The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-02-19
For the anderson MtelHgencer.
Health, DRAINAGE and Immiqratio

s: M Be- EDITOR: 1HS, nSG0lnS OF bnls arClCle
embraces the principle topics Of discussion
among the people of Anderson County at this
atims.. The public health has become seriously
impaired, in this naturally healthy and salu-
brious region, by malarious exhalations from
the large bodies of wet and sobbed bottom
lands lying along the margins of our creeks
and branches. These lands are naturally the
most fertile of any that We have, but of late
years, from various causes, have become un-
productive, and the regions around almost un-
inhabitable, BY reason Of malarial fevers.-
Under such circumstances, it would be pre-
sumed that everybody would be willing to lend
helping hand in the removal of so much per-
sonal suffering and distress. But not so. While
many are very profuse in giving advice, it is
only the tew that are willing to make any sub
stantial and pecuniary sacrifice to aid in pro-
noting and improving the public health. Hu-
man life in the city is so much more valuable
than in the country that, in the one case while
it is deemed entirely necessary to have Boards
Of Health and Health Officers, charged with
the great public duty of guarding and pre-
serving the public health, in the other, the
proposition to establish Board of Health for
each County, who should be especially charged
with the great public duty of drainage as an
essential means of sanitary improvement, is
looked upon with distrust, from the simple fact
that a small outlay of County funds may be
necessary to carry out any general system Of
drainage. The people are willing to be taxed
to build and repair highways and bridges, in
many cases they have shown willingness to
be taxed to build railroads. but not dime are
they willing to be taxed for general and thor
ough system of drainage, question involving
the health and lives of hundreds of our citi-
zens. And why? Because some persons may
receive little more pecuuiary benefit than
others. Oh, the sslfshness of the human
heartl No matter if the taxable property of
the County should be increased FIVE fold by o
judicious expenditure, in the way of removing
natural and artificial distractions in our
streams; no matter if the productive resources
of the County should be enhanced five times
over the expenditure; no mater if comforts
BILE homes should be afforded thereby to hun
dreds of immigrant families; no matter for
all that, let the landholder on the creeks bear
the whole expense, as they will be benefited
pecuuiarily more than any body else. And
what is still more, and utterly unworthy pro-
gressive and intelligent people, many of them
seem unwilling to afford the landholder the
means of relieving himself, at his own expense,
by passing general drainage law, taxing every
person interested, their pro rata share in the
common expense CT removing natural and arti-
fetal distractions, in said streams, or, in the
case of dams for milling and manufacturing
purposes, requiring the owners thereof to put
in foodgates, under certain imposed conditions.
Oh, tempora Oh, mores! So far as Anderson
County is concerned, we are determined that
the people shall fully understand the nature of
the case, 80 far as we can enlighten them, and
if, after all, they refuse to lend helping hand,
let them bear the consequences of their own
folly. 1t is believed that an expenditure of
$4,000, judiciously made on the part of the
County, would enable the landholders of the
entire County to drain thoroughly every acre
of bottom land on our creeks and branches,
without doing any injustice to any one. TAX
ing the Three and-Twenty creek, from the
Factory up to Rankin's mill-dam, there is but
one serious obstruction in said stream, in
addition to the two dams alluded to, which
is shoal about two or three miles above
the Factory. IF the County was to incur the
expense of blasting out said shoal, and the
owners of the two dams alluded to, were re-
quired to put in aood-gates, the landholders
owning perhaps 1000 acres Of bottom lands
lying on said creek, now in sobbed and un-
healthy condition might reclaim the whole
amount to state of healthful fertility. Would
$1,000 cover the expense of opening channel
for the stream through said shoai? We do not
know, but suppose that it would. As reward
for this wise expenditure, the taxable property
of that scope of country would be enhanced
ten times in value, the productive resources of
the County largely increased, and the health
of the locality assured. At Rankin's dam, it
is fact that their is shoal some $50 yards
above the present dam, which could be made
available for valuable water power, without
the necessity of keeping up the present dam
at all. This could be surely ascertained by a
scientific survey Of the mill site, and this forces
US again to the original proposition that there
should be Board of Hygiene and Agriculture
for each county, who should be specially
charged with this great public duty of drain
age. I know such scheme is not likely to
find friends among those who hope to reap q
large pecuniary benefit for themselves or their
friends, by making exorbitant demands upon
their suffering fellow. citizens. But such selfish
narrow views cannot long control public senti-
ment, and the people of Anderson County, at