The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1880-12-16
THE Pickens Anderson Compact"

issue Of THE PICKENs SENTINEL, under the
caption quoted above, q few words concern
ing which we presume will not be objection
| able to our esteemed contemporary, inasmuch
rs both it and the Commissioners of that
| County seem to be at loss TO understand
why the Commissioners of this County have
| not paid what the Commissioners of Pickens
have been pleased to designate as their "part
| of this agreement"
1.-The question is now, what has become
of the Anderson part of this agreement The
Air Line Company has complied with its part
of the contract. The Pickens portion Of the
fence money has been paid into the treasury,
but nothing has been heard from the County
Commits sioners Of Anderson. Our County
Clerk has sent them full statement of the
affair, which they have treated with silent
contempt. If they wish more Legislation on
the subject we would like to hear from them
at once.'
The 'statement" was received by the Com.
missioners.o of this County. but as it was con-
sldered not only cxorbitant but unequally
apporhoned, 1t was rejected. The atement
shows that the whole amount of fence built
is "a miles, at cost of $;4 1863. %, on 81 miles
of which the Air Line Railroad paid $50 per
| mile. making ST $50, from which the County
Treasurer's commission was deducted Ad,
! derson's proportion is one half of the remain.
der on the II miles together with one half on
+ miles III addition, aggregating 81 ,48l .98.
| The proportion for Pickens is the same as
that for Anderson with the cost Of one mile
additional, aggregating $1,568.81
The Act authorizing this building of the
| fenc reads: "Tho County of Anderson shall
only be required to pay the proportion pro
vided for that County for the number of miles
for which the said County would be required
to pay if the Air Line Railroad run tho line
of such fence" from which it is plainly seen
| that the Commissioners of Pickens have in
creased proportion considerably from
what it should be by rights. Tie Air Line
/ Railroad does not ''run the line Of such fence"
for distance of "a miles by good deal; and
even If it did we cannot exactly sec how the
Pickens Commissioners could expect Andcr-
son to pay any portion Of the expense Of
! building this fence when she had nothing
/ whatever to do with contracting for the work.
i Our Commissioners were not consulted about
4 the matter, although the Pckens Commis-
4 sioners considered that we had as much in
: terest in the matter as Trey did Moreover
the prices at which the building was done was
cxorbitant, and does not reflect much credit
upon the business capacity of the parties who
attended to letting ont the contracts. The
whole conduct of the Pickcns Commissioner rs
is, to say the least of it, as about rs cool n
piece of business we have ever heard Of
anderson Inteii,gcncer
We not only havo no objections "to
q few words'' on this subject from our
esteemed contemporary, the H1telAgen-
Ger, but arc gratified to find that it is
generous enough to act as amanucnsis
for the Commissioners Of Anderson
County, and in that capacity has been
kind enough to make public their rca~
sons for not complying with their part
of the fenco compact. The statement
givon above by the nteNgcncer is cor>
rect. The first reason for rejecting
the claim OF Pickons County is that it
was "unequalIy apportioned." This
is admitted, but Pickens County has
the greater portion top pay. If the Act
quoted above has not been carried out
to tho letter, the deviation has been in
favor of Anderson County. But the
portion which Anderson County
should pay is clearly determined by
tho hypothesis in the last clause Of the
net. The plain unmistakable sense OF
the Act is that Anderson County
should bo required to pay no moro by
reason of the fence being placed upon
a limo designated above Pickens g. H.,
but to pay the amounnt it would have
had to pay if the fcnco had been built
right along the line of the railroad !;
or, in the words Of the Act, "for the
number of miles for which the said
County (Anderson) would bo required
to pay if the Air Line Railroad run
the line Of such fence" Nothing
more is required. If the Air Line
Railroad (had} run the line of such
fence, 27 miles, as contemplated by
the Act of the Legislature, there
would still have been six miles Of fon-
cling necessary below tho railroad to
fonce off tho Counties Of Pickons and
Anderson from Oconeo. SO it seems
that that objection was not woIl taken.
1t has not been alleged that the Air
Limo Railroad run the line OF such
fence 81 miles, but it has been alleged
that the legitimate and proper portion
for Anderson Comfy to pay is ST.
48l.08, and that said amount is the
same it would have been had tho fence
boon built along the line OF railroad.
Another reason Tor rejecting The
81 80. 4 Di,,Ly., -.