Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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w THE NEWBERRY SUN f, : ^ >; • ■ * FRIDAY. MARCH 2, 1951 1218 Collegre Street NEWBERRY, S. C. 0. F. Armfikld Eaitor and Publisher PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Entered as second-class matter December 6. 1937, at the Postoffice at Newberry, South Carolina, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In S. C., $1.50 per year \ri advance outside S. C., $2.00 oer year in advance. COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS BY SPECTATOR Editor Latimer of “The State’’ published an editorial study re cently of the per capita State tax in the various States. Ac cording to the figures cited by Mr. Latimer, we South Carolini ans are neither the most highly taxed, nor yet the most favored; our tax is $48.80, Florida’s taxes, when divided by the number of citizens, amount to $73.90 for each citizen, as compared with $35.56 six years ago. Mr. Latimer, who wishes al ways to be fair and accurate, as well as gracious and generous, re marks that he does not know exactly w'hat may be the reason for the doubling of the Florida tax, nor Just what may be in cluded in the present tax. The Florida people take com fort in the fact that California’s State tax imposes a burden of $87.64; Louisiana's tax on each individual is the highest—$96.70. The difficulty here is that these figures indicate vaguely a certain amount of revenue, di vided by the number of citizens If w r e had a hundred more mam moth textile plants in this State, like those of Joanna and Green wood; and a hundred more tax payers like the Power Compan ies our income would be so much greater that our per capita tax might or might not be higher, depending on the Legislautre’s re sistance to pressure groups. But even though our per capita part might seem higher, the actual taxes paid by the individual might be lower. There is another factor of special importance in considering the burden of taxes; that is the very point suggested by Mr. Lat imer, namely, what does the State of Florida include In the so-called per capita average? For example, suppose the State of South Carolina should wine out all local school taxes and assume full charge for all bus service and public road service. Even without increasing the cost by one dollar we would have much higher State per capita taxes, though with reduced Coun ty taxes. . So it is difficult to judge one State by another, un less we have all the facts. Year by year our General As sembly has authorized the taking over of more County roads, a larger part of the school bus ser in theory this increases the State vice, more pay for the teachers, load on each citizen and reduces the County and local taxes. It works out to increase the State load but seems to strike a snag or two before it reaches the Counties. In spite of all the State’s contribution my County school taxes went up six mills last year! Some weeks ago I quoted The Newberry Sun to show that the taxes of Lexing ton County were higher under a new school program that was al most guaranteed to reduce costs! What I am moved to inquire is this* how much must the State spend in order to result in low er County and school taxes? If the Sales Tax of three per cent should produce $30,000,000 a year, or 20 million or 50 million would it reduce County taxes? Our people do not usually refer to school taxes as County taxes. I pay, for example, forty mills in district 9 of Clarendon County, for school purposes; an Increase of six mills under a plan of eco nomical adjustment, consolidation, that was expected to reduce the taxes! Nobody seems to put his mind to the problem of reducing taxes; everybody has a budget; and every budget calls for more. Someone tells me that the planned Sales Tax would be used to increase teacher pay $2,600,- 000 and allocate $6,500,000 for something else connected with the schools. That total—$9,000,- 000—seems to be something guessed at; but even that would leave an expected $21,000,000, Does anyone expect a reduction of $21,000,000 in taxes—real estate, individual income, cprpor- ation or generation? No, No; we must have a few millions to play with; we mnst match the Federal Government with some brand of boondoggl ing; we must build more County hospitals and sink more counties in debt; or we must expand the bloated Welfare Service to the point of providing special funds, perhaps for expectant illegitimate fathers, since w r e now encourage the mothers, apparently. What happened to all the sur plus millions we had two .or three years ago? A little prudence, a bare, wee bit of common, horse sense and our State would still have millions on hand! We have before us for adoption a plan to issue $75,000,000 in bonds and a proposed Sales Tax of 3 per cent, expected to yield $30,000,000, or a big juicy melon or old-time slush fund of many millions! * We try to bring in more indus tries; we need them; but what about those we have? Let’s en courage them, too. But the •oo»est advertisement in the world is increasing taxes. Since ’945 this State has received near ly three quarters of a billion dollars in plant expansion and new indusries. Yet, in spite of more and more income taxes, more and more of corporation taxes, we can’t think of anything but new taxes and more taxes! Don’t create a job unless it is so necessary that the State would uin without it. Once a man gets n job his bread and meat depend on it; his wife and children must be supported by it; so it is a ca lamity, a tragedy, when that Job is eliminated, even though it was never worth a nickel to the ‘State! Even if the job-holder were like the railroad employee tapping the wheels of the coaches when the train came in. One day he saw the Superintendent observing his tapping and thought the Superintendent might be in good spirits, so he said: “Chief, don’t you think I ought to have a raise? I’ve been on this job twenty years, and without one cent arise.’’ The Superintendent asked: “What is your job”? “I taps the wheels.” “Why,”? ask ed the Superintendent. “ I don’t know,” replied the man. “Twenty years ago I was told to tap them wheels, and I bin tapping'ever since.’’ By the way, not every other State has a Sales Tax: and some have two per cent; one has one per cent. A very Interesting study of this by Mr. E. W. Capen will be useful to all who are in terested. I heard of the re-election of the Commissions of Public Ser vice and took note that Mr. Con ey and Mr. Darby have the same birthday, though several year? apart. Uncle John Coney still comes down with a new tie and a fresh rose and embraces with affectionate kiss Brother Darby on their birthday. I suggest that this annual ceremony take place in the big room of the Com mission so that all of us may at tend. And can’t Uncle John do better for himself than kiss Mr. Darby, handsome gentleman though he is? Our eminent citizen, nny re spected friend, Mr. Edwin G. Seibels, reads Spectator and honors me with about two letters year. Recently he sent me some observations on cotton and cotton production by Mr. Oscai Bledsoe of Greenwood, Mississippi I emphasize that Mr. Bledsof is from Greenwood, Mississippi Our Greenwood, South Carolina is a cotton manufacturing or tex tile center, while Greenwood. Mis sissippi, is in the renowned Del ta of the Mississippi. I had a class-mate in Virginia named Bledsoe. Are these Mississippi- ans former Virginians? Well, 1 was amazed by Mr. Bledsoe; I thought that everybody in the Delta ’’made” from six hundred pounds of lint per acre up to a thousand pounds, like my friend of Scott, Mississippi, who produc ed 650 lbs. per acre on 38,000 acres! Even that seems small time farming when I learned that the County of Los Angeles had an average of 693 lbs; and then I heard the New Mexico farmers talk about their plan to produce three bales per acre! So when Mr. Bledsoe talks about cotton I know that he comes from cotton land, even though the New Mexico farmers talk in more glowing language. Mr. Bledsoe tells us that many farmers' are held down to poor living by planting cotton on poor land. He points out that one man spent $77 per acre to make cotton (I don’t know about the pidking) but spent only $17.92 to make soy beans. Another farmer spent $80.16 on cotton and only $13.33 on soybeans. That raises the question as to the value of the soybean crop. Furthermore, we have a marjcet for cotton all the year; a market for tobacco part of the year; and a market for hogs most of tlm year. As to soy beans: I don’t know. Someone may suggest that we feed the soybeans to the hogs. And that may farmers find a better market for corn as corn than as hogs on the foot. I don’t argue that; many other farmers find it more •profitable to feed the corn than to sell it. Mr. Bledsoe thinks that the big increase of acreage in cot ton will lead to heavy losses on poor land. And he knows that the Government is encouraging heavy cotton production in order to sell or give away a lot of cot ton to other countries. Mr. Bled soe is afraid that production of cotton will soon be so great that soon the Government will howl again about the heavy carry-over, as well as the guaranteed price. Mr. Bledsoe contends that we are already planting enough cotton. He may be right, but cotton will be planted as long as a man, his wife and children can produce enough for even a bare living, be cause In most of the South there is no other way open to them to use their energy productively; and it may be “neck or no beef,” or a half-loaf rather than no bread. stiff formality, for my presence was due to my sense of official and personal loss. At one of the funerals, that of a Department Jefe (chief) of my general juris diction, Senor Don Tom’as Escri- bens, a man of remarkable energy and devotion to his work, I auoted in Spanish the words of Jesus: “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." That is also the idea recently conveyed by my friend, Mr. B. M. Edwards, 'he banker, in a religious ad dress, as published in The State. Recently two men, long and veil associated with the Farmers and Taxpapers’ League, crossed ‘he river and now rest under the shade of the trees. One was Pierre Mazyck, well known in Charleston and Colum bia, a genius in so many ways, but a loyal, devoted friend all the time. As Secretary of The Tax payers League of the State, Mr. Mazyck was full of ideas and abounding in usefulness. His bright mind suggested many ex pedients. The second was ^Horace M. Thomas, a fellow Clarendon man, who, with the late Mortimer Raseldon, J. Ross Hanahan, J. Bryce La Bruce—and others, sign ed 8000 members in Charleston alone. Mr. Thomas distinguished himself In his service, both for the State and the Nation. If we could run the clock back just ten years! What a great body of great citizens! So many have gone! I am not a funeral orator, though with alarming frequency of late I find myself a sorrowing ’riend. Down in Peru it was cus tomary to recognize the rank of those attending a funeral, and the -•anking man held the right hand -ront ribbon over the casket, as he body was carried in solemn irocession from the hearse out- ide the cemetery to the bur- ai place, or, more commonly, he niche where the casket was dared and . sealed. Then the anking man was expected to de liver a funeral oration. I found myself the ranking official a few times and spoke. It was not • a You have to live out of Ameri ca in order to appreciate it ful ly. If you go merely on a trip to another country you will not know it; if you go as a diplo mat you will meet, socially, the top crust. I have lived among South Americans as ohe of them, living with them, rich and poor, high and low; and in Europe I knew the average man, and the so-called peasants. And I know my own great Country. With all her faults, by long odds the grandest country and the finest people in the world. I say it with full appreciation of those splendid people of other countr ies whom I remember so pleasant ly and cherish so fondly. I shall always remember the re mark of a Scotch lady to me. As I recall, I was standing by the boat that was to take a group of us down Loch Lomond, in the nicturesque and fabled region of Sir Walter Scott and Words worth. A little girl was standing by and I gave her a chocolate bar -md some lemon drops—army stuff, you know. The little girl’s mother said “you are an Ameri can ; you Americans have so much.” So we have. So it seems strange that this fabulous Umd which is like a lighthouse, point ing the way to humanity, show ing the dangerous rocks and shoals, and indicating the way for a safe passage, that this great America should be divided and living in hostile groups, instead of happy, competitive spirits. It is only natural that most concerns pay what they must; and that the worker gets all he can. We needn't be shocked by that; that Is how you pay your cook or anyone else. But the Government needn’t always step in and agree with a million men in one place, knowing that forty million of us somewhere else must pay it. If the rule of The equal protection of the law means anything, why not order a six ner cent increase for everybody, including all those who have sav ings, and all those who lend mon ey? Equality? The same for all, whether much or little. Blit was America founded for such control by the Government SCHOLARSHIP MUSIC CONTEST COLUMBIA, — r The Delta Mu chapter of Delta Omicron, nation al professional music fraternity, at the University of South Caro lina has announced a scholarship contest for women students of music. The $130 scholarship will be awarded after auditions In Letber college, on the University cam pus, Saturday, March SI, at 3 p ; m. * The scholarship will cover one year’s tuition in the applied music subject. It will be avail able only to a woman student en tering the University In the fall 1961 semester as a major in music. Contestants may audition in piano, voice, organ, stringed instruments or wind instruments. Applications should state the contestant’s name, age, address, and record of musical background (teacher, etc.), and should be sent to Miss Marilyn McCormac, president. Delta Omicron fraterni ty, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S. C. MORE and BETTER COTTON iwif Why do some of the cotton seeds you plant fail to come up? Seed rot is the answer in a great many cases. Disease organisms in your soil attack the seeds and make them rot or decay, before the seeds have any chance to sprout or germi nate. The rot-producing organisms can attack your seeds in any kind of weather. Their effects are worst in a spell of cold, damp weather shortly after planting time. But even in fine weather, they can cut down your cotton crop before it ever starts to grow. There are several kinds of harmful bacteria or fungi that can live in your soil. You can not see them without a micro scope. But you cair .see their effects all too clearly, by scoop ing up some dirt from a spot SEED ROT kill* many cotton bnforn thny con sprout r - .’l*" .;t ^ ! where you planted seeds never came up. Just by lo< at them, you can plainly how the seeds have decaj Foftunately you can pr much or most of this decay, and at a-low cost for chemical - less than 10* acre. Just treat your seed have it treated) before plant ing, with an organic mercury dust This will protect seed from the bact cause decay. Ask your Agent about the value treatment and where get-your seed treated. v •> :] ,:r. Newberry County Drive Starts V. • J ■ •MS I asi' year sudden and unmercifu’. du* j asters — floods, hurricanes, fires, tornadoes—left death and injury, suffer ing and hardship in their wake. And last year, as usual, your Red. Cross was there —gave prompt relief and rehabilitation assistance to 228,500 persons in the dis aster-stricken areas. This year? No one knows how many new disasters will strike ... or where . . . or when ... or how many people will be left homeless by them. But whenever a disaster does occur, you call be sure your Red Cross will be there to provide the food, shelter, clothing, medical aid and long-range rehabilitation needed. You, too, can help through Your RED CROSS ... GIVE NOW! BEL■.-Y •••: '.Vm. ■C-K'.cie ■ / ; ■M V V: . v - K mi FAIRFIELD FOREST PRODUCTS CO. You watch men, women, children being carried from a burning building ... or You are riding acroefi country . . . and sud denly you are in a strange hospital... crowded with the maimed and dying victims of a wreck ... or A surgeon is performing a major operation on your own small child .. . racing against heart beats that grow fainter with each passing second. What is needed most.. . needed quickly . . . needed.desperately? Blood. But, many times, there isn’t enough blood ‘available to everyone, everywhere, who needs it. That is why the goal of your Red Cross is to help make blood available to everyone, every where, who needs it. More than thirty regional Red Cross Blood Programs now supply hospitals in areas having a total of more than 40,000,000 population. But there are nearly four times that many peo ple in this country. We want to do more . . . to help more people . . . but we can’t do it without your help. • Won’t you give it? Money as well as blood is needed. The dollars you give now to your Red Cross can help save a life. And .... who knows .... that life may some time be your own! ■ V- - Vi?* . ' /. m -y-S You, too, con help (through Your RED CROSS Published in the Interest of the Red Cross by The South Carolina National £ u ■ ifeijgKJBteg, k-V-j. •; . • j. m