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


township to be little sovereignty 0
itself: There is saving claus,
allowing counties like Beaufort, for in
stance, to be excepted and continue
the county government scheme, whict
he claimed was u failure. The fOun
tain head OF authority started ut tho
capit,Ll, went 10 the county seats and
then to the people. 1t should he just
the reverse 1t is proposed 10 make
the Legislature recognize the present
township boundaries and to require
them to bear the necessary expense
OF county and State government such
Us court houses, bridges, prisons. etc.
Wc..don't propose to abolish county
governments or keep tho townships
from bearing the proper portion of
the expenses Of that and the State
government. 1t will be In the town.
shi and attend To the strict local mat
tors in their own way.
llc knows OF no method Of obtain
Ing white supremacy in tho Stutc by
lair and honest means than from the
migratory habits of the ncgrO. BY
locnliZing the election DISTRICTS and
requiring to live in the State two
years and tho election district one
year, he believed this migratory hubit
would disfranchisc u large majority of
them, while the white mon as Il rule
arc joined to the soil, but the bulk of
negroes arc always hunting places
where they needn't to work ut all and
they would be DISTINGUISHED. Ho
believed by his subdivision one-third
OF the negro vote in South Carolina
would be done away with. Other
wise ho saw no way how it could be
honestly done, unless women who
nd ~
The most important duty it Is pro-
posed to give these directors is tho
making out the registration list of
voters. They would know who should
not be allowed to vote. Compare that
system with one man syntcm-suy for Il
county like ftdgehold.
Our plan doesn't contemplate any
Interference with municipal govern
ments. lt'is our only object TO c0nccn-
trate tho energies and intellect of tho
baokwoods people, 80 TO speak to en-
able the scattered country people to
hold their own with the town. 1t do
centraizes the government. No ono
man power there.
Mr.. Tillman had spoken for about
an hour and everybody listened with
groat interest In concluding he said: :
:" In u few years ut the farthest
OF action. Before | go, before | uuit
public life, would like to do some
thing that would benefit our grand old
mother, State for ages to come and if
posslble preserve my name from
oblivion. If know had to bo called
In the next ton minutes to give nn &c.
count before the create who created
us oil, II was permitted to say wha,
| believed would do the most for oul
State, with my expiring breath would
advise YOU to establish township gov
ernments.im the State, II / but plant
the seed shall want nc. better epitaph
on my tomb: Here lies ono who
helped to establish township govern
mcnt in South Carolina know no
dozen things that will do 50 much for
the State OF do so much to make this
convention immortal in the annals of
this State -
Mr.. Stunyarno Wilson said that the
close attention given to MIR. Tillman
showed the appreciation Of the a"gu-
ment, but as much as he would like to
make contribution to his monument as
nc, desired 1t, ho'could not ugree with
his ideas. We could not. deal with
theories. but conditions IN South Caro-
lima. LOche was n philosopher and
economist and wrote a book which no
Thought would sottle most of tho per-
picking questions. Of the day, but his
ideas were dreums.
Mr.. Tilman's plan is totally unfit
for conditions in South Carolina, not
withstanding he builds welt Flo
points us To New England and tho
West I3nt IL there no difference bo-
tween New England and South Caro-
lima? With dense white population,
immense capitnl numerous towns, how
can We in south. Carolina follow their
lead ~. .,
g.: Mr.. Dorham asked whether tho
township system was not adopted In
those States when they were sparscly
settled.
MIR. Wilson said he didn't know, but
our population is dilferent. Our pop
ulatlon has q negro majOrity Our
conditions are different and require
different treatment and noed the pro-
tectiOE of tho gOvcremont of the State.
You can't apply the system hero, he
cause we have no homogeneous popu-
lati0n. Take Beaufort and portions OF
ColletOn what would bu the result OF
this system 1t is hardly necessary
to say. IL is pntent to all.
Mr.. Tillman interrupting said he on
prcssly said that the freehold voters
should clect the directors. We also
say thnt any county which wished
could bo excepted from the system.
This was done to moet tho conditions
in the lower counties.
Mr.. Wilson won't on to argue that
the lack OF wealth, population and
,homogencity in South Carolina III com
pared with New England was sufficient
to kill Mr.. Tillman's plan. None Of
those States had cver had II population
like ours. Money has ilown into those
States for the past forty or fifty years
while south Carolina has had to de-
pond upon her natural resources more
than anything else ana she can't be
compared to them.
Practically MIR. Tillmun's plan is to
abolish present county lines and estab-
lish 800 on more principalitics. How
about the debt? How can these town
ships ne 80 intimately connected us to
pay q debt contracted by the whole
county,, How about assessments ? IT.
will bo impossible for the county to
have general assessment and pre-
servo the county autonomy.
nv ma n n hro pf. al ho ,rn.