Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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\ ■ PAGE FOUR THE NEWBERRY SUN, NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1959 nn 1218 Coll*re Street NEWBERRY. S. C. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY O. F. Armfield, Jr., Owner Second-Class postage paid at Newberry, South Carolina. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $2.00 per year in ad- vance; six months, $1.25. COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS By SPECTATOR What is a Constitution worth ? Why have one ? Frequently a Constitution stands in our way and holds up a stern, for bidding hand. That is why we have a Constitution. It for bids some things and it requires certain things, at times. Who reads or studies our Federal and State Constitutions? I wonder. Our State court will pay respectful attention to the Constitution when it is invoked; and the Federal Judges in South Carolina are always guided by the Federal Con stitution, unless the Federal Supreme Court bases a decision on some sociological theory. That, of course, must be con sidered byb all Federal Courts. Our Nation began interpreting the Constitution years ago, and now nobody knows exactly what the law really is. We are, they say, a government of law or by the law, but that is highly politicaalized. In the South Carolina State Constitution we have many clear provisions which are now entirely disregarded. Per haps the Constitution should be amended, but it should not be strained or strangled by its friends. Consider this: Section 19 of Article 3 prescribes: “Each member of the General Assembly shall receive five cents for every mile for the ordinary route of travel in going to and returning from the place where its sessions are held; No General Assembly shall have the power to increase the per diem of its own members.” The members of Congress I think, collect for only one trip each way. That was clearly understood from the year 1895 until abjut 1930, or thereabout. Members of the General Asembly received five cents a mile going and returning once a year, as the Constitution explicitly provides. But sometime in the heyday of Con structive intellects it was interpreted to mean so much a mile going and coming every week. So there you are: You don’t have to amend the Consti tution, you may construe it, or interpret it. That may be a small matter, but it is just one of those small matters which develop into large matters. There are many other sections commonly disregarded, but one or two will suffice for this time. There is Section 29 of Article 3 which says: “All taxes upon property, real and person, (personal) shall be laid upon the actual value of the property taxed, as the same shall be ascertained by an assessment made for the pur pose of laying such tax.” I may remark that Section 30 of Article 3 has some little interest for us. Notwithstanding the clarity of the law this was disre garded and resulted in suits or threats of suits to compel observance. But why was it disregarded? Does no one read the Constitution? Yet good men advocate a new Consti tution. I could agree with them if we could compel res pect for it. Now’ we have Section 13 of Article 10, which has recently been submitted to the Attorney General, resulting in a ruling that it means what it says. Here it is: “The General Assembly shall provide for the assessment of all property for taaxation; and State, County, township, school, municipal and all other taxes shall be levied on the same assessment which shall be made for State taxes.” True it is thaat the State does not now assess general property, but certainly a county within itself may not have varying valuations. I’ve always been interested in a note I read in a booklet on the Constitution published in 1945. It says of Section 32 of Article 3: “Stricken from Constitution by Joint Re solution and an Act 1944 (1945).” How r can that be? Since when may the General Assembly strike out a section of the Constitution? Thinking of constitutions, much of the activity of the We Are Pleased To Announce OUR 49th Semi-Annual Dividend AT THE RATE OF 31% per annum AMOUNTING TO $170,124.32 Payable To 5,191 Investors On December 31, 1959 We wish to announce that our anticipated dividend rate on all savings and invest ment accounts commencing January 1st, 1960, will be at the rate of per annum Compounded and Payable Semi-Annually Each Account Is Fully Insured Up To $10,000.00 By Federal Savings and Loan Insurance C orporation, W ashington, D. C. ot**cr t Savings and Loan Association T U T r O N ’ F O .«J N D E D I ^.3 5 •. 1223 COLLEGE STBEET, NEWBERRY, •. C- Use our Modern Night Depository for after office hours business. ,, “NEWBERRY’S LARGEST SAVINGS INSTITUTION” “SMALL ENOUGH TO KNOW YOU—BIG ENOUGH TO SERVE YOU** Directors J. F. CLARKSON M. O. SUMMER G. K. DOMINICK J. K. WILLINGHAM E. B. PURCELL W. a HUFFMAN Federal Government is based on strained interpretations of the Federal Constitution; and some other activities seem to be gross perversions of the principles of American history. The Income Tax, for example, is based on the 16th Amendment, which reads: “The Congress shall have power to levy and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, etc.” But nothing in that authorizes or justifies a general imposition based on net worth. It would not require a meta physicist to prove that assessing net worth is not strictly the same as a tax imposed on income. Furthermore, the graduated income tax is utterly un sound and un-American because it taxes citizens on dif ferent bases, instead of taxing all on the same basis. The idea of an imposition of 20 % on some incomes; 25 on others ; 35 on others; and up to 91% is utterly mischievous and confiscatory. If a man pay 20 percent on an income of $10,000 he will pay $2,000; but if he pays 20 percent on $100,000 he will pay $20,000. Now why should that man pay $40,000? Of course I am understating it. If a man pay 2 percent on an income of a million dollars he will pay $200,000. Why should he pay $600,000? All this is part of our trend toward Socialism. Again, why should a corporation pay 52 percent of its income to the Federal Government? That is more than half. Without any investment and without any risk the Government takes 52 percent. And there are other taxes. At least the uniform 52 percent avoids the viciously discriminatory tax as on personal incomes. Suppose the government should tax a farmer 52 percent of his profit as a farm tax, and then subject him to the discriminatory and confiscatory personal income tax? That is what it does to Business. For example, the govern ment collects 52 percent from the Corporation and then collects personal income from the stockholders who, as owners of the Business, have already paid 52 percent? In South Carolina we are beginning to see the light; our State officials are eager to welcome » new and expanded business operations. We would do well to compare our State with others and then remove any obstacles our taxes may impose. Our first need is profitable employment for all our peo ple; then the whole State will benefit. We should not think in terms of more taxes, but fewer and less taxs. A spending and taxing spree must be avoided; we must attract people and business by reasonable taxes. Anyone can readily imagine more and more spending, but we can’t compete with other states except by ofering a better climate for business. Since most enlightened citizens are advocating and ur ging new industry, with due regard for those who have served us so well for years, let us base our recommenda tions with facts before us. Study these figures. What 100 new industrial workers would mean to your community: 296 more people; 112 more households; 51 more school children; $590,000 more personal income per year; $270,- 000 more bank deposits; 107 more passenger cars registered; 174 more workers employed; 4 more retail establishments; and $360,000 more retail sales per year.” “Duke Power Company has announced that it will build a huge multi-million dollar steam generating power plant about 20 miles southwest of Anderson. It will, when complete be the second largest plant in the entire Duke Power Company system. The plant will be located on the Savan nah River. It is most pleasing to note that this company, as well as other companies, realize the need for more po wer generating facilities in South Carolina.. The fact that private capital is still being used to build huge generating plants in the face of government compe tition is noteworthy. We feel that private capital can do the job better and that so long as it is willing to do the job the government should stay out of the power gener ating business.” That was an editorial in the Lee County Messenger of Bishopville. I have no information about this proposed dam but it will cost 35 milion dollars I should think, purely as a guess. What does that mean ? That will be an increase in investment in Anderson County; it will mean money for the schools, for the county government. It will mean tax money for the State and for the Federal Government. It may not be altogether a wild guess that this new plant will pay two million dollars a year in taxes. Men have invested their savings to build this great plant. Not one dollar of your money, or Government money, will be used for this. This is no government project; this Big Savings ARE BEING OFFERED NOW ON * f Odds and Ends —OF— • INLAID LINOLEUM • 9” by 9” TILE YOU CAN SAVE DURING THESE CLOSEOUT SPECIALS Whitaker Floor Coverings 1011 CALDWELL ST. PHONE 993 is private investment for the public service. The differences in the Penitentiary matter are espec ially unfortunate because all those gentlemen are excellent men, good citizens and of the highest rectitude. Moreover, all are of splendid purpose. The Governor is right in refer ring this to a legislative comittee. The Richland Grand Jury is not the proper authority. Mr. Stackhouse, naturally, thought of a Grand Jury. All these gentlemen were under standably correct in purpose. Mr. Stackhouse is a citizen of high standing, a man of patriotic zeal; Col. Manning is an old ‘comrade of mine for whom I cherish ^re&^ respect and affection. AMERICANA Kansas City, Missouri Cities To See 1 I 81 . m Mm* IWPfcftvw pm A& they say in the stage show ditty, “Everything is up to date in Kansas City.” In the Heart of the Nation (a short distance from the exact geo graphical center of the U.S.), western Missouri’s metropolis is typi cally American and young in heart, even though it’s old enough to have a tale or two to tell. It’s a zestful spot, with music under the stars, an American League ball club, varied and delightful nightlife and supper clubs, smart shops and retail stores. Lumbering fat cattle and bluebjooded stars of the tanbark hold sway during the famed American Royal each fall—Kansas City’s proud boast of its livestock industry and appreciation of good horse flesh. From a little river-front town with mud streets, Kansas City developed into a sprawling, teem ing 20th century city of many facets. Almost dead center of the nation, it balances beauty with vital factories, giant oil refiner ies, busy railroads and roaring planes, skyscrapers, grain ele vators and bawling stockyards. On June 3, 1850, the Town of Kansas received its first charter of self-government and it is the ,100th anniversary of that event that Kansas City celebrated in 1850. Until about 1800 the area around the junction of the Mis souri. and Kaw rivers remained undeveloped except for the ac tivity of French trappers, al- Kansas City is the second larg est city in Missouri and the 18th largest in the United States. Wholesale volume ranks high on the national scale with more than 2,000 establishments doing an an nual volume of more than $3% billion. Holding an enviable posi tion as a market center, Kansas City has all the facilities neces sary for handling grain, livestock, produce and other products. Per haps no other large city in Ameri ca is so closely linked to the peo ple on the farms. Kansas City is now the leading primary market of the midwest for livestock, grain, vegetables, poultry and other farm products. It is a large meat packing and flour milling though the first European is be- •’center and has become one of the lieved to have viewed the site al most a century earlier. nation’s leading wholesale markets. .. for that special someone on i/our Christmas list k • • LARK with MparnkM brac«l*t $J)Q50 With cord $55.00 PRISTINE with txpansion bracelet. SR950 WMi 173.00 WMh cord $73.00 expansion bracelet. WMh cord $35.00 * • • • I C0RINNE with expansion bracelet. IBS 50 . 'V. A Jo. . . .1 SI o© SEA-CREST Waterproof Expansion bracelet $4050 With shop $45.00 ACOIMATIC V Self-winding Waterproof* Expansion bracelet HSgso v WMh strop $45.00 S KHYBER Expansion bracelet 185“ WMh strop $75.00 •fWnfrd original tool h restored If opened for servicing. PAY NEXT YEAR Moot ami fad. Jo* W. E. Turner ■ JEWELERS - Caldwell Street Newberry, S. C. t Jl “I