The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-07-03
Wednesday, July 8, 1895.
The County Question.

The Greenwood Journal thus remarks on
an article which recently appeared IN the
Press and Banner:
The following, under the head OF g" hat
the Constitution Should Have; appeare1 IN
the editorial columns OF the Press aou nau-
ner yesterday morning: ,.,.
a provision establishing the dispensarE,
forever forbidding municipalities from IL
censing the sale OF whiskey IN ms Soa,s t;rr,,r
THE registration law should oe HrWlS
fixed. ,,o,
THE homestead should be re-enacted.,
mo new county should be organized, eA-
cept on consent by popular vote OF major
itT Of the people living in the different coun-
ties from which it is proposed 10 take TERN.
tory. Without the consent oi maJofllS OF
the people voting in each OF the counties no
new counties should be organized anywhere.
The Journal has nothing TO say. at TINS
time about the first three measures suggest
ed. The one in regard 10 the formauon o.
new counties is the one We rise 10 remark
upon this morning. The position that no
counties should be formed Except oy ma
jority popular vote of the different countles
from which II is proposed TO take territory,
amounts to saying that the people conceTneu
have no voice in the management OF tneiI
own local affairs. In our own case, IS II Just
that l,lO10 people OF Abbeville county, WING
want 10 go INTO the proposed GIeenMoor Goo,
county, and who know that II would De great
ly TO their interest 10 do so, should oe plonio
tied by the 2,HO remaining IN Aooe'lIie couu .,
VI,
or the other By the division OF the county;
Is II right and just that 60 people ol EuGe
field county now twenty-slX 10 twenty y-eISu'
miles from their court house. VINO oeslIe 10
90 into a new county and get court house
within eight miles OF their doors, snouio oe
prohibited from so doing oy o,oO People re-
manning In the old county. Simply oecause
they have the numerical strength: we uon
think so, and We don't believe the editor OF
the Press and Banner thinks so. ,
The provision suggested might be aoorevi-
&s.eA -phn y,fxtT
say that mo new county shall ever hereafter,
under any circumstances, be formed III Soutn
Carolina :" that is what 1t practically amounts
10.
To which the Press and Banner would say
Shall six hundred people be allowed 10 mu-
tilate and destroy the symmetery Of Edge
field County, while three thousand are op-
posed 10 the measure?
Shall eleven hundred men change the boun-
dary lines Of Abbeville County against the
will of twenty-five hundred:
Shall a few Court House builders have more
weight and influence in the government OF
the county than the great mass Of the peo-
pie:
The proposition OF our neighbor Is contrary
to the generally accepted theory OF this Gov
ernment. The rule OF the majority. and not
the tyranny Of the minority is for the public
good.
Why should this county be cut to pieces
when the great majority Of the people are op-
posed to It?
Why should Edgefield be mutilated at the
request Of six hundred as long as three thous-
and oppose the measure:
By what method OF reasoning can the wish
es OF the six hundred claim the right TO dis
regard and override the will Of three thous-
and in disfguring a county in which all are
interesteds
According to the admission Of our neighbor
the majority Of the people in the counties al
fected are opposed TO the new county. Has II
come to this that the will of the majority
must count as nothing:
The Constitution OF the United States has
adopted q just and equitable plan for the
formation Of new States. The same equity
would apply in the formation Of new coun-
ties.
Law for Formation OF Proposed Law for New
No new State shall No new county shall
be formed or erected be formed or erected
within the Jurisdiction within the jurisdiction
ofany other State, nor of any county, nor any
any State be formed by county be formed by
the junction Of two or the junction of two or
more States, or parts more counties, or paris
Of States, without the Of Counties, without
consent OF the Legisla- the consent OF the Leg
ture concerned as well islature OF this State.
as OF the Congress- as well rs OF major
Sec. 3, Art. ~. ity ofthe voters In each
and every county from
which II fs proposed 70
include territory in the
formation of said pro-
posed new county.