The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-10-29

near county line should run TO
county seat that had battled for ere,
tion, voted against the amendment
and why he never understood. Georgi
had one hundred and thirty-seve
counties and not single county wa
willing to surrender its county boart
This was an area of 423 square mile,
In Tennessee the area was 42I, and tn
new constitution provided for an are
OF only 285 square miles. Virginia ha
its area at 385 square miles and n
county there wanted to be consolidate
with another, or as Is yulgarly sal
they hold on TO it like death does T.
Niger" 1t was simply letting PEG
pie govern themselves to let them hav
such counties as they wanted. He di,
not understand why the people shoul,
not be given chance to govern them
selves. Any people who ant to TAX,
upon themselves the exponse and re
sponsibility OF countyhOOd should b,
allowed so to do. Greenville was no
over five miles from the county lin,
and was satisfactorily located. Oar
lingtOn and Florence, two Of the mos
prosperous and successful cities in the
Pee Dee, were within ten miles OF each
other and did not suffer for it,
Col. Tillman made 1t plain that the
prejudice he may have entertained
against Charleston for Its largo Sena
torial delegation In his younger days
and its policy on this matter had died
completely away. 1t is stated that In
/ the committee room he advocated leav
ing the two Senators to Charleston.
He wanted to say with what force he
could that the convention ought to
provide for q little more home rule
and personal liberty: What he had
said Of Charleston had not been said In
| any spirit Of triumph. Since the do
ing away with the parish system he
had no i'll will towards Charleston,
and, he added, he was the only mem-
ber of the committee who advocated
Charleston's having two Senators,
because1it had the population and the
wealth, twice as much as almost any
county, with one or two exceptions.
Spartanburg, he prophesied, would
have three Senator'S, for there will be
county seat at Gaffney and another
at Woodruff, Notwithstanding the raw
ings of the Headlight and the vested
interests Of Spartanburg.
He went on to say that all large
counties would in time be divided.
For at least two hundred years
Charleston exercised @ domineering
tyranny over the balance Of the State.
She has gotten moro justice than she
perhaps deserves, bnt there Is no need
for revenge. 1t was not wise or proper,
and he wanted to know whether the
old policy OF the low-country was to be
repeated. He hope not. Yet these
large counties were combining their
interests. Colleton is sure to have one
or two counties carved out of it. Rock
Hill is sure to have u court house by
the eternal law of things, which is
always right. The majority report
proposes that there shall he separ-
ate election had in every county pro-
posed to be dismembered and that
there shall be concurrence in all re-
spects. For Gods sake let us not put
collars around the peoples necks or
chains around them. He saw no need
for O multitude of restraints on the
new counties. AS to the number of
Senators alarming anyone, that was o
bugaboo, as there could be Senatorial
districts, and one Senator could repre-
sent several counties and give home
rule to the people. He contended that
small counties would reduce county
and Jail could be built out of land sold
out Of property subscribed for county
seat. Then many commercial centres
would be glad to pay for the building.
The buildings would cost the county
nothing, even whore there is no -four
ishing city with several thousand pop
ulation. The expense for the court
house and jail, say for Saluda would be
$4,000, would be more than saved in
five years in the saving of mileage and
the saving of time for witnesses. The
expenses of @ troop of witnesses, leav-
ing out the citizens interests, would
all count up. All the owners Of real
estate, the merchants and others at
the old county seats think they have
a right to levy tribute on their fellow
citizens who live twenty or thisty
miles away. He said he had nothing
to charge against the lawyers, for he
was once a one-horse lawyer. bat he
must they are say lazy. The lawyers
were inclined to make the clients como
to them. The way TO brighten the wits
of the lawyer was to mako him ride to
the clients.
He went on to say he wanted to see
this State like others. and keep up
with the march of civilization. Every
court house, he urged, was con-
tre of education. The young men
would attend court and profit by the
example they saw. When men lived
far from the comfy sea. they loathed
to so to distant court house. He
said this custom of having to go 30 far
from home often led to trouble Every
new county court house established in
the dark corners or sleepy hollows OF
the State would do as much for those
communities as any college. Yea,
more. The people will flock there.
Lands will go up. 1t with polish man
ners and will somewhat civiliZe the peo.
Pile. He did not hesitate to say there
were many communities which were
halfcivilized. and all because of the lack
Of facilities for proper cultivation. He
said member of the convention wrote
him note saying he never saw his
court house until he went there as a
Juror. So much for the school house
feature. So much for the judicial sys-
tenn and so much for the vested tight.
do not want to excite prejudice. /
did not come here for that purpose,
but merely TO appeal to the convention
to do justice to the ong-suffering peO
pie and give them ,facilit les for carry
| ing on q civilized government. He
wanted the South to give the same
chance as had been given the Western
| States.
He said he had been great traveller
on horseback, and especially IL
Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, ant
there are u great many Caroljniani
there. He spoke with many OF then
as to why they left their State. Upor
his honor he would say that over one
half of them told him they left so as Il