Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-12-16
NEW COUNTIES.
Some Pertinent Questions.

ing have secured Cne larSesI loAlo""
ing of trusting admirers | may in
cur the displeasuse of those ad.
miring friends, but conscious of
having right and force of reason
on my side an impulse duty i'm
pels me to refer again to the new
county matter. i
I desire to call the attention of
legislators to what conceive to be
a great error in present laws for
establishing new county. 1t Is
that the authority to shape a new
county is left entirely in the hands
of the sections to be made a new
county. Under tois law any town
or city. with much enterprise can
90 to work and obtain the consent
of the townships contiguous to her
to form new county, whether the
shape or area is such as to give
outside adjoining areas the benefit
of a small county or not, provided
of course she takes in sufficient
territory to make four hundred
square miles &c. She can get her
county and wholly ignore other
corner areas that need TO be put in
some new county in or;ler 10 en-
iov the conveniences of small
counties. 1t must be conceded by
all fair minded men wto will study
the subject of small counties, that
we can have better and more eco
nomical county government In
small counties than in large ones,
both as to effective work of county
officials and court expenses. Toe
people demand small counties be-
cause of convenience of court
houses to their homes, thus COST
ing the individual less time and
money to attend to his own affairs
and to the public duties demanded
of him as juror &c. The state
in its constitutional and legisla-
tive enactments admits this justice
of this demand by the people and
provides for more and smaller
counties. But to have these coun,
ties properly SHAPED so that this
wise policy can be enjoyed by the
whole people of the State, is the
question now demanding our atten
ton.
I claim that, 40 one section
should have the absolute authority
to set herself apart into a nev
county while disregarding othe
sections near her and thus foreVe
, deprive the latter of the conve
: niences of small counties. Thes
corner areas should be considers
6 and be- included in some new coun
. ty that would place them near
court house. There should be som
arbiter between the sections, som
= higher tribunal to hold in cbec
the formation of new counties t.
q proper distribution of these di;
tant areas cali be had. In othe
words let new court houses be S
: located relative to old ones ths
E the present distant areas may com
n into the new county convenienc
). and be as near the centre
u : liDt,'eal IiisIsr tni
e such an eslau@ole distribution {
! areas must be made before a ne
d county can be granted. That the
d must await the proper adjustmer
d Of all adjoining and at present diI
It tant areas to smaller county cor
c venience before an election
granted. Yes let the people hav
: the privilege to vote a new count
|, for themselves, but, as in man
s other matters, let some higher cor
: stituted authority see that smalle
V corner areas be not unncessaril
s deprived of the benefit of smalle
9 counties.
Take Greenwood for an illustrs
ton. She has asked for an electio
before January having complied S
far we Will presume with presen
requirements. There is then n
\ reason under present laws why sh
e can be denied her request for
l county at the Legislative session
in January next if her people vot
, in the coming election for a. nev
' county. Yet III establishing tn
county with the shape selected b,
the city of Greenwood and her con
tiguous townships there are large
areas both in Abbeville and Edge
field counties that are too distan
from the court house Of either ole
county or the new and which may
be entirely shut off from the bone
fits of small counties. Now these
same areas relative to Abbevillt
and Edgefield court houses are fa
vorably situated to become parts Of
a new county with county sea-
about Mccormick and leave areas
favorably situated for a county
seat in another new county some
where near Ninety-Six, thus form
ing sort of middle man" be-
tween the four court houses of Alb
beville, Laurens, Newberry, and
Edgefeld. By making two new
counties thus all the areas in
these sections would be distribu-
ted into smaller counties and leave
other sections beyond III good
shape. Greenwood's desire does
not leave other adjoining areas in
good shape. Yet your present laws
says TO Greenwood disregard your
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