The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-23
Wednesday, Dec. %, 1885.
Town and Country.

ships upon which it is proposed to levy q tax
for railroad purposes, says:
"You give the people good advice about
mortgaging their farms TO get money 10 raiSt
cotton ut seven and EIGHT cents, IicaSc GiEt
MS your advice about mOrt"Hg!ng oar ilnuS u
build railroads TO be turned over to Northern
CAPITALISTS
There is no warrant IN the Constitution for
the levy and collection of railroad snbScrlr
tions which May be voted upon an unwilling
citizen, though our Legislators have enacted
eucl, laws We have so recently discussed the
so-called railroad Tux that we do not care To
renew the discussion, though We have no OBJ
section to saying that we believe it to he bad
laws and had morals, which wrnld authorize
and sustain any number of men In their prop
osition to forcibly take any portion of any cit
liens property for their own use and benefits
no matter what the prcteHt. Our friends may
10 aid act for themselves in this matter. II
they hare read our paper in the past, they
know what we think of the propriety OF rail-
road taxation, So-called, and as we are not I'll
rcctly concerned We propose to let the ques-
tion rest.
In connection with this we would remark
upon the present disposition of Town and city
to enact Il enforce partial legislation to the
dctrimcnt Of the country and to the advan.
1acc of the cities. We shall not discuss the
railroad question here for the reasons assign
cd above, but the question of our friend has
set us to thinking of other matters:
TIE PROHIBITION QUESTION.
!. A few years ago, it was proposed to pro-
hibit the sale Of whiskey outside of lncorpo-
rated towns. This proposition was readily ac-
ceptcd, and none were more earnest advocates
of temperance than were our city and town
friends who were rcaping such immense prof
its from the sale of whiSkev, and which pro-
posed restriction Of the sale of whiskey in the
country might still further increase their prof
its by increasing their sales in town. Now,
the country people, realizing tic immense adj
vantage of the prohibitory law, and believing
that the town whiskey is injurious to them,
propose to apply the same law to the
town people which has been applied to them
selves with such good results. But this cores
a different OK, and we see representatives
from the different license towns opposing the
temperance movement. This opposition OF
course comes chiefly from Charleston and Col
umbia, which cities reap such large revenues
from the sale of whiskey. They seem to thlnk
that these cities and other towns should do as
they please, while the prohibitory law is good
enough for the country people.
CH~ARLEsToS's DOUBLE REPRESENTATIONS.
9. At present Charleston has two Senator'S
q right which is guaranteed to her by the Con-
s~titution-while the other counties h ave but
one. That city also has twelve members in
the House of Representatives when she is en-
titled to only six. Charleston maintains her
,--l1z ;, {1,n .,c nv n ofn1 =
ing the Census appropriation bill, and is thus
holding on to six seats in the General Assem-
bly to which the country districts are entitled.
How a Senator or q Representative from any
county can vote to defeat a bill which has for
its object an equitable distribution of the Rep
rcsentativcs is more than we can account for,
and ii is equally surprising to US that Senators
and Representatives from Charleston would
seek to take advantage of the country dele
gates who do not seem to have the sense or
the courage to maintain the rights Of their
constituents. Charleston succeeded in sccur-
ing Il constitutional right to double represent
tation in the Senate, and it really seems to us
that she would take a double representation
in the lower House by means which should
not commend themselves to the approval OF
the people. 1t would seem to us that Repre-
scntatives from Charleston should act fairly,
and yield up the seats which she holds unjust
ly, and to which the people Of Charleston and
the people Of the State know that she is not
entitled.
THE NEED OF A SEwsPArE TO REPRESENT
H WHOLE PEOPLE,.
3. At present it seems that the great mass Of
the people have no newspaper which repre-
SCENTS their interests. The Charleston Meas and
Courier it seems to us, never fails to advocate
the cause of Charleston-no matter whether
that cause is just to the country or not. Does
any man suppose for an instant that the NcuS
and Courier would lend its aid and influence
in obstructing an equitable apportionment of
representatives if Charleston had only half q
representation in either branch of the Genera!
Assembly, instead of, as at present, 4 double
representation in both houses? Does anybody
suppose that the Register would favor the I'M
just, the unconstitutional and the ubiquitous
appropriation of the peoples money to build
Il canal or a railroad elsewhere than in the
city of Columbia ? SO far as we recollcct, we
do not know Of my similar proposition en-
anating from the Register for the benefit of any
other town, but we give the Register full cred
~ AVA ttH ~ AVA Ah SAAo " - AVA r
comment of Representatives.
FAVOR TO CHARLESTON CAPITALISTS WHICH
is REFUSED TO PEOPLE.
4. If our mcmor serves us correctly the
NeWs and Courier advocated the enactment of
the lazy which cXempts factories from taxa
t,on. 1t is We believe q notorious fact, that
but few persons, except citizens of Charleston,
3avc any stock in the factories. The title to
she act, then should have been fan act to cN-
empt capitalists OF Charleston from taxation
for a period Of ten years" 4. fcw years after
the enactment OF this law it was proposed TO
encourage the people in the rural districts in
their effort to build railroads by allowing the
counties to have the taxation on the property
which they themselves had created or induced
to come from abroad, until such expenditure
should be paid of. The Charleston influence
,yas against following the State to assume the
debts Of the countless The propositions were
identical. Though one vas enacted "to foster
and encourage infant industries: while the
other WAS rejected because ii was unfair for
The State to assume the obligations Of the
counties" Another instance Of the difference
AS TO whose OK is gorcd.
ANOTHER DISCRIMINATION IN FAVOR OF
CHARLESTON.
S. The Charleston capitalists who chose to
go into the phosphate digging business have
no phosphate commissioner to regulate tho
profits on their business, similar to the COM
mission which regulates the railroads. The
stock in none of our railroads is worth the pa
IT e. --D-4