The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-12-13
THE NEW COUNTY.
The Reg Forcible Editorial on
the Subject.
Editorial Columbia Register.

Editorial Columbia Register.
There is much interest in the General AS
sembly in the proposition TO form new @
county from parts of Abbeville and Edgefeld
Counties, with Greenwood as the county seat
On general principles the Register favors new
changes should be made simply for the sake
OF change. Ii the reasons for the proposed
| change the9of county lines are such as to war.
rant II. The Register is heartily IN favor oi
| Strong delegations have been at work In Co
lumbia presenting the arguments both for
and against the new county. A brief review
OF the reasons presented by each side for the
faith that is in them will not be arniss at this
time.
The friends Of the new county were natural.
ly the first in the field. In the beginning
their plans were little hazy and 1t has only
been recently that definite idea of the pro-
posed lines of the new county could be OBJ.
taIned. In this they differed from the usual
Hitherto the plan has been to get in the field
early with maps OF the proposed new county,
50 that It's oppon would have fair chance
to fight and would not be kept In the dark ON
the most important points.
The advocates Of Greenwood County lay
great stress upon the general arguments 10
favor Of new counties and particularly EN-
phasize the idea that the value OF properly 10
ding TO the States revenue from taxation.
There can be no doubt that the new county
would be rich and prosperous one, and that
It's citizens would enjoy many advantages py
reason OF being In 1t.
The new county would probably be an anti
stronghold, but It's opponents nave not conoe'
scended to use this as an argument against It's
formation. They base their objections on
other and broader grounds. From the sworn
statement Of the Auditor OF Abbeviile they
present the figures Total area OF Abbeville
Of the portion cut off to 60 into Greenwood
County, 244,5l3 acres or 382 square miles,
which leaves In Abbeville County 596 square
miles. or q square miles less than the Conss. sss
OF county. The Greenwood men claim they
only wish to take 357 square miles from A6oe-
Vile County. Even this would leave Aboe
Vile County with three square miles less IMAM
the minimum prescribed by the Constitution.
The Auditors sworn figures further show :
Total taxable property In Ab6eVilie County,
s7,l62Gs0; t.1aole property 10 lne ssStaoa ss s9a
which leaves So. S70sl7, or a little over half
total railroad mileage, l62; mileage In the cut
of portion, 81; which leaves only IL mlies 10
Abbevile County: In pcrcentages. aecording
lty will take from Abbeville County 81 per
cent. OF It's area, A per cent OF the taxable
property, and So per cent. OF its railroad mile
Every point in the part cut off has railroad
communication with Abbevllle Court House.
It will benefit no people except those oi
Greenwood, and will injure all those LEFT In
IADD6vlll6 SOuuGys 1uC PCSPiO IL toS sSSsASe
OF Abbeville County not included In Inc new
county would rather have the county seat OF
Abbeville transferred TO Green wood than TO
have the county divided. Aobeyille did 2, al
least as much as Greenwood 10 build up rail-.
roads, yet II the new county were created
Greenwood would get most OF the railroad
taxes. The people OF Abbeville invested
their money In the railroads expecting ana
believing that for all time they would reap
benefit from the same by taxation. These are
vested rights and IL would not only be nlair
but unconstitutional to destroy them.
The new arrangement takes ten towns rom
Abbeville and only leaves five, But 1t leaves
the rivers and creeks over which bridges have
to be maintained at cost aggregating several
thou sand dollars.
Above we have given the reasons presented
by the warning Abbeville factions. The pro-
posed new county will embrace q strip OF
Edgefield, one Of the largest counties IN the
State. The taking Of this strip from Edge
field will leave Edgetield a long parallelogran.
with the people in the furthest corner OF IT,,
no nearer u court house than before. The In
corporation OF this strip OF Edgeheld In
Green wood County Will make the new coun'
ty an awkward triangle.
The people of Edgefield have right TO ask
for relief, but IL Is question whether It would
not be better to divide Edgeheld Into Two
counties than to make the proposed change.
Two very neat shaped counties could be made
out of Edgefied and the people OF the old
Saluda section, who need and deserve RELIEF,
could have u court house right In their midst.
They asked this once ten or twelve years ugo,
but the ring regime refused 1t.