The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-30
SECTION TEN.

Section of the majority report was
adopted as section 10, as follows:
| Sec. 10. The general assembly may
provide for the consolidation of two OF
more existing counties, if a majority
of the qualified electors of such cpun.
ties, voting at an election held for
that purpose, shall vote separately
therefor, but such elections shall moi
be held oftener than once in four years
in the same counties.
| Section was offered as section II
as follows:
| Sec. II. Each county shall elect a
sheriff, a clerk of the court and cor
oner, whose respective terms of office
shall be four years, and whose powers
and duties shall be defined by law
provided, the sheriff shall not be eli
gible to e-election until the expiration
of four years.
Mr.. Henderson moved to strike Out
the proviso. He wanted the matter
left to the people; it was not a matter
for the convention.
After some debate the section was
tabled, as was also the following:
Sec. 10. A chaingang shall be es'
tablished in every county in this State
Provided, That this section shall not
prevent two or more counties from
consolidating their respective chain
gang.
TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT.
Senator Tillman asked where there
was to be found any law about the
formation of the present townships OF
any formation about them. He had
looked everywhere. He supposed the
negroes had the present lines drawn.
Mr.. Johnstone spoke on the same
line.
Senator Tillman's question had been
propounded when section 9 of the ma
| iority report being proposed, section 13
was called up in this shape:
Section 13. Each of the several town
ships of this State, with names and
boundaries as now established by law,
shall constitute body polite, but this
shall not prevent the legislature from
organizing other townships.
Mr.. Johnstone said he proposed to
offer an amendment that the legisla-
ture shall not be allowed to fo:m new
townships nor change the boundaries
of those now existing.
Mr.. George D. Tillman stated that
this section gave him an opportunity
he had long been waiting. He was
glad to see that they were now
abo 1T to begin an era of good govern
ment. He proceeded to present his
views on the township government
system in a masterly mar per, co.n-
madning the closest attention of the
members of the convention, and evil
dently making a great impression
upon them. He said he hated the rad
ical rag of a Constitution the negroes
had given this State in 1868, End had
never made up his mind to read it
clear through, but they must do the
radical rag the justice to say that it
had accomplished two great things.
the Inauguration of the common school
ed ucation. This was one important
AID in yaluable item. But there was
anothe., and he regarded it as far
more important feature than education
This was the idea of township govern
ment, crudely incorporated. Would
to God he had the power to plant the
aco.ns even of township government
in this State. They knew nothing
about township government. Let a
man call in his neighbors to help him
and see the result. Better officers
wece secured. Each township should
govern itself with a legislature of its
own, etc. Each township should
be little sovereignty of its own. He
proposed to let each township govern
itself. He wanted three, five or seven
township directors elected. These " ere
to look after the roads, and all other
matters in each township. The people
would then have local self-govern-
ment.
Good government started with the
individual; then extended to the town,
ship and so on up. Our present system
starts with the capitol and spreads to
the county court houses where it dies.
New England has the best government
| in the word as a result of this system.
It was the expression of the people
voice tnat was obtained by such
scheme. This was a fine system of one
man power that they had now. If the
people of township did not know
who to make their registration officers
and maragers of election, in the name
of Heaven who dido
Mr. Jones asked him to express him.
self on the matter of relative cost and
how it would operate in sparsely set
tied agricultural districts before he
took his seat. Mr.. Jones stated that
he was in favor of the system.
Mr.. Tillman said that the people
would look to securing the cheapest
form of governme 1T. But this they
left entirely to the legislature: In 1868
there was law passed to divide the
State into townships and the Republi.
cans paid for the work. He believed
the lines were laid off and could be
found on the MAPS in the clerks office
in each county.
He would like to see any board of
township directors attempt to impose
at ak the people didn't want. AS to the
populations density there was no diff
ference. Many Northern townships
had no more population than we have.
All these considerations could be easily
adjusted.
Was it right to have the governor to
appoint three partisan commissioners
of election and 10 partisan managers
of electlons2 Do you call that self
government Well, we have submit,
ed to it, it seems. You seem to be un,