The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-12-19
County Affairs.

The county board Of commissioners
held Il special meeting last Saturday
and approved the bonds OF the newly
elected county officers. They also
heard argument in the matter Of the
new road between Manning and Sum-
merton. and from what we can learn,
those objecting to the road running as
contemplated, are seriously thinking of
praying to the court for a writ of in
junction to stop operations On the new
road: if this is done the county will be
involved in law suit which is to be
regretted, because no matter if the
county wins it means a heavy expense
to the taxpayers. We hope the COM
mlsSionerS, in the performance Of their
duty will be able to manage this road
matter so as to steer clear of the courts.
The board meets the first Saturday in
January. This will be the final meeting
for the present fiscal year, and those
having claims against the county should
have them in on that day so as they
may be approved by the board that con-
tracted the debt. The term OF the
present members OF the board to act
with the SUPERVISOR will expire with
the next meeting, and their successors
will be appointed to begin where they
left OF. Supervisor Owens informs us
that the result of his Icing required to
look after the seed cotton licerses has
had the effect of putting into the treas
urv about sll00. He complains of the
lack of observance of the law with re-
gard to purchasing seed cotton at night:
this. he says, is commonly violated and
he has no way of enforcing the law. In
our opinion. there is no chance OF en-
forcing this. or any other law in COM
munity where the people affected mur
mer not. II the people in a community
want to put a stop to the purchase of
seed cotton at night they can do so,
but if they choose to submit to it, either
by their silence or sanction there is no
way to break it up, the law in such a
community is a nullity, and the people
themselves are to blame for such a con-
dition.
The financial condition of the county
is good, and unless something unfore-
seen happens there is every reason to
believe that still further reduction of
taxes will be made. The writer being
one of the Representatives, will have
something to do with making the in
vestigation into the county's financial
condition, and if the results pan out
with the estimates. he can assure the
people in advance OF the convening of
the General Assembly that the tax levy
will, based on the present property val
uation, be at least one mill less than
the present levy, should however the
property assessment be larger as we
believe it will be, then the reduction
in the levy will be more than one mill:
our calculation is that it takes about
$4,000 per year for the county's needs, |
and If 3 mills will raise $4,000 for
county purposes there is no need for
mills. W" desire to impress on the minds
OF our readers that when the writer
and the delegation with which he served
the past two sessions were elected,
there was reduction Of 500, 900 in the
assessed valuation of the taxable prop
erty, and Notwithstanding this condi-
ton to face, the delegation, together
with the economy of the board of COM
missioners. managed to wipe out the |
debt entirely and reduce the levy also.
Now the county is out of debt and
the sources of income are greater. we
therefore look for healthy and strong
er condition, with time coming when
the revenues will be sufficient to put
the county on cash basis and have
enough money without raising the tax
levy to build a new jail and other i'm
provements which are sadly needed.
The question of building a new jail
having been submitted to the people, |
and they having voted against the pro-
ject, precludes the writer from casting |
his vote in the Senate in favor of any
legislation which will be needed for
the building of a jail, no matter how
the present jail is We re-
gard the vote taken as command to
the representatives and we shall obey
l.