The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-07-11
GRANGER SAM ON THE DOG.
He Makes the Startling Announce.
mcnt that Worthless Ours Cost
Abbeville County Seventy Eight
Thousand Dollars Annually,
And He Talks of Radical Extraya.
gance and Democratic
Farsimony,
Editor Press and Banner:

Editor Press and Banner:
SIR: The most popular words in the
political vocabulary of South Carolina,
is, "rctrenchment and roform,'' and
right nobly have our solons fought for
this popular term, I find that some OF
the most enthusiastic advocates of this
popular term, think that they went too
far, in regard to cutting down, and re-
ducing the salaries of Treasurer, School
Commissioner and County Commission
ers. 1t is q true saying that human ma
ture is so constituted, that 1t is liable to
run from one extreme to another. The
salary of the Treasurer under a Demo-
cratic administration, is eight hundred
dollars; the salary of School Commits
sioner is three hundred, and that OF
and forty each. The salaries of the same
was, Treasurer, twenty-five hundred
County Commissioners four hundred
each, including mileage. Here we have
the Democratic extreme on one hand,
and the Radical extreme on the other,
which is best or nearest right2
There are r,ore ways to kill q flea than
putting his eyes out, and there are more
ways to practice "retrenchment and re-
form" besides cutting down and reducing
the salaries of county officers.
I hear the old "Roman'' OF the Mills
has been agitating and discussing in a
private manner, the "%incubus," which is
dragging our county down to the lowest
depths of poverty. This 'incubus," is
the myriads of worthless sheep killing
dogs, to be found in every nook and corn
or of the land, u disgrace to civilization,
and a reproach to us as Q christian people.
I refer YOU to the Auditors books; there
you will see that three thousand of those
worthless "criters," hnvc been actually
returned; and when l say actua!ly re-
turned, l mean that not more than one
half, if that, are ever returned to the tax
assessor. The reason why is plain, the
owners of these worthless, and eXpen-
sive animals, know that feeding them is
q dead expense, and tho amount of their
tax Just So much money thrown away.
norant negroes and intelligent white men
evade y direct answer, when ~intcrrogated
BY tho tax assessor, as to the number OF
dogs they own. To illustrate, an intelli-
gent and respectable gentlemen, who had
returned about five thousand dollars
worth Of other property, whom asked
how many dogs replied "none." The as
SCISSOR was justly surprised AT his answer.
He says "who owns that dog l seefollow-
ing you? ?" "Oh, that is O my deg,
it belongs to my wife, If al intelli-
gent white man, the owner Of five
thousand, dollars worth Of property
will c%quivocate in this manner under
oath, will not ar ignorant colored and
poor man do the same? I havc inquired
of those likely to be familiar with the
facts, as to the number Of dogs supported
by the county, and their estimates range
from six to ten thousand. We will take
the smallest estimate Of six thousand to
base the following remarks:
Every man in Abbeville county will
admit, that it will take eight dollars to
feed an ordinary dog per year. II this
county in feeding alone, cost annually
forty-cight thousand dollars; exactly
three times the olnount it takes to run the
county government. The above is not all
the injury the county receives. These
six thousand dogs, in killing sheep, hogs,
sucking eggs, killing cattle, DC, cost the
county annually, about five thousand
dollars; and by Keeping down and nearly
running the sheep husbandry interest,
twenty five thousand more can Justly be
added to the account. Stop here and con-
slider, We enthusiastic advocates of re-
trcnchmcnt and reform. If tho above
acts are true ard they cannot be CONTRA
verscd the county OF Abbevillo pays an
annual tax of seventy eight thousand
dollars, on account of her dogs. Tho
question naturally arises, is there no ben
etits resulting from this heavy outlay
during tho last ten years the county of
Abbeville has paid the immense sum Of
seven hundred and eighty thousand dol
lars, directly and indirectly as q dog tax.
The county has received about three
thousand dollars during this period, as
taxes; the owners received nothing. Just
think OF it, sir; six thousand dogs, and
five thousand sheep; in a county en-
bracing more than ono half million acres
of land, acknowledged to DO one of the
richest counties in tho State. It is truly
a sad comcntary upon the "banner coun-
ty'' as u progressive farming community.
I reiterate, sir. 1t is n Shame and re-
proach to US as an agricultural people.
You ask how can the "incubus'' be re-
moved? How can the number be re-
1t is n fact that the majority of
white people, and all of the negroes will
have dogs, if tho heavens fall then make
them pay for this costly luxury. Tax all
dogs confined to the yard one dollar tax
those allowed to run at will, to the injury
Of sheep owners, and stock ~raisers, five
each. If this does not reduce the
number, nothing under the sun will.
Let this tax be appropriated to the school
interest, then the legislature can afford to
give our efficient and worthy School
Commissioner five hundred dollars, and
the expression ~ golly they have ruined
this office" will be heardn more forever.
Let this be done, and we will either have
the most fl%ourishing schools upon tho
American continent, or the smallest
number of dogs.
If they require moro and stronger facts
refer them to your obedient servant.
GRANGER SAM.
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