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

) wanted the South to give the same
chnncc rs had been given the Western
. States.
He said he had been a great traveller
on horseback, and especially in
Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, and
| there arc u great many Carolinians
there. He spoke with many Of them
as to why they left their State. Upon
his honor he would say that over one
hulf OF them told him they loft so as to
be able to live near Il court house. He
did hope that the only restriction
should be that there shall be Il sepa-
rate election in each county to be dis
membcrcd The people are not fools,
and then the Legislature is check.
Wisdom, prudence and common sense
will not die with US.
Mr. MCGOWAN, OF Abbovillc. said ho
wis II great admircr OF the last speak
CT, but he could not agree with him
aftor Il conscientious study OF the fucts.
While he muy look at tho matter from
Il personal standpoint, he did not think
he could fall to sec the real fucts. He
was looking at the facts as near rs he
could.
MIR. Tillmnn said he did not earnest
ly favor Mccormick County, but he
lived in that territory and would vote
for it.
MIR. MCGOWAN thought he could look
at this matter as disintercstedly as
Mr.. I'll man. 1t was wrong to charge
the Ahbcville delegates with sinister
motives. No one who came from 30
proud county could help having
some feeling about the matter of the
threatened omasculation Of old Abbe-
vile. 1t was unfuir to form SO many
new counties and then stop.
Mr.. Tulbert wanted to know whether
over two new counties Of tho six pro-
posed could be takon from Abbeville.
MIR. MCGOWAN said it was proposed
not to limit the area and no ono could
toll where the matter would end. Ii the
area IL ut Il high figure, of course, the
six proposed counties caun0t be form
ed. Every man is Interested in his
county and every man has tho right to
speak for his county. The people
have had their say and they do not
want a hundred One-hOrse counties, and
thoy would do the same today. The
small counties of Georgia have done
her more harm than good and the
State would have prospered ton fold
without l37 counties. He had inquired
into the matter, and unless men born
in Abbeville County and now living
in tho Stutc OF Georgia do not know
what they are talking of, then there
10 uOOllht5 LII GtlC 1 no Gulh
of expense not being greater is hosh.
Florence paid IL municipal tax, he
learned, Of twentyGv mills. He has
been in the small counties along the
SAVANNAH, and Of all the one horse
shcbangs ho ever saw they were the
worst. He had some business ovor in
one of these counties. He could not
find the sheriff and every office was
locked up and IL was one-hOrse in
every respect.
He read IL letter from Mujor VIM. T..
Gary of Georgia formerly OF this State,
to whom he had written for the facts.
Major Gary wrote that he appreciated
that counties could be- COO large, but
q greater danger was in tho having
too small counties. The small counties
have been of no benefit to Georgia.
There are forty four Senators appor-
toned among l3I counties and they
rotate the Senator among the counties.
2, This brought about log-rolling. The
counties, he wrote, held about the
same relative position rs townships.
There is but small pay and that does
not command good men, and he knew
of u sheriff who. could not write his
name. If' small counties are Il bless
ing, he wanted: to know why Georgia
called Il convention, mainly to stop the
county evil. He also had letters from
/, Mr.. Boykin Wright and Major Ham
mOnd. Major Hammond wrote that
, he WAS Il member OF the convention Of
! 1895 and gave his impression.
Mr. TGlbert asked whether all who
! wrote were not living at county seats.
( Mr. McCiOwan construed this as
meaning that these mon would write
what they did not believe because
! they happened to live at court houses.
N, Sni Ina
motives, but If MCGOWAN insisted he
would say these men had boon in
! !iucnccd by living at court houses.
! MIR. MCGOwan went on to sny that
! Mr.. George -. Gilman had been we'd
! ded to this now county plan so long
| that he is probably surprised at the
feeling here. In kentucky they have
pauper counties. They are 90 small
and poor that tho State has to pay tho
county expenses. There the area was
BPS miles He had gone off on township
government. 1t Is local self-gov-
ernmont gone mad. Georgia has not
maj0rities. She would have pros
pored rs we'll with counties three
times ns large, There is no longer
any further agitation Of this question
| in Georgia. This intolerable nuisance
has been stopped for that State. This
ten mile Is just The smallest county
advocated Is 400 square mile county
Tho theory Is to put the court house In
the contre and 1t was not fair to run q
now county up to more THAI ton miles
OF the old court house. In tho follow
| ing States the ten-mile limit has been
adopted Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois,
, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas. The
i insihuntiOn has boon made that we are
fighting Greenwood County. am
not lighting Greenwood. She can be.
come Il county seat with the ten.mile
limit but do want the ten-mile limit
! to protect my anciont county seat, Alb
| hoville.
THE TEN MILE LIMIT