The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-07-24
will not express themselves in favor OF
~ - ,,sonoo;t;on fo o1ont Maafer


of the Rock Mills Club are acting under
misrepresentation when they attribute
the burdens of taxation to the South
Carolina University and the Columbia
Canal. The appropriation for the Uni
versity is required by the Constitution,
and over eleven thousand dollars of the
fifteen thousand dollars appropriated to
it is secured by bonds of the State issued
for the Agricultural Land Script given
the Slate by the United States govern
ment, under contract that the interest,
which is the sum stated, shall annually
be paid by the State to higher education /;
so that by abolishing the University our
friends would save something over three
thousand dollars, besides insurance, re-
pairs, &C., for protecting the property,
amounting to something like three thou
sand more, or in round numbers seven
thousand dollars. This is about one.
nineteenth of one mill tax, or the man
who owns one thousand dollars of prop
erty pays about FIVE and one.fourth cents
tax for the University which he would
not pay if it were closed, and the proper
ty left uncared for. If closed, the eleven
thousand dollars would still have to be
paid, and either another school estab'
lished or the whole given to the negro
College at Orangeburg. The appropria-
ton for the Citadel is twenty thousand
dollars, which represents q tax little
more than one.seyenth of one mill this
makes the thousand dollars worth of
property pay to the Citadel about fifteen
cents, so that the whole tax on the thou.
sand dollars oil property from running
the University and Citadel is less than
twenty .tne cents on the thousand dol.
lars.
Whether our people favor it or not,
the University is here to stay. It's one
of South Carolina's greatest institutions.
Every other State in this Union has a
similar institution--except, perhaps,
Florida-and South Carolina will never
take step backward in this important
matter. If man wants to lose all
chance of establishing an influence in
the Legislature he cannot do so easier
than by voting against the University.
It is doing a good work, and the people
of the State will certainly stand by it.
South Carolina is no boy-to begin an
enterprise to-day and abandon it to'nor.
row. She has an educational policy and
it will be adhered to. The appropria-
tions for the Citadel are made to enable
two poor boys from each County in the
State to obtain q thorough business edu-
cation. They nave to teach two years
in the public schools after graduating,
and thus. its benefits will reach down to
the masses of our school children, and
give to many good common school
teacher who would otherwise have an
incompetent one. In effect, the County
of Anderson does benevolent act BY
educating two poor young men, and then
gets the services of two educated teachers
at cost of about three hundred and fifty
dollars each. This is great work, and
VIC believe that it should and will DO
continued. It will, in our opinion, do
no good to bring this issue in the can
yass. If every vote from Anderson were
to go against these institutions, there
would still be an overwhelming majority
for them. We had better, therefore, vote
for the best men who are running, with
out making any issue of this kind. 1t
amounts to very little, if it could be
changed. 1t ought not to be changed.
and any effort to close these institutions
will ipjure the men W ho try it.
As to the Columbia Canal the want OF
space will prevent any extended notice.
We believe the true interests of the State
dictate the use of the convict labor in
material development.
There is no money raised for the Canal
by taxation. It comes from the surplus
earnings of the penitentiary. tits, how
ever, the peoples money and should be
judiciously expended. The Canal is
State property. When finished it will
belong to the State, and will be the
source of q handsome profit to the State.
1t will build up the Capitol of the State
and be the source of an increased reve'
nue. to the State from the services of long,
termed conyicts worked inside Of the
penitentiary. Before the next Legislature
meets, over half the work and expense
on the Canal will have been done, and
to change the work will be very bad poll
! icy for the State, unless 1t can be soio on
terms which will insure its completion
and reimburse the State for past e1pen.
ses. In our judgment, the people should
send good business men to the Legisla:
ture and let them do what appears to be
best for the State. Whether it was a
mistake to begin the Canal or not, We
think all business men will agree thattoo
much work has been done to throw it
away.
There are other expenses about the
State government which can and ought
to be reduced, aud of these ne will treat
hereafter, but with all respect for our
Rock Mills friends we think it will be a
mistake to make the questions presented
By them issues in the campaign.
The Boston Pilot, which is a paper
dominated by Roman Catholic influences,