The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-31
THE TOWNSHIP SYSTEM

THE TOWNSHIP SYSTEM.
The New England Plan OF Local
GOvcrnmcnt--II --IIX.COngrcssman TIL.
man Wants to EngrnIt It. on South
Carolina.
The constitutional convention had
dnder consideration the following
section relating 10 county govern
ments: Each Of the several town
ships OF this State, with names and
boundaries as now established by law,
shall constitute u body polite, but this
shall not prevent tho legislature from
organizing other townships."
Mr.. Johnstone said he proposed to
offer an amendment that tho legisla-
ture shall hot be allowed to form new
townships nor change the boundaries
OF those now existing.
Mr.. G.. u. Tillman spoke in favor
of township governments III they are
established In New England and some
other States
The Radical constitution has done
two things that were tho greatest
blessings to the State. In the first
place 1t planted the seeds OF popular
education. The Democrats adopted
it reluctantly but now it. has secured tho
friendship of our people. But there
Is another. Tbs township government
is u better provision even than that
for free schools. II he could be tho
means OF inducing the convention to
plant the acorn, 80 to speak, Of town:
ship government or oven to. nuturc
the plant Of the Republicans SO that
it could come to full fruition he would
want no better monument to his
memory. He believed in, the soyer-
| eighty OF the individual, tho kipgship
OF each citiZehfas it worc,, and that
| could not be 80 at(ectualfy obtained us
In township" governments. In Con-
necticut. the townships have ali area of
thirty-six square milos. That Is
little State In itself--a sovereignty
itself. Each has legislature, Il judi
ciary, treasurer and constable of
its own. Each toWnship. elects three,
five o.. seven men called sclect.men or
supervisors. We proposed to call
them "dlrectorS rather than. COM
bad reputation. for through county
commissioners more robbory Of the
people occurred than anywhere elso.
1t is proposed that these directors
should have control Of the roads, fer
ries and bridges, public schools, up
point managers of election and egistela
voters of the township: ':''. ,.
We have township commissioners
now, but they arc. appointed by the
Governor Ut the suggestion Of the.
Senator and he .ventured to say that
half of the people didn't know who the
commissioners are. 80 -. ~. 3.
In New England they know who tho
bost men are for overseors, who the
best teachers are and so on and they
appoint them and as a consequences the
whole people are 80 benefited that
they arc tho MOST progressive people.
IN politicalan industrial affairs in the
world. =
MIR. Ira B. Jonss asked Mr.. Wllman
to explain the cooperative expense and
how his plan would work in spaIsely
settled agricultural districts. !.
Mr.Tillman said when he was " boy
going to school ne attended IL town
ship meeting near Boston. The peo-'
pie oil attended and took the greatest
interest in everything and wanted to
know how all tho money was spent.
They got pay, but it wasn't much.
There wore no loaks there. There's
no chance for stealing because every
body WIS interested and looked after
tho finances. 'f
When Ohio was first admitted there
was IL great fight whether to adopt
townships or county governments and
the township won by one vote and the
people Of Ohio attribute their wonder
full progress aId prosperity to this fact
ps much rs to anything else.
The Republicans in this State adopt
cd the township government In 1868
but had. TO repeat it tho next year
because there-were no townships laid
Of, But later township lines were
laid on. .,.
He thought It. would be cheaper
government and more efficient govern
mont. 1t would prevent embezzlo-
ment.
AS to sparse population he said that
throughout the North there arc many
counties no more thickly settled than
we are. IL would cost no more to keep
up roads and bridges with spare
population than with dense one.
In our System our school commis-
sioners. go about and appoint their
frionds and partiSans as mombers OF
the school boards and they in turn
ol6ct Choir relatives or friends teachers
and tho people have nothing to do
with it. Is it right that tho Cover
nor appoint partisan county managers
for our elections who in turn appoint
tlieir paroisans at tho precincts L?
That isn't Democratic, isn't self gov
| ernment. ''.
He said that at present we have
township commissioners, but that is;a
top heavy scheme and ia wrong. be-
cause tho people ought to move and
take action to select It's township
rulers. That's Democracy as defined
by Jefferson. Our present system is
but carrying out the monopOlistic
systcm now so prevalent in the South.
Tho officers are appointed, not elected