The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, September 11, 1936, Image 1
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I The Camden Chronipi f
It. ^ *DUK mum CAROUWA. FRIDAY,' SEPTEMBER 11, 1936 NUMBER 25 ~~
Beattie Talks To
Rotary On Taxation
Assessing a tax on real property,
M ? method Of securing revenue for
. ,upport of the state government, is
w obsolete and antiquated "as the
bstblng suit your mother wore," declared
A. J. Beattie, comptroller general
of Boutb Carolina, in an address
here Thursday before the Camden RoI
tary club. The address wag made at
the Camden Hotel where the club
meeting was held.
"Moreover, it (s the most unjust
and inequitable method In use, and
is being continued because u always
bag been," the state official continued.
Id his Opening remarks, he spoke of
the modern methods employed In
banking, manufacturing, farming and
merchandising, adding, "But In one
of the largest enterprises in Which
the public Is Interested, and by which
every citisen ie affected, we find some
of the methods which have been in
use for centuries still being used."
Under the assessing of a tax on
property, "No two taxpayers In any
community are taxed on the same
basis, for the reason that no two will
have the same idea about the value
of the property to be taxed and In
such caseB the most persuasive speaker
will probably have the lowest assessment,"
Mr. Beattie said. "There
is no scientific method for arriving
at a uniform valuation of property,,
and the result Is a wide variation In
the amount of taxes paid by taxpayers
in the same community."
"The theory of taxation," he said,
"is based on one's ability to pay but
nothing is further from conforming
to this theory<vthan Imposing a tax on
tangible property. One's ability to
pay can best be measured by his financial
Income, and, In fact, Is the
only method by which it should be
gauged."
Further on he said, "I believe in
collecting a tax on every transaction
and collecting the tax at the time of
the transaction. So far as the state
government is concerned we are now
doing this to a considerable extent,
but county and? municipal. govsrrvment8
still rely on the property tax.
Now then, yon may wonder what the
county governments woujd do if the
property tax were eliminated, and In
that connection, I would like to call
your attention to a few facts with
which you are, perhaps, not familiar.
During the current fiscal year there
will be expended from the state treasury
approximately $11,900,000, not including
highway construction, and
less than $1,000,000 will come from
. property taxes. More than $0,000,000
of this will be expended by the
state for county expenses. More than
50 per cent, therefore, of the revenue
collected by the. state is already being
expended by the counties. If this
" is practicable "why hot go the whole
way and let the state collect all the
revenues necessary to operate county
governments and do It by .means, of indirect
taxation?
"At present the state is paying the
teachers' salaries, it is paying for
county health work, for vocational education,
elections, pensions, collection
of taxes, it is paying the salaries of
the judges, the court solicitors and
stenographers and other activities for
the benefit of the county. It could
lust as easily extend this to include
other ordinary expanses of county
Rovernment.
Do not understand that I am advocating
centralised government. On
the contrary, I am opposed to centrfidized
government. The state does not
want to and should not employ your
county officials, nor your school teach-<
crs nor supervise the expenditure of
your funds locally, but the collection
of revenues for this purpose* could
he done by the state and If llowers,
*e would not now having hanging
over the citisens of South Carolina a '
debt represented by unpaid property
taxes of approximately 011,600,000. I
wcruld not" advocate the assumption
by the state of local bond Issueqoillstanding
in the Various counties and
school districts of the stats. U is
necessary to pledge property and prepay
taxes for such purposes and this
houid be handled locally, but. for
purposes the property tax oouid '
* easily eliminated.' ^ . Aq \
"H such a change were made at<<
this time it would require a state appropriation
bfll of $16,000,000 instead
Hi,o0o,ooo. but property taxes now
u?e?sed for ordinary county purpos* ?
wads, special school levies and the
three mill constitutional tax which
founts to $llh#0j600 would be rs- 5
movod.and in the neeform?
of Indirect taxes could ^e sub .
"s _" * ? ,n _
New Cotton Weigher
and New Magistrate
There being no statewide or counrv
^ M Tt6iU 10 the 8ecoud
ry held rueeday not a great deal of
Interest was displayed. The result!
7" lear,1<,d ?a*-ly in the evening?
about an hour and a half after the
Polls closed and the Camden box had I
been counted.
Alton B. Nelson defeated H. A
Hawkins for the office of magistrate
a ilaney, the office formerly held by
Magistrate J. Donnie Watson. Mr.
Watson is now a deputy in the sher-l
iff * officg.
C. E. Davis defeated M. L. Smith
or the office of magistrate for DeKalb
township. He will succeed
Wade L Stokes who holds the office
by appointment, he serving for tho unexpired
term of the late magistrate
Bennie M. Smith
This year saw the cotton weigher's
Job for DeK&lb Township put in the
primary for the first time, in the
.run-off primary in this race, A. L. McLeod,
of the Charlotte Thompson community,
defeated R. A. Bruce, of the
same community. Mr. Bruce has been
serving as cotton weigher for the
past thirteen years. *
The tabulated vote in all three
races will be found In another place
in this paper.
J. G. Boag Sowell
Dies At Mt. Pisgah
J. O. (Boag) Sowell, 65 year old,
resident of the Mt. Pisgah section,
died suddenly at his home of a heart
attack abbut noon Monday.
He is survived by his widow, Mrs.
Laura Hilton Sowell, a five-year-old
daughter. Peggy, and the following
children by a former marriage, Roy
L. Sowell, Ira Sowell and Ruth Suwell^twp^brpth^ra,
8- M. Sowell and
W. P. Sowell, and one sister, Mrs. D.
M. McCaskill.
Funeral services were conducted at
Mt. Pisgah church Tuesday afternoon
?<rtock - with burial in the churchyard.
V \t
stituted and collected in place of the
property tax. ~
D? addition to the indirect taxes
now being collected other forms of
indirect taxation should be added. My
views as to a general sales tax were
publicly stated several/years ago and
I have had no reason to change these
views. There are several thousand
people In South Carolina who receive
all the benefits of government and
who contribute little or nothing to the
support of the government. This
group is composed principally of salaried
people, and there Is no reason
why these should not make a small
contribution to the support of the
government. I realise that there la
considerable opposition to the general
sales tax. particularly among the
merchants who fear that they would
have to absorb a considerable portion
of^the tax. 1 do not believe, however,
that this is borne out by the experience
of others In states which have
a general sales tax. North Carolina,
for example, has a 2 per cent. saJes
tax which yields annually approximately
$10,000,000.v Great numbers
of people from South Carolina do
their shopping In Charlotte and other
North Carolina cities and pay no attention
to the tax they are required
to pay. > L
_ "Advocates of the property tax frequently
have much to say about a tax
on Intangible property and statements
as to the amount escaping taxation In
this form have been greatly exaggerate
ed. There is little Intangible property
In South Carolina which could be
taxed without imposing a doubly tax
on tangible property. FofLiaagmpie,
a stock certificate in a corpbratlbn Is
nothing-mote than a. receipt fa* motley
paid Into the corporation. The
money, thus pall in having been invested
in tangible property on which
a tax is already being paid. It Would
be Just as logical to tax a title to a
tract of land whan the land is taxed
" Other form, of lntanjftl* rah *,
municipal bonds are specifically ex*IC*pt
by law from taxation. If these
?cre made taxable, the increased tax,
ea therefrom would be required to
pay the increased me of interest,
which would follow a t,taxable bond
Property i whlch^aia set being taxed
aad^uJkAdmal^he taxed are each
Mr. Disttn was fx?jy Hiy
ry Savage, dr.
,
City Schools Show
Increase in Rolls
The new school year for all children
of district number one began on Tuesday
morning at 0 o'clock. The teachers,
however, began work on the
previous day with a conference held
in the school auditorium, Jtt this
meeting all teachers and principals
were present. They are listed below:
J. Q. Richards, Jr., Superintendent.
High School.?L. W. McFadden,
principal; C. T. Baldwin, H. A. Small,
Agnes Corbett, Henrietta Zepip, Gertrude
Strother, Alberta Team, Ethel
Murchison, Catherine Murcblapn, Ada
Montgomery, Mary E. Hough, Rachel
O'Danlel and Irma Seagle.
Laurens Street School.?Margaret
Burnet, principal; Emily Guy/ Cornelia
Oliver, Anna Montgomery, Annie
H. Boykin, Louise Cantey, Phebe
Schenk.
Grammar 8chool.?Susie C. Taylor,
Lillie Dempster, Leslie McLeod, Lois
I^atham, Margaret Blanding, Ada
Ph'elps, Margaret Mills, Emily Zemp,
Gertrude Zemp.
Pine Tree Hill School.?C. P. Goodyear,
principal; Olive Nettles, Virginia
Halle, Nan H. Richards, Helen
Phelps, Lula Glllis, Bessie L. McCasklll,
Lou Pearce.
The enrollment in the high school
on the opening date was about forty
above that of the opening date in
1936. The enrollment In the elementary
schools was Just about- the same
as on the opening dat^ of last year, j
with the exception of Pine Tree Hill
school, which shows an enrollment of
approximately 20 less. The enrollment
b^r schools was as follows:
High School 350; 311 last year at
opening.
Laurens Street 240; 236 last year at
opening;-'
Grammar School 307; 302 last year
at opening.
Pine Tree Hill 234; 255 last year at
opening.
Totals?1131; 1104 last year at
opening.
The above data shows that the high
school Is making rapid growth in
. Pumbers, while the numbers In the
lower ghr&des remain about the same.
The High School enrollment Is . already
20 above the enrollment for the
whole year 1936-36. Present outlooks
are that the total enrollment this year
will reach 370.
Blaney Citizen
Died Tuesday
Edward M. Flaherty, 70, well known
citizen of Blaney died there Tuesday
after ? long illness. Mr. Flaherty
was born at Blythewood, Fairfield
county, June 11, 1866. He had been
a resident of Blaney for thlrty-slx
' years.' ' ""
Surviving him are his widow, Mrs.
Minnie Harmon Flaherty; three sons,
J. L. and C. M. FHaherty, of Hamlet,
N. C.; J, B. Flaherty, of Raleigh, N".
C. ; two daughters, Mrs. J. D. Watson,
of Blaney, and Mrs. L. P. Rose, of
Blaney; one sister, Mrs. Fletcher
Faust, of Columbia; and several
grandchildren.
Funeral services and burial services
were held at Blaney Baptist church
Wednesday afternoon with services in
charge of Rev. J. B. Caston, pastor
of the First Baptist church of Camden.
Pallbearers serving were: S. W.
Rose, A. K. Rose, Jesse T, Ross, S.
Ross, John Abbott and M. Perry.
Former Citizen
Dies at Georgetown
\ - - .'a ?
Georgetown Sept. 6.?Funeral services
for Herman Edward Schroeder,
69, who died Friday, was laid to rest
with the Rev. Welborne Summers in
charge. The services were conducted
In Waihaila where the interment was
held. ;
Mr. Schroeder, who was a member
dt the lAffceran chtfrch, wa* bom in
Charleston, and had lived in Georgetown
lor the last 16 years.
He is survived by his widow; two
daughters, Mrs. Rawis
Miami, Fla.; and Mrs. 6. Paul Alnsworth
of this city; one son, Herman
Bdward Schroeder, J*., of Brooklyn.
MfM
ed*? retW*
where he conducted a bakery on
South Broad Street He reaped to
with his family about
Cole Blease May
Make Race In 1938
When Former Senator Blease was
In Yorhvllle a few weeks ago, having
stopped here en route to the Filbert,
picnic, View* and Interviews, think
tag of the future, asked him to give
us an outline or prognostication of
future political events as they might
be affected in the coming first primary
and afterward.
Saturday the following tetter was
| received from the former governor
and we are passing It on as u matter
of political Interest. The letter Is
dated Columbia, August 27:
"You asked me a rather mixed question,
but 1 have had a great many
similar questions asked me within the
last two days and received Inquiries
otherwise. I shall answer you as I
see matters just now.
"From Information received by me
from the late Qovernor I. C. Black
wood, shortly before his decease, in
the law offices of Blease and Merchant
at Spartanburg, and from other
sources, I believe both Manning and
Maybank will be in the race for governor
In 1938t If some promises are
kept which were made In ths campaign
of 1934. 1 also believe that if
some promises made then, and some
made this year by certain people are
kept, that Mr. Pearce may also be in
the race, and If some promises made
In Charleston at a certain meeting
between the first and second primarleatf
1934, are kqpt, we will And out
whether certain politicians are men
of their word, and we may also find
out where a certain candidate's cam
paign funds, Intended for him and
used for another, went to. Then it Is
rumored that there will be a Johnston
candidate, and also a highway candidate?so
it looks like a full house.
This Is not particularly a prediction,
yet merely as I see it now.
"You know that it has been a long
time since the record to elect the
runnerup of the previous campaign In
the governor's race has been broken,
so you see It is my time. Then you'
see for years, no one has been elected
M his first race for governor and this
will not be my first, so the political
stars point good for South Oaroljni
having a governor next time of
experience and ability and who knows
mdre people in South Carolina than
any other man. Knows more of the
history of the state and as much or
more of Its geography by actual observation
than any other person.
Knows the people's needs and wishes
and Is better able to supply them than
any other South Carolinian. So we
call on the old guard, who have never
faltered, to rally again and with our
new and young recruits move into position
for the fight of 1928 and let
our motto be 'On to Victory,' for all
ot the people and without prejudice
or factionalism or religious prejudice
and without race prejudence, with
equal rights to all and special privileges
to none. Air for one and one
for all.
"Hoping that this will serve your
purpose and with my love to all the
people, I am as always," etc.
Plans Under Way
For County Fair
Under the supervision and direction
of W. F. Nettles, general chairman of
the Kershaw County Fair Committee,
plans are,rapidly taking shape for the
regular annual county fair of Kershaw
county, to be held during the
week beginning October 12.
The premium catalog and fair program
is now itt tye bands of the prints
er and wlU be ready for distribution
at an early date. Next week the public
will be advised how those interested
may obtain a copy of this catalog.
Mr. Nettles and his committee are
bending every effort to make this the
biggest fair the county has had jwt
They are arranging to have the largest
and* most elaborate midway attractions
that have ever been presented
in Camden. u
It Is. sincerely hoped that an the
folks ail over the county will take an
Intelsat In the fair .this year. The
fair; belongs to the people of the county
ahtr is put on for their benefit. The
exhibits heretofore have each year exceeded
expectations sad It is hoped
thit there will be man more this
rear, than ever before. Those desiring
to enter exhibits are urged to be
dmhM' their plkms and getting their
vxkfkite in aWipe.
Let's everybody mark on our' calendars
that the week of October Iff to
Khrehaw County Fair Week, a4| let's
et aside several days during that
Wyatt Patterson
- Captured In Ohio
"The law," will get you In the end.
as the saying goes. Wyatt Patterson,
last of nine prisoners who made a desperate
break from the Sumter county
State farm on April 7, 1936, was captured
about throe weeks ago, your correspomlent
learned Sunday afternoon
on a visit to the State Farm.
He was caught In a beer parlor at
Canton, Ohio, as a suspicious character.
Fingerprints were made and they
tallied with those from Washington.
Patterson acknowledged his guilt and
did not resist requisition papers.
Superintendent John M. Glenn, accompanied
by Guards Gilbert Mahaffey
and McManus went te Canton for
the prisoner. They made the trip In
two days, traveling 1,307 miles. Patterson
Is now a double-shackled prisoner
at the Sumter county farm,
scene of his escape. At the tlni? of
his capture he was going by the name
of James Williams. He along with
the other captured convicts, held in
the etate penitentiary and In Sumter
county will be tried for the attempted
murder of Gilbert Mahffey, who was
considered mortally wounded at the
time. Mr. Mahaffey was brought to
the Camden hospital and finally recovered
being able to resume his position
as guard at the state prison.
Nine made their break?six have
been captured?thfree .were killed. The
break at the time was heralded as one
of the most vicious ever occurring at
the farms. Six of the fleeing convicts
secured rifles. They were objects of
a man hunt participated In by Nation
al Guardsmen, who slew two of the
escapes near Dalzell, the other b*>ing
killed at the time of the break.
Patterson was sent up for ten ye&rs
for burglarizing numerous Camden
homes, one of which was Chief of Police
W. D. Whltaker's and another
was W. Sheorn'B, prominent merchant
of Camden and other residences were
entered In the nighttime.
He was captured by Deputy Sheriff
C. F. Cooley and Policeman Alva Hush
after a chase near Boykln station, after
they had fired several BhotB at
him. He was convicted In Kershaw
county after a city operative had recognized
some of the stolen goods on
one of Patterson's female associates.
Kershaw People
Hurt In Wrecks
Several residents of Kershaw were
severely injured in wrecks last
Thursday, one accident taking plane
near Bennettsvllle, while another one
happened near Chester. Mr. and Mrs.
John Jenkins, Dr. Braslngton and
Mrs. John Truesdale were In a car
which went off a fill near Bennettsvllle
Thursday and Mrs. Jenkins and
Dr. Braslngton suffered the ' most
painful injuries. They are now in a
Bennettsvllle hospital where it Is said
they are doing well. Mrs, Truesdale
suffered a wrenched back but she was
able to return to her home.
Mrs. Jenkins is said to be suffering
from a broken rib and broken collarbone
while Dr. Braslngton suffered a
broken rib and head injuries. It Is
said that the car went off a fill when
three cars filled the road completely.
Mr. John Jenkins who was driving the
car escaped without Injuries.
Dr. Leroy Habenlcht of Kershaw
suffered several broken ribs when the
car he was drivng skidded and ran
into a bridge near Chester. It was
said that Dr. Habenlcht was in a serious
condition In a Charlotte dxoapltal.
Reports from the hospital Sunday
Indicated that he had not developed
pneumonia but that such development
was feared.
Mrs. Jenkins, one of the occupants
of the car which was wrecked near
Bennettsvllle recently recovered
from iheuMsmHi nf an automobile ac
cident betipent Kershaw and Camden
in which she was painfully Injured.
L Thompson Msdo Cadet Captain
E^tntpn*-:f; Z William
Thompson, of Camden, has been made
Cadet Captain and Adjutant In the
Presbyterian College R. O. T. C. Unit
forthe coming year, according to an
J^fPftbuncement recently made by Major
R. E. Wyeor. Jr.. professor of Military
Science and Tactics. Thompson
is a senior at Presbyterian College.
"4 .Mr. ClylMtm Thanks The Voters
1 take this method of thanking the
voters of Kershaw coanty far elect
lag me to the offlce bf Clerk of ConM
for another term. I deeply appreciate
the confidence, shown MP in an these
years, and consider it a high compliment
that I was allowed to make t)H
? ? ^ Mllh/iiil Ainnal4lae> w *9!
net wiuurai onpoviaoi* > .. ^
Very ttW yem*.
JAMBS H. CLYBURN
? * 1
>; v . O ;1 y'^j
' ... . 111 1,1) i -i-sa
Fine Crops Grown
On Two State Farms
A Chronicle correspondent was
shown over the two State Farms?
one loouted In Kershuw county and
tho other In Sumter county one day
last week. Both farms have been under
the superintendency of Captain
John M. Glenn for the past fourteen
years and the crops this year are
unusually good, considering the
drouth;
On the combined farms he works
two hundred prisoners?all negroes.
It Is considered some of thi best
farming lands In the state and nearly
always produces good crops. Nearly
everything needed tor the feeding of
the prisoners and guards is raised
on the farms. There are numerous
cows, five hundred head of hogs,
shoats and pigs, and be Is planning
to kill 250 hogs this winter. The farm
has canned 7,000 gallons of okra and
tomatoes for winter use. It has under
cultivation 700 acres In corn, 12.> acres
in cotton, 1,000 acres broadcast roughage,
50 acres in sorghum cane, 20
acres In sweet potatoes, 400 acres In
oats, estimated 200 acres ruined In
lowlands due to high waters in Watered
swamp, 5 acres in turnips, 50
acres In truck, 10 acres planted to
watermelons. /
The estimated yield #111 be around
2,300 bushels of wheat, corn expected
to make 50 bushels to the acre, cottcn
estimated to make a bale per acre.
One particular 60 acre field has been
pstimated to yield 75 baleB.
Captain Qlenn is a most courteous
gentleman and tokeB pleasure in showing
visitors over the farms, which is
always Interesting to those who have
never visited there before.
Mrs. C. C. Herbert;
Dies In Hospital
Charleston, Sept. 5.?Mrs. Ruth Allen
Herbert, wife of the Rev. Chesley
C. Herbert, D. D., died in a local hospital
tonight. She was 67 years of
age.
Mrs. Herbert was. born in Florence,
a daughter of the late James Allen of
Wadesboro, N. C., and Mrs. Julia
Marshall Allen of Charleston. She
was active In church werk. For years
she had been treasurer of the South
Carolina Federation of Music Clabs.
She was a talented musician and continued
her Interest In music throughout
her life. She was wj^l known
( In Sumter, Columbia, Spartanburg,
Greenville, Camden, Anderaon, Cheater
and other South Carolina communities
where she and her husband
had lived.
Surviving, be&Jdes Doctor Herbert,
are two sons, the Rev. Chesley C. Herbert,
Jr., of Franklin, N. C., formerly
of Charlotte; Dr. T. Walter Herbert of
Mount Berry, Qa.; toup brothers,
James M. Allen of Tuls% Okla.; Dr.
W. B? Allen of New York; Hear Admiral
H. V. Allen of the United States
Navy and Dr. B. M Allen of Florence;
two sisters, 8. Julia {A. McCain of
San Diego, Calif., and Mrs. J. D. Oilland
of Florence.
(
Final Picture in Big
$15,500 Ebso Contest
i i V- Ttyp
final picture in the aeries of
1 four which must be titled by entrants
in the $15,600 Bsso Picture Title Contest
appears in newspaper advertisements
during this week. The prize
winners #01 receive four $2,000 tuition
ocholarshtps to leading colleges
or universities, or the equivalent In
cash. In addition, 114 cash prises will
be awarded. The winners will be selected
on the basis of their titles and
a short statement of 10 words or less
on "I know Ussolene gives greater
mileage Manse ? M
"Although the final picture appears
in newspaper advertisements on September
7th and win thereafter be dieL
played at g?w dealers* iiaUops tbd
. contest will not dose until midnight
, September 80," Bseo Marketers' officials
explained. "Any automobile
i owner in the eighteen states and the
. district of Columbia, in which the Sst
mi rtffl fftttr
^Mining contest blanks and the
fekW pictures from a deafer. All four
. MiyAlMmftua moultsneously.
Bach picture Is pasUd inks
> allotted space on tbe entry blank,
1 oodfefea Mm for the tttfeA
t- end for the accompanying statement^
> as wan as complete contest rules and '
> Instructionlfe^^Miv -1m,*&
1 -- - ' "
S3 t ? v- / ;
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