The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-09
A GOOD BILL KILLED.
A PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE OFFICE OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

of His BILL to Reduce the Number
of commissioners to one s.. He
Brings Out the Strong Points, and
AXE a Potent Argument.
Mr.. President: The adoption of this resolu-
tion would cause such u radical change, in
the administration Of our county govern
mcnts, that | fear the Senate is not prepared
to adopt it. Under our present system, our
counties, virtually have three rulers or gov
cruOrs, who administer at will, at pleasure, or
not at all without adequate remuneration and
honor and without proper responsibility. The
object of this resolution is to remedy this
veil to reduce three administrators or commits
%sioncrs to one, to attach to the office, the hon
or which is Importance demands to give to
the COMMISSIONS a salary commensurate with
his duties, and to require u bond sufficiently
large, to guarantee Il safe; wise; Judlcl0us ana
economical administration.
First let us inquire if there is a necessity
for such IL change What is the financial and
internal condition of our counties ? AS Il rule
thew are in debt, the annual. levy fails to meet
the end at the close of the fiscal year there
is a deficiency our internal improvements
and disbursements of money are complained
of VIC have poor highways, poor bridges,
poor ferries poor-houses really poor, made
uratc and uncomfortable, to give justice to the
county commissioners of MY own and others
counties, | would say, that | do not impute
these evils and defeats in our county admins
~tration entirely to our commissioners They
compare favorably with, and are the equals
and peers of other county officers and OF
members of the General Assembly. TIN
evil is largely due to bad legislation, to a
want of cash in treasury, but principally to
the erroneous system of dividing Il RESPONSE
bilitv and labor among three men, that should
belong to one.
We'll located, we'll worked and accessible
highways and roads; safely constructed
bridges and convenient ferries add much to
the value of our real estate not so much as
railroads and villagcs) but they are so closely
connected with the value of land that we
should spare no effort to improve them. |
have known buyers to decline purchasing
rcal-csta!e because of the bad, impossible
and inaccessible roads leading to and
from them. So great is the necessity of open
ing, working and keeping in repair our high
ways and roads, that a few years ago., many
anonymous writer's, our best conducted jour
nails, an honorable State Senator and a dis
tingushcd L. S. Senator engaged in an earn
est and vigorous newspaper discussion to
remedy this glaring evil in our county adj
ministration, yet no plan and remedy has
been devised and accepted.
In my humble opinion the proper and only
remedy is to take this important trust and
duty from three men, and require and de-
mand it of one, who is wisely chosen, well paid
and properly and heavily bonded.
\ strong plea for this resolution is the fact
that it would impress our people with the i'm
portance, the honor and responsibility of'a
,,,, -, ~, ~, n,f n1nntiDn. nav 1.nfn1sSnnp1
to have been impressed with the mischicvous
idea that any man would do for a county COM
missioner, forgetting, that he fills an office
equal in responsibility and that should be
equal in honor to any for which our votes arc
cast. Capable and competent commissioner
arc of equal Importance to our counties as
other county officers or as members Of the
General Assembly. For in addition to their
relation to our roads, bridges lind ferries they
virtually levy our county taxes, disbursc our
money, appropriate to our internal improve
mcnts and have the high ond charitable duty
of providing for the poor, when The great pow
or of this office is thus fully explained to our
people, they would use more discretion and
Judgment, and elect a wise, prudent, safe and
honest business man to perform its duties.
In opposition to this change, 1T will be urG-
ed, that il is creating an aut0cratic, one-man
County government or in other words it would
be cntrusting too much power 20 one officer.
But this power would be restrained and con-
trolled by the discretion and Judgment that
would be exercised in the selection or election
of so important an officer; by the large bond
required of him by the improved capability
and fitness of an officer whose services could
be secured for such an increased salary by
the greater vigilance and w~atchfulness of the
people and especially of the bondsmen Of an
officer trusted with such varied and extern
sivc power. Under such controlling condi-
tions one may nationally conclude, that a
most proper and efficient person would be
elected to the Office as no other could give the
required bond. These same controlling con-
ditions would garantee to each county immu-
nifty from any loss, would prevent any abuse
of such liberal trust and power, would secure
improved roads and HIGHWAYS; would devel-
op our internal resources and cause an eco
nomical disbursement Of our county tax.
Again, it will be objected, that it is creating
an additional office and salary, on the contrary
it will dispense with two officials and give to
only one commissioner the salary now di-
yidcd among three and a clerk.
Mr.. President. whore there is so much trust,
it seems to me that a division of labor is not
desirable. 1t is usually safer to coniidc a
great trust and responsibility to one compc-
tent person than to a half dozen. 1t is wiser
to cntrust the administration of a large estate
to one capable executor than to half dozen
lcgatces; devoid of business capacity: more
economical to employ one learned and honest
attorney to prosecute a case at law, than to
have two or three; the life and health OF a
patient is ordinarily safer in the hands of one
scientific conscientious physician than to
have half a dozen wrangling over diagnosis,
prrgnrsis and remedies. Thus it would be
better and more economical to give the juris-
dictinn of our county affairs to one commmis-
sioner wisely selected and well bonded; his
salary would enable him to give his entire
time to the county: his bond and the law
would demand that he did do it he would
have ample time to give his personal insp'c-
tion and supervision to every financial trust,
to every bridge and ferry and to travel over
every mile of road in the county.
Another reason for the adoption of this
resolution is that it would enable lis to make
Il systematic use of State and county con-
victS, as it is to be hoped that the time is not
far distant when they will be employed upon
ourhighways, under a bonded commissioner q
single ard responsible head, would ba most
appropriate person to trust with the humane yet
well disciplined management OF this class OF
persons.
Mr.. President. l have every confidence in
ths wisdom and necessity of this resolution,
vet from a unanimous unfavorablc report of
The Judiciary Committee, | feel that that the
Senate is not now prepared to pass it, | there
fore Withdraw my motion and let the Senate
act upon the report of the c0n!mittc.
SENSIBLE REMARKS ON TERRACING.
A good Farmer gives His Experience
I'm V%erracin~ His Han(S.