University of South Carolina Libraries
Thursday, February 20, 1930 McCORMICK MESSENGER, MeCORRIICK, South Carolina. Spartanburg Solon Doesn’t Like County Board Control Plan Inasmuch as someone frequent ly speaks of abolishing the super visor’s office and having McCor mick County’s affairs run by a county board of control or some similar board of men elected by the people or appointed by the governor upon recommendation of the county delegation, the follow ing letter should be of more than passing interest at this time. The letter is taken from The Spartan burg Herald of February 13, 1930, and was written by a member of the house of representatives from that county. It follows: MR. JACKSON GIVES HIS VIEWS Editor of The Herald: Being a member of the delega tion for four years I would like to state my views on county affairs. First, take the county board of contrbl. I have nothing to say against its personnel, if that is the best way to run the county, I would vote for the men now on the board. But I am opposed to the principle of it. It seems to me that they have very little author ity, except to pay out the money as long as they have it, and then come to the delegationi and tell us they are out of funds. Then we have to arrange for more money or stop the schools and road work and everything else. I don’t see how people can pay the taxes they now are paying, still under the present manage ment they are spending at least a fourth more than the 26 mills lev ied, and it is going to -break the people; they cannot stand it un der the present conditions. In the requested supply bill for next year they have asked for $1,479,666.07. • You see, if we were to levy a tax of 26 mills as last year and grant the requests we would still have to float a bond issue for $362,916.31 to run next year, which I am oppos ed to and I am going to vote to cut expenses. If we were to put on enough mills to grant their re quests, we would have to increase the millage to from 39 to 40 mills. Luke Cantrell, Doctor Lancaster and myself introduced a bill three years ago making it unlawful to increase the bonded indebtedness of the county without leaving it to a vote of the people, but the dele gation killed it. If it had passed we would have been thousands of dollars better off, in my opinion. The amount requested does not take care of the school situation. I do not know what they will want. We cannot go on spending money this way without losing our homes. Most of the money is go ing into roads and schools. We all believe in good roads and good schools and are willing to support them, but they are breaking us up. There is too much money being wasted on them. I doubt if we are getting over 60 cents on the dol lar of the worth of our road and school money, measured from a good business standpoint. The School Situation I think my record will show' that I have done more for the common schools than any member of the delegation, but it seems to me that people have gone wild on ed ucation. It does look to me like if taxpayers are willing to tax themselves to build good school buildings and give a boy or girl a high school education, they should get to the school themselves, and not ride there on the back of the taxpayers. I think it would be better for the pupils; besides the school buses are ruining us. Most of the high schools are paying from 56 to 60 mills in taxes now, and running in debt every year. The Road Situation I have always supported good roads, but in my opinion, there are too many boards and commis sions and organizations in the road program—too much overhead expense. I doubt if there is more than one dollar out of every three appropriated spent for real work on the roads. They are running too many automobiles, and not moving enough dirt. The County Board of Control has a good deal to do with the roads. Then there is the highway emmission, five in number; the township supervisors, ten in number, then the rural mail carriers. None of these are res ponsible to the people except the township supervisors. They all go | ahead, spend and waste the money and then pass the buck from one to another, as long as they can. Then they come to the delegation j out of money and work the ma jority for more. Then they pass the buck to the delegation by say ing they cannot spend anything except what we appropriate. The JCounty Board of Control sent us aj WE’LL HELP YOU GET RID OF YOUR COLD A cold is too serious to disregard even if it isn’t such a bad one. You should have taken measures to rid yourself of it at once, for you will not only be relieved of the an noyance and discomfort but also of the possibility of seri ous complications such as influenza, pneumonia, spinal meningitis and even tuberculosis. We have a most complete line of reliable remedies for coughs and colds which will rid you of either or both in quick order. At the first warning, supnly yourself for the needed remedies from this store or better still, get them now and have them ready. STROMS’ DRUG STORE . Main Street McCormick, S. C. HANK ACCOUNT IS IKE ENEMY OF HAM) LUCK The man with a substantial reserve in the hank never has to worry about the difficulties that hard luck presents. The loss of a job, sickness in the family, or unex pected expenses of many kinds may come to any man, but the one who suffers least is the one who saved when he could and has it at his command in the hank. Hard luck doesn’t have a chance with the thrifty man. This Bank Wants You for a Customer and a Friend , e cordially invite you to open your account here now, so that we may be able to serve you in the many ways we are capable. Every feature of modern hanking service is at your command here. Once ybu have entrusted us with your business, yoi^ will learn just how pleasing it is to be connect ed with us and you will be our friend as well as our customer. \ THE FARMERS BANK McCormick, S. C. requested supply bill down to Co lumbia for nearly $1,500,000 for next year, and pass the buck by saying it was not to be construed as their recommendation. Why didn’t they send us something they could recommend? They should know more about it than anyone else. I am considering introducing a bill to abolish all of the above boards and commissions after next year, and putting all under one management and let the peo ple elect a supervisor and two or more commissioners in the prim ary next summer. Anderson county is operating under this plan. Their supply bill last year was less than $400,000, with a 11 mill levy, and they had a surplus qf $25,000 left. Green ville county is operating under the same plan. Their supply bill last year was less than $800,000 and carried a 13-mill levy—a little more than half of ours. I pledged to the people last sum mer on the campaign that I would vote for economy and the rights of the people to elect the men who are spending their money, and I cannot do it and support the pres ent management of county af fairs. The tendency of the times in state and county is to take the people’s right away from them and run government by boards and commissions, and they have very near done it. I understand some mill men lost their jobs for signing a petition to elect trustees under my trustee law. Does that look like a free country? But some say my proposed bill will get county affairs back into politics. I don’t see how v/e can get county affairs any further in to politics than they have been for the last two or three years. I want to be wide open and let the peo ple know where I stand, and care nothing about politics. I had rath er stand by my pledges and prin ciples and tail the ticket, than to eel around and trade out and head the ticket. J. BELTON JACKSON. Young Folks And Chureh (From The Sumter Daily Item) A group of 700 young men and women recently attended a con ference to discuss their religious problems. Among the things they decided they wanted in Sunday church services were “shorter sermons and prayers, appropriate music, intelligent reading of the Scriptures, worshipful attitude in the church, sympathetic leader ship and counsel from their elders, spiritual satisfaction from wor ship and instruction which they may apply in their own lives.” It sounds like a large order, one which the church is supposed to fill as a matter of course but which many critics feel it is not filling generally today. These young people are all church-going and come from church-going families. It would be interesting to know what 700 oth ers who do not attend any church services regularly feel that the churches could do to gain their in- j terest and support. Perhaps the thing of chief im portance in this conference was that the youngsters had ideas, suggestions and adverse criticism which they. expressed fearlessly and enthusiastically. It may also be significant that the adult au thorities of the churches they rep resented were open-minded to these criticisms and suggestions. It is a little difficult to Imagine such a conference in an early Puritan community, or even in a modern community only a generation or two ago. -tXJ It’s a good idea to incubate a few eggs before the breeding sea son as a check on the fertility of the flock. Keep some reserve males on hand in case of sickness or accident to the regular breed- Urge Reduction Of Cotton Acreage % Columbia, S. C. February 14, 1930 To the Editors of South Carolina neswpapers: It is of the utmost importance that the South reduce its cotton acreage this year. It behooves every interest to work to this end. Th e South Carolina Cotton Grow ers Co-operative Association, be lieving that the producers should diversify in their farming and that they should study the prospective demand and conform their acre age with due regard th e reto, ask of you the utmost co-operation in publishing the material that is sent to your office, in order to help bring about acreage reduc tion. This campaign will not be called an acreage reduction cam paign, but it is to b e known as “The Facts about the Present Critical Cotton Situation,” and every informational means will bring to the cotton growers the necessity of giving proper consid eration to it. You will find enclosed copy of a resolution passed at a repr e senta- tive meeting held in Jackson, Mis sissippi, on February 5, 1930. At tending this meeting were three or four hundred Southern agricul tural leaders, principally represen tatives of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, state agricultural col leges, extension service, cotton co operatives, and fertilizer organiza tions, also a few commission e rs of agriculture, farmers, * 1 * * * * * * * merchants and bankers. Dr. Tait Butler pre sided. The principal talk of the occasion was made by Carl Will iams, cotton member of the Feder al Farm Board. I am enclosing you, first, the resolution pass e d at this Convention, and second, the address made by Mr. Carl Will iams. Yours very truly, ALFRED SCARBOROUGH. General Manager and Secretary- Treasurer. Resolution WHEREAS, the world will use, ev e n under favorable economic conditions, not exceeding around fifteen million bales of American cotton per year and there now ex ists an actual supply of more than nineteen million bales of Ameri can cotton and WHEREAS, because of world wide distressed economic condi tions the demand for American cotton is now below normal and will certainly continue so for some time to come and whereas under the circumstances another crop equal to that of 1929 can only mean financial disaster to the cot ton grower and all business inter ests of the South, which the Fed eral Farm Board and all other agencies will be powerless to avert, and WHEREAS, this burdensome cot ton surplus now depressing prices far below the cost of production has been built up with acreage yields below the ten year average, it is evident beyond question that in order to keep production within the limits which will insure a pro fitable price to the grower, there must be a radical change in the usual farm program of the cot ton growing states in 1930, THEREFORE, be it resolved that we, the representatives of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, the State Agricultural Colleges, the Southern Agricultural Workers As sociation, the Railway Agricultural Workers of the South, Cotton Co operatives, and general Farm Or ganizations of the South, State Officials and business interests and fanners here now assembled, do hereby endorse the cotton pro duction program of the Federal Farm Board and urge all farmers and business interests to hee$ the warning against excess cotton pro duction in 1930, which the Board has given, to the end that produc tion of cotton may be made pro fitable, And we hereby pledge ourselves to do om- utmost to bring the truth of the present cotton situa tion to the realization of every farmer and business man in the South as the basis for intelligent and concerted action on their parts to avert the impending dis aster. In a formal address by Carl Williams, member of the Federal Farm Board, the following state ments were made, which are of the greatest importance to the Says Sargon Brought Back His Health JOHN C. SPENCER “For the past year I have been in wretched health. Three bottles of Sargon put me in wonderful condition. My appetite is splendid now and my digestion is sound. I have gained ten pounds and my strength has returned in propor tion. “I wouldn’t be without Sargon if it cost twenty-five dollars a bot tle.”—John C. Spencer, 498 Sixty- third St., West Allis, Milwaukee, Wis. . Sargon’s record of marvelous achievement is an open book to all, and only those who have used this famous treatment know its real powers. Stroms’ Drug Store Agents, Mc Cormick, S. C. Ipiillifi SAFEGUARDS Your banker helps you check up on financial matters. He can give you constructive help in your business your future. And as your banker helps you build your material wealth so does this Hartford Agency help you to protect it against loss by fire. We are dealers in precaution, experts in keeping people out of trouble. Let us check up your insurance today. ‘'We tvrite policies right.’ 9 Frank C. Robinson Insurance Agency PHONE 66 McCormick Pace Number Sere# « slowly Increasing in value,” hs told the agriculturists. “British aid in India has been the reason for betterment of the foreign cotton crop,” he said. “Vi dian cotton of the same quality as produced in the south is now sell ing for approximately two and or e half cents per pound less than ours” Mr. Williams stated. He pointed out that foreign inous- trialists are naturally purchasing Indian cotton in preference to toe higher American product cf sim ilar quality. The farm board member point ed out that America is at this tirr.e aiding Russia in cotton product’an and that soon Russian cotton of equal quality with American cot ton will be in competition on world markets. Russia now producers over a million bales of cotton on lands owned by the Soviet government and from seed of a high type pro duced from the United States. “These are facts that the South must face, there is no argument, no necessary discussion, all the talk in the world won’t change it, T the speaker emphatically declared. Here the speaker pointed trv a fallacy in the reasoning of the average farmer, who thinks In terms of “last year.” “The farmer must move up a year in his calc.il- ations and think of his prospec tive crop in terms of prospective prices, abandoning the old system of shaping a crop on the basis of last year’s prices.” “The acreage of cotton is now above the red line on the motor meter. Last year 47,000,000 acres; were planted in cotton. 46,000,000' acres were harvested. That’s too much. “The red line is 40,000,000 acres. If the cotton belt goes above that there is a possibility of ruining the auto,” the Oklahoman declar ed. “Had the yield of the acreage planted in 1929 been as good that of 1914 the cotton belt would have produced 22,000,000 bales last year. “During the last three years the yield per acre of cotton has been below a ten year average./ This has never been true for years in succession. “If the federal farm board is going to be able to be of the great est possible service to the cotton farmer, it must not have to aeal with an unwieldy surplus,” “It is easier to prevent thumr than to control a surplus. What the board does this year will be governed largely by what the far mer does at planting time.” Mr. Williams made what he des cribed as “two practical sugges tions” to the South: “1. That no banker finance fc*r production credit, nor merchant credit, nor landlord permit, nor farmer dare to plant any cotton on any land until he has assurea a food crop for his family and a feed crop for his stock. “2. That no cotton be planted on any year which on a five yoor average has failed to return a net profit.” “Fully one-third of the acrea,© planted this year has failed to re turn a net profit.” X Order Grass Seed , The time for ordering lespedeza’. and carpet grass seed is rap ml y passing, according to Thos. »V. Morgan, county agent, who states that he has already placed orders for more than a thousand pounds of these seeds, and urges fanners ’ — 1 ■ — ! who plan to improve their pas- United States has mounted 60’’ per j tures to ^ their orders in as soon cent during the 24 years,” the as P ossi ble speaker declared. “Once 65 per cent of the cotton consumed out side the United States was export ed, while now only 47 per cent is exported,” he said. “The increased foreign yield has been absorbed, and the southern cotton farmer has contributed nothing to the outside world in the 24 year period. He is in the ! same position as he was 24 years | ago. Only two states reduced i their production 10 per cent, while Lespedeza should be seeded on pastures where there is a good Bermuda sod at the rate of 1? 15 pounds per acre, and on cl^an ground at the rate of 25 pounds per acre. Lespedeza will grow w- il on both bottoms and upland pas tures. Carpet grass should be seeded’ only on bottom land pastures and- at the rate of 8 pounds per acie, according to Mr. Morgan. Lespedeza may be seeded on cotton growers and their friends throughout the entire South: “Dixie farmers face the prospect in 1930 of no governmental aid of effective character unless immed- , Mississippi and Texas boosted pro- | sma11 8 rain for a catch crr ^ duction 60 per cent; other states j ra f e ^5 pounds per increased production approximate- acre * This should be done only cn ly 20 per cent ” • land, however, as other hay While the cotton fanner was in- : cr ® pS WiU pr ° dUCe m ° re ,han ' pedeza. , Many McCormick county hillsUe pastures need a coating of ie*:- pedeza to turn them into real feed-saving pastures, according to Mr. Morgan, who further states iate steps are taken to reduce the ers, or to replace males that aiv | yield of cotton.” net reliable breeders. ! “World consumption outside the creasing his yield and acreage, Mr. Williams pointed out the quality of his product was gradually decreas ing, until last year untenderable cotton reached a per centage of 30 as compared with 5 per cent sev eral years ago. In Texas, he dec- that a farmer must try lespedesa lared the faulty cotton produced a ^ e appreciate its value averaged approximately 40 per as a P astuie crop. cent of the crop. i —X “The United States cotton crop ! For speed there is nothing that is gradually going down in quality equals a coal pile d*av:a., while the foreign crop has been wave. t