The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-10-26
THE NEw COUNTY QUESTION.

The Press nnd Bunner does not like the
position we have taken upon the pending
new County question, and says:
Oar friend anal :.eiglhnr. The editor nf
the Anderson ISTELIIUENrER makes Il
remarkable statement i'll his article which
may br found III another part Of the Press
and B0nnT. Although opposed Ia tho
formation Of new Counties he proposes To
vote with the majority. Abbeviilc Couu
~ is smncompr"misingly opposed to new
Counties. lut strange To- Say that during
tho primary canvass, while war WAS being
made upon College aud our educational
standards, nobody thought Of tho pro-
posed Constitutional Amendment which
would make two or three Counties out of
Ahbcvillc and double our County taxes.
While Il great noise was made about np-
prOpriating SlU,DUn or SO, 600 for the high
or education of our own nutivc.hurn
white boys, nobody seemed to pay any
attention To the proposition to levy an
annual tax, i'll fees and salaries, OF over
half II million dollars to support new oil
GERS. While this great fight against our
higher standards was going on, 1t ~ bu-
licvcd, with ono or !wu exceptions, that
our Legislative delegation quietly prom
ised to vote against the wishes Of con
"titucnry who would not. in our opinion.
have elected any one of them on that
question, il that question had been pub
licly raised, and il men Otherw Use accept
able had offered for the places on tho neg
alive side. If our own delegates vote
against US on principle, and other dele
gates vote against uS because it may he
popular in their own Counties, We are
undOne. our only hupu il III tho people
themselves. They must tako caro- OF their
rights. let the people themselves settle
this matter now and forever.
We think our position on this matter
was stated plainly enough to DO fully
understood. Last winter, when the ques.
tion was an individual one, the editor Of
the lNTEIL.ItiESCER voted against the
amendment. 1t WAS, however, submitted
t, the people, and we hold that mem
br of the Legislature does no, properly
represent his constituents where he votes
against their will, aS expressed ut the
ballot box. Therefore, as Il citizen we
shall vote "no," upon the proposition TO
amend the Constitution. 40 as to reduce
the size Of Counties. but ~ II representa-.
tive we shull vote whichever way the
people of Anderson County by their vote
in November instruct us.
The question is purely one of policy
and not Of principle. 1t is not murally
wrong to have either large or small Coun-
ties. The real question is, as to the rel
alive advantages or disadvantages of the
two systems. The people themselves are
interested in the solution Of the question,
and their preferences should prevail.
We have not reached this conclusion to
reap the advantages of popular feeling,
but after deliberate conclusion rs to the
of principle no man has the right to sur
render his convictions to his constituents,
but upon policy alone he only properly
represents his County who obeys the will
o: his County where it is formally enun-
cia!ed 3. the bale. a3s. I: there were
no formal expression Of opinion we could
exercise our individual Judgment, be-
lieying that the reasons which would in.
tluence our conclusion would induce
similar judgment on the parL Of the peo.
pie. This, however, cannot be done
where the people formally vote for or
against particular proposition. Hold
ing these views, we deemed it proper TO
mako them public before the election, in
order that the people of our County
might fully understand that their vote
upon this very important question would
control portion, if not all, of their dele.
CATION in the next Legislature. We
think that our friend, the editor of the
Press and Banner, will nee that our posi-
tion is the correct one, and that his forts
should be directed to enforcing these
views upon the delegations from the va
rious Counties Of the State. The people
Of the several Counties have right 10
ssttle this question, and their Represen.
tatiyes should carry out their wishes,
whatever they may be.