The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-07-24
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 "What
the Constitution Should Have" appeared In
the editorial columns of the Press and Ban
ner yesterday morning..
"a provision establishing the dispensary,
forever forbidding municipalities from IL
censing the sale of whlskey In this State.
"The registration law should be firmly
fixed.
1.-The homestead should be re-enacted.
mo new county should be organized, ex-
eept on consent by popular vote OF a major
ity of the people living In the different coun-
Ties from which 1t Is proposed 10 take terri
tory. Without the consent OF majority OF
the people voting In each of the counties no
lew counties should be organized anywhere.
The Journal has nothing to say. at this
time. about the first three measures suggest
ed. The one In regard TO the formation of
counties should be formed 'iexcept by a ma
Jority popular vote of the different counties
from which 1t is proposed to take territory"
amounts to saying that the people concerned
have no voice in the management Of their
own local affairs. In our own case, Is II just
that 1000 people OF Abbeville county, who
county, and who know that 1t would be great
ly TO their interest to do so, should be prohib-
lied by the 2,2O0 remaining In Abbeville coun-
ty, who are not materially affected one way
Is 1t right and just that 6)0 people Of Edge
field county, now twenty six TO twenty.eight
miles from their court house, who desire TO
60 into q new county and get court house
within eight miles Of their doors, should be
prohibited from 80 doing by 1900 people re-
naming In the old county. simply because
they have the numerical strength? We don't
think SO, and we don't believe the editor Of
the Press and Banner thinks 80.
nr0ViaiOn 9npQpatPl mIpht Qhhr6yi-
ated and simplitied by changing 1t 80 as 10
say that mo new county shall ever hereafter,
under any circumstances, be formed In South
Carolina" thatis what 1t practically amounts
to.
To which the Press and Banner would say ::
Shall six hundred people be allowed to mu-
tilate and destroy the symmetery OF Edge
field County, while three thousand are op-
posed to the measure?
Shall eleven hundred men change the boun-
dary lines of Abbeville County against the
will of twenty-five hundred?
Shall few Court House builders have more
weight and influence In the government Of
the county than the great mass of the peo-
ple9
The proposition OF our neighbor Is contrary
to the generally accepted theory of this Gov
the tyranny Of the minority is for the public
good.
Why should this county be out 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 dlsfguring county in which all are
Interested
According to the admission Of our nelghbor
the majority of the people in the counties al
fected are opposed TO the new county. Has 1t
come to this that the will of the majority
must count as nothing?
The Constitution of the United States has
adopted 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 ofProposed Law for New
New States. Counties.
No new State shall No new county shall
be formed or erected be formed or erected
within the Jurisdiction within the Jurisdiction
of any other State, noi 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 parts
of States, without the Of Counties, without
consent of the Legisla. the consent OF the Leg
ture concerned as well lslature OF this State.
as OF the Congress.-as we'll as OF major
Sec. 3, Art. Nv. ity ofthe voters In each
and every county from
which it is proposed to
include territory in the
formation of said pro-
n0sed naw cOunty.