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

SOIne tSellnR 6OOuG Gu0 InbJter Ol I'll
!, threatened emasculation OF old Able
Vile. IL was unfair to form so man
new counties and then stop.
Mr.. Talbert wanted to know whethe
over two new counties of the six pre-
posed could be taken from Abbeville
MIR. MCGOWAN said it was propose,
not to limit the area and no one coul,
tell whore the matter would end. Ii th
area is at high figure, of course, th'
six proposed counties caunOt be form
ed. Every man Is Interested in hi
county and every man has the right t,
speak for his county. The people
have had their say and they do no
want hundred one-horse counties, ant
they would do the same today. The
small counties OF Georgia have done
her more harm than good and the
State would have prospered ten fold
into the matter, and unless men bOrr
in Abbeville County and now living
In the State of Georgia do not know
what they are talking of, then there
| is nothing In the argument. The talk
OF expense not being greater is bosh
Florence paid municipal tax, he
learned, OF twenty-five mills. He has
been in the small counties along the
Savannah, and of all the one-horse
shebangs he ever saw they were the
worst. He had some business over In
one of these counties. He could not
find the sheriff and every Office was
locked up and 1t was one-horse in
every respect.
He read letter from Major 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
greater danger was in the having
too small counties. The small counties
have been of no benefit to Georgia.
toned among 1877 counties and they
rotate the Senator among the counties.
This brought about log-rolling. The
counties, he wrote, held about the
same relative position as townships
There is but small pay and that does
not command good men, and he knew
OF sheriff who could not write his
name. If small counties are II bless
ing, he wanted to know why Georgia
called a convention mainly to stop the
county evil. He also had letters from
Mr.. Boykin Wright and Major Ham
mohd. Major Hammond wrote that
he was member of the convention of
1885 and gave his impression.
Mr.. Talbert asked whether all who
wrote were not living at county seats.
Mr.. McGowan construed this as
meaning that these men would write
what they did not believe because
they happened to live at court houses.
Mr.. TalSert said he impugned no
motives, but il MCGOWAN insisted he
would say these men had been in
fuenced by living at court houses.
Mr.. McGOwan went on to say that
Mr.. George d. Tillman had been we'd
ded to this new county plan 80 long
that he is probably surprised at the
feeling here. In Kentucky they have
pauper counties. They are 80 small
and poor that the State has to pay the
county expenses. There the area was
1923 miles. He had gone off on township
self-government. 1t is local self-gov-
ernment gone mad. Georgia has not
had the tremendous incubus Of negro
majOrities. She would have pros
times as 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
The theory is to put the court house in
the centre and it was not fair to run u
new county up to more thai ten miles
OF the old court house. In the follow
ing States the ten-mile limit has been
adopted: Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois,
Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas. The
insinuation has been made that we are
fighting Greenwood County. / am
not fighting Greenwood. She can be-
come a county seat with the ten-mile
limit, but do want the ten-mile limit
to protect my ancient county seat, Alb
beville.