jan. 1, IMT, there were peer directly un- employees ef Set ei Patronize Chronicle’ Advertisers (1 . I- ,r Bank of Clinton Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation A'f* A, ^ * • ‘a’ ' ^ '' ' 3% Interest Paid on Savings Accounts Semi-Annually * • ■I. . . . , 1 t., «l • II, •tnuriij jottermed jpluiO * - -h ’ U.‘“ "V cftC;'..' ytititii .Jil . .*.0sLl